Injury time is arne -time. Liverpool marked Arne Slots 47 years’ birthday in what has become trademark fashion: with another crucial late goal. The specialists in drama at death spelled out a victory that they seemed to have thrown away. Virgil van Dijk planted a headline of 92 minutes into Atletico Madrid Net. Like Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha, just like Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah in front of him, he got Liverpool a victory from the jaws’ jaws. “We found a way to win,” Van Dijk said. They have done it four times in the Premier League, now once in the Champions League.
Logically, it cannot continue like that. But somehow it continued like that. When Marcos Llorente seemed to have limited an Atletico comeback, his stag, who took them from 2-0 down to the brim of a point, up popped van Dijk, Liverpool won another game with Brinkmanship, who looks inadequate but finds a way.
It was perhaps a kind of revenge for Atletico’s 3-2 win at Anfield by 2020, eliminating the proprietors. For Diego Simeone, this was another kind of explosive ending: The Atletico manager was sent off for his furious response to a supporter, as he said abused him. “They offend you throughout the match and you can’t say anything because you’re manager,” he said. “My reaction was unjustified, but do you know what it’s like to be offended for 90 minutes?”
However, he was generous about the winner itself. “A big, big goal by Virgil van Dijk,” he said. Between them, Simeone, Van Dijk and Llorente achieved everything that worked the impossible, and sent the most expensive footballer in the English game to an under -schedule. Alexander Isak debuted, had a few shots – one bank, the other at Jan Oblak – and produced a nice flick for Florian Wirtz. He tired and was taken off after 58 minutes. “I was surprised at how fit he was,” said Castle, who had always planned to introduce Isaac on this occasion and never intended to field him for the full 90 minutes.
But the drama took place around him after him instead of him. There are different types of record switches, and while Isaac’s fees of £ 125 million Isaac had beaten his Newcastle debut at Anfield, but not his Liverpool arch. He now finds himself 248 Liverpool goals behind Salah.
If some of the manuscript remained the same for Liverpool, with another remarkable finish, they booked the game with goals. They had never previously been 2-0 after six minutes of a European game. They were here, with Salah prominent. After these six minutes, the Egyptian had an assist, albeit a lucky and a goal.
Hans has been a muted start to the season, despite converting the press penalty on Burnley on Sunday, but he seemed transported back to his best. It was perhaps a coincidence that it came on Isaac’s debut. Maybe a man who is rarely overshadowed was a point.
In fact, Liverpool was 2-0 up before Isaac had even touched the ball. The first was in some ways an impressively bad goal, a poor free kick deflected by a man trying to get out of the way. Still, the ball hit Andy Robertson’s heel to wrong -footed oblak. Sometimes, however, managerial decisions just work. This was not the reason why the castle brought Robertson into the side when he took the flailing Milos Kerkez out of the firing line, looking for defensive solidity, as it happened, his side was still missing. But for just the second time, the Scot was a goal scorer in the Champions League.
Liverpool’s second was completely more intentional and typically, the type of one-two Salah often plays when he cuts infield. Ryan Gravenberch, who had won the free kick for the opener, returned the ball to him. Salah angled a shot past Oblak.
Salah was electrically close to a spectacular second with a curling shot, denied by the position when he should have expanded Liverpool’s lead. There are days when he seems impossible to contain. This was the first such occasion in the current campaign.
And yet, his misses and his colleagues could have come at a price. “A game like this shouldn’t have gone to a late winner,” Castle said. Liverpool should have gotten a third goal earlier. Their visitors were irrevocable. “We showed the spirit of Atletico Madrid,” Simeone said. His side was without the wounded Julian Alvarez, but found a talisman in Llorente. “Marcos likes this stadium, I think,” Simeone said. The midfielder has scored only seven Champions League goals, but four have arrived at Anfield. After spending £ 450 million. In a summer, this record gives Liverpool reasons for recruiting Llorente next.
He halved the deficit as he knocked in a shot after a pass from Giacomo Raspadori. Alisson was concerned that Offside Antoine Griezmann was in his line of vision; On a day of confusing officing, Judge Maurizio Mariani had even tried to award a penalty as the ball hit Clement Lenglet’s stomach, so it wasn’t the most contentious decision. It was nevertheless part of hectic, fantastic affair. “This is what UEFA probably wanted, a first game that could have been a quarter final or semi -final,” Castle said.
Athleti played their role, Llorente, who was leveled with a sweet affected volley, who nevertheless took a significant deflection from Alexis Mac Allist. Given the ignorant role Robertson played in the opener, Liverpool could hardly complain about the accident. “This is not the first time we also give away a 2-0 lead, which is not what we were known for last season,” Castle said.
But Liverpool was together as they have done before. Ridiculously Van Dijk’s goal was only their fourth most recent this season; Salah against Bournemouth and Burnley and Ngumoha had struck even deeper into matches. “We have to return to win a little simpler,” Robertson said, a sense of reason. But instead, they specialize in the spectacular at the end. And seeing Isaac must have speculated on what he has just joined.