The Night Jota Delivered a Hat-Trick to Remember for Liverpool | OneFootball

Memories Made in Bergamo

There are footballing performances that linger in the mind long after the final whistle. For Liverpool supporters, Diogo Jota’s stunning hat-trick against Atalanta in November 2020 sits among those unforgettable moments. It was a night that etched his name into the fabric of Anfield, a demonstration of ruthless talent from a forward who, on his day, was capable of touching greatness.

Signed for £41 million from Wolves in the summer, Jota arrived without much fanfare, overshadowed by the arrival of Thiago Alcântara. But while the Spaniard brought class, it was Jota who brought goals. And when Liverpool needed them most, he delivered.

Turning Point in a Troubled Season

Liverpool’s 2020 season had already taken a cruel twist. Having entered as Premier League champions, their campaign was rocked in October by the long-term injury to Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman’s absence seemed to deflate hopes of further silverware.

Yet just as the team looked vulnerable, Jota began to rise. A goal against Sheffield United, another versus FC Midtjylland, followed by a winner against West Ham. All in the space of a week. But if those strikes hinted at his ability, what came next in Bergamo fully confirmed it.

Jota’s Hat-Trick Against Atalanta

Jurgen Klopp showed his trust by starting Jota in the Champions League tie away at Atalanta. Up to that point, all his goals had come at Anfield. This was his chance to show he could take centre stage on foreign soil. He did not waste it.

His first goal came from a sublime ball by Trent Alexander-Arnold, sliced through the defence like a scalpel. Jota beat the offside line, shrugged off his marker and dinked the keeper with a touch of elegance that belied the occasion.

Photo: IMAGO

Goal number two was even better. Joe Gomez floated one into the area and Jota, always alert, brought it down on his left, nudged it inside, then drilled it past the keeper with his right. Precision, balance and two-footed mastery all in one movement.

The third arrived late. Sadio Mane slid a perfectly weighted pass through the lines, and Jota, timing his run with surgical accuracy, rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home. A Champions League hat-trick. Away from home. Wearing red with pride.

Liverpool won 5-0. Mohamed Salah and Mane scored too, but the night belonged to Jota.

Legacy Beyond Numbers

What Jota showed that night in Italy was the kind of intelligence and flair that belongs in elite company. His movement recalled Torres. His finishing was all Suarez. Yet he was never fully allowed to climb into that pantheon. Injury, more than form, stole too many games from him.

Still, he gave moments. And for football fans, that is often what lives longest.

Supporters across Liverpool, Wolves, Portugal and beyond will all have that one Jota moment etched in memory. For some, it was his brace against Arsenal. Others will hold tight to the Merseyside Derby winner. But for many, it was that night in Bergamo, when he announced himself not just as a Liverpool player, but as a match-winner on the grandest of stages.

His legacy is not measured in appearances or seasons, but in flashes of brilliance that stirred the soul. Jota gave us those. And for that, he will always be remembered.

Rest in peace.