Final Word: Three Liverpool Stars Bossed the Game Against Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Liverpool 3 – 2 Atletico Madrid – Champions League Postmortem

With Liverpool looking to start their 2025/26 Champions League campaign positively, they welcomed a dangerous adversary in the shape of Atletico Madrid, a European heavyweight under the guidance of their formidable manager, Diego Simeone. The stage was set under the Anfield lights and the resumption of this glorious competition could not have delivered a more enthralling encounter.

This fixture was never going to be simple. Simeone thrives in chaos, his sides forever leaning on resilience, dark arts, and opportunism. Yet at Anfield, Arne Slot’s men showed once more why this group could be capable of something special, coming through a rollercoaster tie to claim all three points deep into stoppage time. The goals conceded were of course disappointing again, yet the character to continually overcome is something few teams could ever match.

The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Alisson Becker

• RB – Jeremie Frimpong

• CB – Ibrahima Konaté

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Milos Kerkez

• CM – Dominik Szoboszlai

• CM – Ryan Gravenberch

• CM – Florian Wirtz

• RW – Mohamed Salah

• CF – Alexander Isak

• LW – Cody Gakpo

Substitutes

• Alexis Mac Allister – Cody Gakpo (61’)

• Conor Bradley – Jeremie Frimpong (58’)

• Hugo Ekitike – Alexander Isak (79’)

• Rio Ngumoha – Florian Wirtz (73’)

Goals

• Liverpool 1 – 0 Atletico Madrid – Andy Robertson (Mohamed Salah) – 4’

• Liverpool 2 – 0 Atletico Madrid – Mohamed Salah (Ryan Gravenberch) – 6’

• Liverpool 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid – Marcos Llorente (Giacomo Raspadori) – 45+3’

• Liverpool 2 – 2 Atletico Madrid – Marcos Llorente – 81’

• Liverpool 3 – 2 Atletico Madrid – Virgil van Dijk (Dominik Szoboszlai) – 90+3’

Match Statistics

• Possession – Liverpool 55% | Atletico Madrid 45%

• Total Shots – Liverpool 17 | Atletico Madrid 10

• Fouls – Liverpool 7 | Atletico Madrid 9

• Corners – Liverpool 7 | Atletico Madrid 6

• Saves – Liverpool 3 | Atletico Madrid 3

First Half

An expectant Anfield crowd needed little encouragement, and within six minutes, the place was rocking. First, Robertson – in true captain-of-Scotland fashion – benefitted from a Salah free kick that was deflected off of him to open the scoring. Two minutes later, Gravenberch slid a perfect ball through for Salah, who made no mistake from close range.

At 2-0, Liverpool were electric and perhaps unstoppable. Slot’s side pressed and passed with aggression, suffocating Atletico in ways that even Simeone would grudgingly respect. Yet just as the half-time whistle approached, complacency crept in. Giacomo Raspadori broke free to square for Marcos Llorente, and the Spaniard halved the deficit at the worst possible moment. The fact that Alisson Becker was unsighted by a well-taken offside was irritating for the Liverpool bench, which probably altered a positive and tactical halftime team talk moments later.

It was a reminder: no matter how controlled Liverpool looked, Atletico always carry venom.

Second Half

The second half was a battle of nerve as much as quality. Atletico tightened, slowed the rhythm, and began to chip away at Liverpool’s confidence. The Reds, while still largely dominant in territory, lost a fraction of control in midfield as Wirtz tired and Gakpo struggled to impose himself.

Substitutions arrived, some pre-planned, some reactive. Bradley brought energy yet indecision, Mac Allister composure, and young Ngumoha a dash of daring. Still, it was Atletico who struck the next blow. Llorente again, ghosting into space to punish hesitant defending in the 81st minute with a deflected effort that evaded Alisson Becker.

At 2-2, Anfield grew tense, which was in keeping with the surrounding home support. Memories of past collapses against Simeone’s men lingered. Yet in true Liverpool fashion, this side found the answer. In stoppage time, Szoboszlai delivered a peach of a corner, and Van Dijk rose like the colossus he is. His header thundered home, sealing victory and erupting Anfield into chaos of its own. The captain seemed immersed in winning this game and the camera could not leave the giant defender in the moments leading to the goal, as he willed the ball beyond the opposition keeper.

Final Thoughts

This was not a flawless Liverpool performance, but it was one filled with resilience, character, and leadership. Gravenberch was tremendous in midfield, dictating tempo and assisting Salah. Salah himself was unplayable at times, while Van Dijk reminded everyone that he remains the ultimate big-moment defender. Alexander Isak was able to make his debut and showed signs that he will complete a wonderful attacking system.

The defence had shaky spells, the midfield balance is still a work in progress, and Slot’s rotations will continue to be questioned. Yet three points against Simeone’s Atletico is no small feat, and the manner in which Liverpool responded to adversity will please their Dutch head coach enormously.

For a Champions League opener, this was as dramatic and draining as they come – but Liverpool are off and running in Europe and the integration of new assets will only see this side improve.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Liverpool 3 – 2 Atletico Madrid