REDS RULE (JUST)

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Ratul Ghosh
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atletico madrid vs liverpool

Atletico Madrid welcomed Liverpool on matchday three of the group stage with both sides aiming to cement their status at the top of the standings.

The away side were seeing more of the ball after a to-and-fro start and it was the Reds who opened the scoring within eight minutes. Salah received the ball down the right and cut inside three players before shooting. The shot took a deflection of Milner which helped in evading Oblak before nestling into the back of the net. Atletico were happy to let Liverpool have possession but things clearly had to change now.

 

They did change but in favour of the Reds once again just five minutes later. Alexander-Arnold’s cross was half cleared by Felipe straight into the path of Keita who struck a beautiful first time volley with the outside of his boot to double the lead. Just when it seemed like Liverpool were comfortable, Atletico hit back. A cleverly worked corner saw Lemar cut the ball back to Koke whose first time shot was turned home by Griezmann in the 20th minute.

 

The French forward had a glorious chance to level things up as he was set free one-on-one by De Paul. However, his attempted chip over Alisson was well saved by the goalkeeper. He made amends the next time with the help of Joao Felix. The Portuguese wriggled free from Keita and passed it onto Griezmann whose first touch took it away from Van Dijk before shooting across Alisson for the goal.

 

Los Rojiblancos were clearly on top now as halftime approached. Hermoso’s clever pass to Lemar in space inside the box almost saw them add a third but Alisson thwarted the Frenchman.

The second half started in the same frenetic fashion. Mane’s header from a corner within three minutes was clawed out by Oblak before Carrasco saw his strike kept put by Alisson at the other end. Just seconds later, it was Griezmann making the headlines again but this time for the wrong reasons. His high boot caught Firmino on the side of the Brazilian’s face which saw him sent off with not even 10 minutes played yet.

 

The game was getting a bit fractious now with fouls coming more regularly. Robertson’s shot flew just over the bar while Felipe steered his own effort wide but it was called offside. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s shot was comfortable for Oblak but now Liverpool were dominating possession with Atletico having to bide their time.

 

The match turned on its head once again with another poor challenge by the home side. A long ball hoofed into the box saw Hermoso and Jota get entangled together with former felling the latter to give away a penalty. The Egyptian king stepped up and sent Oblak the wrong way to score in his ninth consecutive game for Liverpool. But the drama of the game was far from over.

 

Jota’s clumsy foul on Gimenez from a Atletico free kick led to the home side winning a penalty. However, it was chalked off by the referee after a VAR instructed him to consult the pitchside monitor.

Both sides tried to get one more goal but it was not to be as Liverpool kept up their perfect record to go top of the group.

 

Here are the three key takeaways from the match:

ATLETICO ALMOST PULL OFF A HEIST

It was a disastrous start for the Simeone’s team, trailing by two goals within 15 minutes. His five man defensive line was not certainly not up to the task and Savic’s absence along with Gimenez being on the bench meant they were fragile. Salah bypassed his markers too easily to set up the first goal while a poor clearance led to Keita doubling the lead. Nevertheless, they grew back into the game with Felix and Griezmann helping them get back level before halftime.

 

Atletico had their chances to get into the lead but Alisson stood like a wall to keep everything at bay. The second half was even more disastrous as Griezmann got sent off, leaving them having to defend for most of the game. Furthermore, a cynical foul by Hermoso led to the game winning penalty and though they tried their best towards the end, it was not enough to avoid defeat.

 

LUCKY LIVERPOOL WIN AGAIN

It was the dream start for the Reds, leading 2-0 so early into the game as Atletico preferred to sit off them. That changed quickly as Klopp’s side allowed the home team to grow in confidence and gain more of a foothold into the game. Some poor defending from the backline and individual errors led to Atletico scoring twice themselves. Keita was partly at fault for both of the goals and was duly hauled off at halftime while Alisson’s brilliant reflexes helped them keep the scoreline level.

 

They got fortunate after the break with Griezmann being given his marching orders before Hermoso gave away the penalty that was duly converted by Salah. They did attempt to add to their advantage to no avail and saw a penalty against them overturned by VAR as their perfect record remains intact.

 

WHAT A GAME

One of the best games of the season across Europe saw two vaunted managers going head to head and it did not disappoint. Though Liverpool came out on top, it was an almighty test for the away side in front of a buoyant home support that pulled off a famous comeback themselves. With three matchdays still to do, it is impossible to predict who wins Group B.

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Ratul Ghosh
Ratul Ghosh
His name means Red and a fan of devilish food, which equals to his favourite team being Manchester United. Can be found sleeping or in front of the TV otherwise. Hates waking up early but loves staying up late for football.

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