In a dramatic five-goal encounter at Anfield, Liverpool secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid, with captain Virgil van Dijk netting a last-gasp winner in stoppage time.
On Wednesday night at Anfield, all eyes were on new British record signing Alexander Isak, who was making his highly anticipated debut for the Reds. However, it was Mohamed Salah who once again stole the show from the opening minutes.
In just the fourth minute, Salah’s low free-kick was cleverly diverted by Andy Robertson that defeated Atletico keeper Jan Oblak, who was making his 500th appearance for the club. Two minutes later, Salah doubled the lead with a stunning solo effort that marked his 250th goal in English club football.
Salah nearly struck again in the 19th minute, but his fierce angled shot narrowly missed the far post. On his debut, Isak also had a couple of good opportunities, including a 41st-minute effort denied by Oblak.
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Despite Liverpool’s dominance, Atletico Madrid showed their resilience. They clawed their way back into the match just before halftime when Giacomo Raspadori slipped a pass into the box, and Marcos Llorente fired a precise angled strike past Alisson, reviving the visitors’ hopes.
The second half was a much more closely contested affair. Salah had a golden chance to seal the game in the 65th minute after being set up by Florian Wirtz, but his shot struck the post. In the 81st minute, Llorente sparked one more time to produce a stunning long-range volley that deflected and flew past Alisson.
Levelling the score, Madrid side was focused to return with a point, what invited the home side to pile pressure on the Atletico defence. Liverpool started throwing everything forward, which resulted in a series of corners in the dying moments of the match. Then, in the second minute of stoppage time, a right-wing corner found Virgil van Dijk, who rose above the defenders with a powerful header to send the ball home.
The late winner caused Diego Simeone to lose control and receive a red card. With this result, Atletico Madrid’s nightmare start to the season continues, while Liverpool’s perfect start extends to five games in all competitions.
Next up, Atletico Madrid will host Eintracht Frankfurt on September 30th, while Liverpool will visit Turkey to face Galatasaray on the same night.