Last updated on .From the section European Football
I'm an 'under-average' loser - Klopp on Atletico defeat
Holders Liverpool were knocked out 0️⃣ of the Champions League with a dramatic extra-time defeat by Atletico Madrid in the last 16.
A finely balanced second leg 0️⃣ turned on a catastrophic blunder by goalkeeper Adrian.
Jurgen Klopp's side - seeking to win the trophy for a seventh time 0️⃣ - thought they had overturned Atletico's 1-0 advantage from the first leg when Roberto Firmino's first goal at Anfield this 0️⃣ season at the start of the added 30 minutes gave them the lead in the tie.
Georginio Wijnaldum's first-half header was 0️⃣ full reward for Liverpool laying siege to the Atletico goal for much of the first 90 minutes.
In the second half, 0️⃣ Andrew Robertson was then inches away from a winner only for his header to crash against the woodwork.
And yet, as 0️⃣ the Kop sensed another memorable Champions League victory, Adrian - deputising for the injured Alisson - paid the price for 0️⃣ a dreadful clearance as substitute Marcos Llorente pounced with a low finish to secure Atletico's crucial away goal.
Llorente struck again 0️⃣ with another composed finish in the 105th minute and with the spirit draining out of Liverpool and their supporters, former 0️⃣ Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata adding insult to injury with a third in the dying seconds to send Atletico through to 0️⃣ the last eight.
Alisson's absence proves decisive
This game was, in many respects, a tale of two goalkeepers.
The magnificent Jan Oblak formed 0️⃣ a formidable barrier for Atletico Madrid, his yellow shirt a colossal presence in his penalty area as he made nine 0️⃣ saves and claimed countless crosses.
In contrast, Liverpool's mammoth effort was fatally undermined by the hapless Adrian, who also made an 0️⃣ error that contributed to their FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Chelsea.
The Reds had finally established a measure of control through 0️⃣ Firmino's goal, but once Adrian had hacked out a hopeless clearance and Llorente's shot beyond him into the net at 0️⃣ the Kop end, Atletico were ruthless.
Klopp looked and sounded suitably downcast last week when he announced his world-class Brazilian goalkeeper 0️⃣ Alisson had suffered a hip injury, knowing he could make the difference to a Champions League tie that was always 0️⃣ going to be decided on the finest of margins.
And so it proved, Liverpool's morale and fighting spirit disappearing visibly after 0️⃣ Adrian's mistake.
Liverpool will still complete the formalities of their first Premier League title but they pride themselves on their status 0️⃣ as European champions and this was a painful night.
Atletico deserve huge credit
Atletico Madrid arrived at Anfield with the usual reminders 0️⃣ of how the stadium's atmosphere has broken the nerve and resilience of even the elite teams in the Champions League 0️⃣ - as Barcelona found out in last season's semi-finals.
Diego Simeone and his players are made of sterner stuff than that. 0️⃣ They may have been under pressure for much of this game but not once did they buckle as they faced 0️⃣ up to Liverpool's intensity and came out on top.
Atletico simply love defending, each goal conceded almost a personal insult to 0️⃣ Simeone - who seemed to relish Anfield's atmosphere - and his players.
After Llorente scored Atletico's second, even Liverpool looked like 0️⃣ a side who knew there was no way they would score two goals in such limited time to progress.
The La 0️⃣ Liga side's approach may not be a thing of beauty but they are a brilliantly drilled team and this was 0️⃣ another landmark triumph for the master coach Simeone.
Man of the match - Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made 0️⃣ nine saves against Liverpool
Match stats
This was the first time Liverpool have failed to progress from a two-legged tie in European 0️⃣ competition under Klopp, having won the previous 10.
Liverpool have lost a home European game for the first time under Klopp, 0️⃣ with this their first defeat at Anfield in Europe since October 2014.
The Reds have fallen in the last 16 of 0️⃣ the Champions League for the first time since 2006.
Atletico Madrid have progressed from five of their previous six Champions League 0️⃣ knockout ties after winning the first leg, only failing in last season's last 16 against Juventus (2-0 first leg, 0-3 0️⃣ second leg).
Liverpool have lost both legs of a Champions League knockout tie for the first time since the last-16 stage 0️⃣ in 2005-06 against Benfica.
This was the first match in the competition to see four goals scored in extra time.
Llorente is 0️⃣ only the second Atletico player to score twice as a substitute in a Champions League game after Sergio Aguero against 0️⃣ Chelsea in November 2009.
Firmino scored his first goal at Anfield in 20 games, last netting v Porto in April 2024 0️⃣ - 337 days ago.
Four of Wijnaldum's five goals in the Champions League for Liverpool have come in the knockout rounds.
Liverpool's 0️⃣ Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been directly involved in four goals in the Champions League this season (three goals, one assist) - 0️⃣ his joint-best tally alongside 2014-15 when he was at Arsenal.
