Europa League: Atalanta Hammer Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield

Atalanta secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Anfield on Thursday night.

The Italian side’s forward Gianluca Scamacca scored two goals, while Mario Pasalic also found the back of the net, placing Atalanta in a favorable position to advance to the semi-finals.

The return fixture between the two teams is scheduled for next week.

The match saw Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher making an early save with his face to deny Pasalic in the third minute. Darwin Nunez attempted a shot for Liverpool in the fourth minute, but it was saved by Atalanta’s goalkeeper Juan Musso.

In an energetic start to the game, Alexis Mac Allister fired a shot over the crossbar in the fifth minute, followed by Nunez missing the target in the 15th minute after a setup by Curtis Jones.

Harvey Elliott came close to scoring for Liverpool in the 26th minute, hitting the crossbar with a curling effort.

Despite Liverpool’s dominance in possession, Atalanta took the lead in the 38th minute through Scamacca, who capitalized on a cross from Davide Zappacosta.

Although Liverpool controlled possession with 68% of the ball in the first half, they struggled to convert opportunities into goals.

In the second half, substitutions including Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah injected energy into Liverpool’s attack.

Virgil van Dijk missed a header opportunity in the 52nd minute, while Atalanta continued to threaten on the counter-attack.

Atalanta extended their lead in the 61st minute when Scamacca scored his second goal of the match, set up by Charles De Ketelaere.

Despite attempts from Liverpool to rally, Atalanta maintained their momentum. Pasalic scored Atalanta’s third goal in the 83rd minute, securing a commanding lead. Musso made crucial saves to deny Liverpool’s attempts late in the game.

The match ended with a resounding 3-0 victory for Atalanta, leaving Liverpool with a significant deficit to overcome in the second leg if they hope to progress to the Europa League semi-finals.