Jurgen Klopp’s quest to win a potential treble has hit a major snag after Liverpool were humbled by Atalanta last night.
Playing in Anfield has proven to be a daunting task for most teams throughout the years, but Atalanta didn’t show any fear at all, and now La Dea are one step closer to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen have extended their amazing undefeated streak, while AS Roma and Benfica also took care of business in the first leg of their respective quarter-final ties.
It’s back to the drawing board for Liverpool, Marseille, AC Milan, and West Ham United. However, it would be foolish to completely count them out ahead of the second leg next week.
Just in case you missed last night’s action, don’t worry, as SBOTOP brings you the latest Europa League 2024 updates.
Atalanta deal Liverpool big title blow
Atalanta defied the Europa League 2024 odds by humbling Liverpool, as former West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca scored twice and ex-Chelsea man Mario Pasalic scored once for a 3-0 win.
After Scamacca scored the first goal in the 38th minute, Liverpool were wasteful with their chances, as Darwin Nunez missed two of them, while Harvey Elliott’s curler struck the bar before dropping on to the post.
Mohamed Salah came off the bench to try to save Liverpool, but to no avail, as he had a goal that was disallowed for offside, and the team’s overall performance on defence was uninspiring.
Gianluca Scamacca was left unmarked, so he converted his second goal during the hour mark, while Mario Pasalic scored off of a rebound for the finishing touch.
With winning the Europa League looking like a pipe dream, barring any miracles next week, Liverpool’s best chance of winning another piece of silverware is in the Premier League, where they’re level with Arsenal at 71 points apiece.
Bayer Leverkusen assert dominance over West Ham United
Bayer Leverkusen won 2-0 against West Ham United, but if we’re being honest, the scoreline flattered the Hammers given how dominant Die Werkself were.
Xabi Alonso’s men had 73-per cent possession while outshooting David Moyes’ boys 33 to one. However, Bayer Leverkusen were basically wasteful, but they scored the important goals late in the game.
Bayer Leverkusen’s breakthrough moment came in the 83rd minute when Jonas Hofmann converted off of a corner kick, which was followed by Victor Boniface, who headed in a cross from Hofmann in the first minute of added time.
Despite the 2-0 victory, Bayer Leverkusen are not out of the woods yet, especially since West Ham United have shown the capability to come back from a first-leg deficit against SC Freiburg in the previous round.
AS Roma take Round 1 of the all-Italian showdown
The all-Italian affair between AC Milan and AS Roma didn’t produce many more goals than expected, but it was still an action-packed match nonetheless.
For the second time in five days, Gianluca Mancini was the hero for I Giallorossi, as he scored yet another thumping header to give his team the 1-0 lead in the quarter-finals.
After the 18th-minute goal from Mancini, AC Milan grew desperate, but they couldn’t convert. Tijjani Reijnders was arguably the brightest spot for I Rossoneri when he had four efforts saved by AS Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar over the course of the match.
AC Milan pushed for the equaliser in the final 15 minutes of the game, but they were denied by Svilar once again, who pushed Yacine Adli’s ball onto the woodwork before Olivier Giroud’s attempt on a rebound went over the bar.
AS Roma’s revenge tour is well and alive after the win, but they must keep their guard up when they head back home next week for the second leg.
Old heads take charge for Benfica and Marseille
Benfica notched a 2-1 victory over Marseille, as Rafa Silva and Angel Di Maria scored for the Portuguese side, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the lone goal for the Ligue 1 side.
Despite the number of youngsters on their rosters, to see these three leading the way is commendable, since Di Maria and Aubemayang are approaching their late 30s, at 36 and 34 years old, respectively, while Silva is about to be 31 years old next month.
Among the three scorers, it was Angel Di Maria who stood out because he was easily Benfica’s most influential player with his strong link-ups with Rafa Silva, David Neres, and Casper Tengstedt, recording 99 touches and three attempts at goal. Benfica will need Di Maria’s magic once more to advance to the semi-finals next week.
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