I don’t even know where to start with this one because the first ten minutes felt like someone put Liverpool on cheat mode and forgot to turn it off. Like what was that start even?? Four minutes in and boom goal — Andrew Robertson from all people pops up and finishes after Salah made the assist look casual and the game just exploded right there and you could see it immediately this was going to be one of those nights where something crazy happens and no one will shut up about it for days.
And barely two minutes later Salah gets on the scoresheet himself and this one was even better because he basically danced into the box after another one-two with Gravenberch and just weaved through defenders like it was nothing and slotted it past Oblak like he does this before breakfast and you’re just sitting there thinking okay are Atletico awake yet or did they leave their boots in Spain because it was 2-0 inside six minutes and Anfield was bouncing like it was 2019 again.
Atlético were rattled — like genuinely rattled. They tried to respond straight away but Griezmann’s cross gets blocked and then the delivery from Raspadori is soft and Alisson just plucks it out of the air like a casual catch at training and sends it straight back the other way. No breathing room. No pause. Just wave after wave of red pressure and you start thinking maybe this could get ugly real fast.
But then the game shifted a bit around the half hour mark and not just tactically — emotionally too. There was this huge penalty shout for Liverpool after Konaté sent Frimpong flying down the wing and he drilled in a cross that caught Lenglet and at first the ref pointed to the spot and Anfield exploded again but then came VAR and of course VAR had to come ruin the vibe and they overturned it because the ball grazed Lenglet’s chest or whatever and suddenly it was no penalty and Liverpool had to settle for a corner and a few groans.
But Atlético smelled something at that point. Like they felt the game hadn’t died yet. And just before half-time — literally 45+3’ — they hit back. Marcos Llorente made it 2-1 with one of those Atletico-style goals that sneak in when everyone’s distracted. Raspadori drove into the box and laid it off perfectly and Llorente toe-poked it into the corner and now suddenly it was a game again and Simeone’s face on the sideline was like “you see what I’m saying?”
Second half comes and it’s tense. Everyone’s on edge. Liverpool still pushing. Atletico holding shape and then boom minute 81 and it’s Llorente again and this one was nasty like this was a top class goal. Barrios had a shot blocked and it fell right on the edge of the box and Llorente smashes a volley that takes a deflection off Mac Allister and flies past Alisson and suddenly it’s 2-2 and you could hear the collective breath suck out of Anfield because what just happened?
And then the chaos starts. Scrappy fouls. Rushed shots. Nervous touches. Both teams pushing. You think it’s going to end 2-2. You almost accept it. You’re mentally tweeting “classic Champions League game” and then 90+2’ happens and Virgil van Dijk turns into a striker and ends it.
Szoboszlai’s corner gets blocked. Then another corner comes in from the other side and this time it’s inch perfect and Van Dijk rises like it’s 2018 again and heads it into the bottom corner like a finisher like a cold-blooded number 9 and Oblak dives but he’s never getting there and now it’s 3-2 and the place just explodes and that’s the match.
Van Dijk. 90+2. Header. Winner.
You could feel the relief. You could feel the adrenaline. Liverpool nearly blew a 2-goal lead but somehow they dragged it back and finished strong. Atlético will feel like they could’ve taken a point but Liverpool just had that one last bullet in the chamber and they used it at the death. No penalties. No extra time. Just full chaos and that’s how football should feel.
