Congratulations to Liverpool, who qualify as group winners with two games to spare. Porto, Atletico and Milan can all make it through in second place, so there’s plenty to play for still in Group B. Andy Hunter’s report is in, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Updated
Jurgen Klopp speaks to BT Sport. “In the second half it was controlled and calm, but even then we lost a player in Firmino. We had incredible chances, so the game was nearly perfect. They were much more on the front foot than in their home game. But then two incredible balls from Trent, and incredible finishes as well. We don’t want to play against ten men, we don’t like that. I didn’t understand why their goal was offside. But in the end it was 2-0, a great night. I hated the moment when I had to take off Sadio because he played an incredible game, but you could see, my worry was that any challenge in the air, when you never know what happens, Sadio is off. I didn’t like it, but we had to do it. You earn a lot of money if you win Champions League games, it is important for the club and that’s what we will do. But the first target was to get through the group, and we did it. A home game against Porto, what can we do, let them play? And then going to Milan, I’ve never been there, so we will show up there too. When I saw the group I did not expect that we would be through after four games, but the boys did it, and it’s really well deserved.”
Jurgen Klopp’s verdict to come soon ... so don’t leave us just yet ... but Andy Hunter’s report has landed. You know what to do. Get that finger clicking, and open up another tab!
Jurgen Klopp is delighted. Diego Simeone less so. No handshake again, but then Klopp doesn’t go looking for one, in the knowledge that Simeone doesn’t ever give them. No Paul Hollywood he. No story here either, right? Yeah, good luck with that. Anyway, Liverpool are now unbeaten in 25 matches, and home and hosed in Group B. Porto, Atletico and Milan can all still make it through.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 2 | FC Porto | 4 | -3 | 5 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | AC Milan | 4 | -3 | 1 |
FULL TIME: Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
Origi sends a wild shot into the top-right corner of the Kop. Dreadful, but it earns the cult hero a chant anyway. It’s the last act of a very satisfying night for Liverpool, who qualify for the knockout stages, and are already certain of winning Group B.
90 min +4: Phillips comes on for Alexander-Arnold.
90 min +3: De Paul hoicks a dismal free kick over the bar. He should have left that for Trippier.
90 min +2: Cunha romps down the middle of the park. Matip sticks a toe in and taps the ball. Cunha goes over Matip’s leg and a foul is awarded, just outside the D. Matip batters the ground in frustration, and insult is added to injury when he’s booked.
90 min +1: Hermoso has a belt from distance. The screaming volley only just clears the bar.
90 min: Tsimikas plays a glorious ball along the corridor of uncertainty from the left, straight through the six-yard box. It was begging to be tapped home, but Origi couldn’t get near it. There will be four minutes of added time.
89 min: Liverpool ping it around.
88 min: Trippier is down, having been whacked on the noggin, accidentally, by Origi. After a quick check, he’s good to continue.
87 min: Some head tennis in the Atletico box. Henderson blooters a shot from the edge of the box, It’s heading towards the top left. Oblak claims with safe hands.
85 min: Jota is booked for a high kick. It costs Minamino - who then whistles an effort into the bottom right - a goal.
84 min: Another couple of Salah runs down the right. He’s suddenly come alive. The work of James gets an airing.
83 min: Salah skips past another couple of challenges down the right. Upon entering the box, challenge number three proves a step too far. But another exciting run. Box office even when he’s hardly involved.
81 min: Tsimikas has been impressive this evening. Another fine cross from the left, well read by Oblak with Origi lurking.
80 min: Liverpool stroke it around the back like it’s 1979 again.
78 min: Origi comes on for the stricken Firmino, while Oxlade-Chamberlain finally makes way for Minamino.
Updated
77 min: Salah has been fairly quiet this evening, but comes alive for a brief moment, firstly finding Jota with a cute backheel down the right, then powering his way through a couple of weak challenges before running the ball out for a goal kick. So nearly through.
75 min: Firmino has picked up an unspecified injury. He shakes his head and exits the pitch immediately. No sub on yet. Meanwhile Atletico swap Correa for Serrano.
74 min: An Atletico corner from the right. Liverpool clear and swarm upfield. But Thiago takes one touch too many and Atletico break themselves. De Paul bowls down the left and slips Herrera into the box on the right. Herrera should work Alisson at the very least - he probably should score - but drags a dismal shot wide left.
72 min: Henderson treads on De Paul’s toe. De Paul goes down holding his shin. Henderson gets up in the referee’s grille, asking “What’s that for? What’s that for?” He’d do well to keep his counsel given the evidence provided during the first half.
70 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain goes down holding his groin. For a second, it looks like he’ll be replaced by Minamino ... but he has a quick chat with Klopp after trotting to the touchline, and is good to continue for now.
69 min: Atletico replace Koke and Carrasco with Cunha and Vrsaljko.
68 min: VAR has a look at a tug on Jota by Gimenez during that last move. There was contact, but nothing so obvious to make another incendiary decision.
67 min: Thiago flicks a cute ball down the right and forces a corner off Trippier, with Firmino buzzing around. Tsimikas takes. Oblak claims.
Updated
66 min: Liverpool continue to stroke it around. They’re managing the game in the textbook fashion right now.
64 min: A bit of space for De Paul down the right. He crosses ... but Atletico have taken off their main threats. An easy gather for Alisson.
63 min: Van Dijk has a crack from the best part of 30 yards. Ambitious, but a very fine attempt nonetheless, creamed towards the top right and only just clearing the bar. Oblak almost certainly had it covered, mind you.
62 min: Liverpool play a bit of keepball, the tempo of the match dropping for the very first time this evening. That doesn’t stop the home crowd running through their songbook at full volume.
60 min: Fabinho is given a rest. He makes way for Thiago.
59 min: That’s Suarez’s last act of the evening. He’s hooked, along with Felix. Lodi and Herrera come on. Suarez, erstwhile hero of Anfield, departs to boos, just as he did upon rocking up with Barcelona for that semi-final in 2019.
Updated
NO GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
Gimenez, who headed the ball down into Suarez’s path, had gone half a yard too soon. It’s offside! Everything is going Liverpool’s way this evening.
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid (Suarez 57)
Well, well, well! Atletico should be dead and buried, but Suarez latches onto a loose ball and pearls one towards the top right from the edge of the box. The ball takes a twang off Matip and into the left-hand side of the net, past a rooted Alisson!
Updated
55 min: Henderson pearls a first-time shot goalwards from 25 yards. Looks like it’s going on target. Salah, of all people, gets in the road and accidentally blocks. Atletico are really hanging on here.
54 min: Tsimikas dances down the left, reaches the byline, and stands one up for Jota, who goes for the header, six yards out, but shoulders wide right. How did he miss that?! Liverpool could, arguably should, be away in the distance.
53 min: From the resulting corner, Matip shanks wide left from six yards. How did he miss that?!
52 min: Salah bursts clear down the right. He enters the box and shoots. Oblak parries. Firmino prepares to slam home from six yards, but De Paul toe-pokes out for a corner. Before the corner can be taken, the referee goes back to book Felix for a late slide on Matip.
50 min: Uefa have confirmed that Felipe was red-carded for the foul. His studs did come into contact with Mane’s calf, and it was a deliberate, cynical foul, so violent conduct it is.
NO GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
It initially looked as though Trippier had played Jota on, but a couple of inches have saved Atletico there.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Atletico Madrid (Jota 48)
This was too easy. Matip strides forward and slips a pass down the middle. Jota is through. He whips into the bottom left. But there will be a VAR check for offside ...
48 min: Felix clears this one too, Alexander-Arnold failing to clear the first man on both occasions. Fair to say he’s got a bit of moral credit stored up tonight.
47 min: Liverpool are immediately on the attack, looking to kill Atletico off quickly. Salah aims a curler towards the top left but has to settle for a corner. Alexander-Arnold takes; Felix clears for a throw. From that, Liverpool win another corner.
Updated
Liverpool get the second half underway. They’ve sensibly replaced Mane - who has been excellent, but was on a yellow card and perhaps a final warning - with Firmino.
“It sure looks to me like Felipe raked his studs down the back of Mane’s calf as his ‘tactical foul,” argues Luke Jones. BT Sport resident ref Peter Walton agrees, pointing out during the half-time break that “the ball wasn’t in playing distance, he’s basically kicked him” and Felipe could have seen red for violent conduct. He could also have seen red for “insulting” the referee, which could have manifested itself in a gesture, some curse words, or the mere act of refusing to approach the referee when ordered. One to be cleared up after the game, then, but seems the referee was given plenty of reasons to flash his card.
Half-time entertainment. Our friends at The Blizzard have published a new football quiz book. It’s tough. Good luck!
HALF TIME: Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone disappears down the tunnel, in a very uncharacteristically subdued fashion. Almost the look of a defeated man ... but do you think he’s really going to take this lying down? It’s going to be a very entertaining second half. My word, the first 45 was something else. You wanted drama? We got drama!
45 min +1: The first of two additional minutes passes without incident. Meanwhile BT replay the sending-off incident; it might have been more of a gesture than a volley of abuse that used up the referee’s patience. He asked for Felipe’s attention four or five times. He certainly got it in the end.
45 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain drags another low drive wide left.
44 min: On BT Sport, erstwhile ref Peter Walton explains the Felipe sending off. The referee was going to flash yellow. The player three times refused to acknowledge the official, before sending a volley of abuse his way. Off you go, sir! Straight red!
42 min: Alexander-Arnold wedges in from the right. Salah, his back to goal, spins through 180 degrees and screeches a shot towards the bottom left. Oblak blocks. Liverpool come again, Tsimikas crossing from the left, Jota flashing a header goalwards. Oblak parries at point-blank range. What a double save! That’s kept ten-man Atletico in this game.
40 min: A fair chance Atletico are going to go for Mane now, in an attempt to level things up. Liverpool will hope someone in red has a word.
38 min: In the resulting tumult, Suarez is booked ... then Koke gets one for dissent after Mane (who really, really, really needs to tread carefully) fouls Carrasco. There’s a rare old atmosphere in Anfield now, I can tell you that for free.
Updated
RED CARD! Felipe (Atletico)
36 min: An Atletico attack breaks down, and Mane threatens to break upfield. Felipe clips his heel. Mane had Salah up ahead, in a position to break on goal. The referee flashes red! Is it for dissent - Felipe initially refused to go to the referee upon request - or the denial of a goalscoring opportunity (which would certainly be quite a stretch)? It was a cynical, deliberate clip, that’s for sure.
Updated
35 min: De Paul’s poor header in the midfield allows Salah to tear towards the Atletico box. He’s got Jota just ahead, and should slip him clear, but opts to go himself and runs into trouble. That should have been a third Liverpool goal ... or a gilt-edged chance for Jota at the very least. Salah holds his hand up by way of apology.
33 min: Alexander-Arnold has the chance to release Salah into the box, but his pass down the right flank is uncharacteristically poor and Oblak is able to claim with ease.
31 min: Mane is shoved over by Filipe. He wants a free kick, but it’s one of those challenges you can see both ways. And the referee sees nothing in it. Mane is unhappy, and he really wants to watch himself now, because the referee delivers yet another lecture to the Liverpool goalscorer. He’s treading a fine line.
30 min: Alexander-Arnold, deep inside his own half, creams a glorious pass wide right for Salah, who is suddenly one on one with the already booked Hermoso. He twists, turns, and runs the ball out for a goal kick. You could hear Anfield crackle with anticipation as Salah moved through the gears, though, memories of Manchester City and Watford still fresh.
28 min: Mane is clipped on the ankle by Koke and takes an age to get up. The referee isn’t impressed. Mane, already booked, wants to watch himself here. He’s testing the referee’s patience.
27 min: Tsimikas releases the pressure by ushering the ball out for a goal kick, under pressure from the nearby Trippier. Meanwhile the MBM kids are fighting among themselves. “Kudos to Michael Coppejeans for his absolutely terrific strawman argument about sportsmanship,” writes Stephen Carr. “And good look with finding many England fans in tonight’s MBM audience.” Play nicely, everyone.
26 min: Nothing comes of the resulting set piece ...but Atletico come again, again, and they’re pinning Liverpool back for the first time this evening. Suarez and Carrasco doing a lot of buzzing around on the right and left wings respectively.
25 min: Carrasco cuts in from the left and finds enough space to shoot. Even so, what space there is gets closed down quickly enough. Matip blocks. Atletico come again. The ball breaks to Tsimikas, his back to goal on the edge of his own box. He’s not sure where Suarez is, so hoicks out for a cheap corner.
23 min: Liverpool are rampant. Oxlade-Chamberlain, twisting on the right-hand edge of the D, whips a low drive inches wide of the bottom left. He might have done better leaving that for Alexander-Arnold, who was just behind him and coming at the scene straight on. Even so, very close to a quickfire third.
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid (Mane 21)
Simeone has plenty more to think about now. Mane, coming in from the left, bustles his way past four blue shirts and feeds Henderson, who shuttles it on to Alexander-Arnold, out on the right. Mane has kept running. Alexander-Arnold hits a low diagonal pass into the box. Mane meets it first time on the penalty spot, flicking it into the bottom right past a planted Oblak.
Updated
20 min: On the touchline, Simeone scratches his chin in the pensive style. His team, having started well, now look a little ragged in the wake of the goal.
Updated
19 min: Mane latches onto a loose ball on the edge of the Atletico box and shoots. The effort nearly pinballs its way through to Jota, but Gimenez steps in to clear just in time.
17 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain wins Liverpool’s first corner of the evening. Tsimikas to take. It’s an easy pluck for Oblak. Great atmosphere. Here’s Michael Coppejans: “I hope all those who see Simeone for not shaking hands as unsportsmanlike see the same when players rip off their second-place medals immediately upon reception (flashback England team). I, for one, do. Dare I call out hypocrisy in the audience?”
16 min: Now Koke clips the heel of Jota. Just a foul, though the denizens of Anfield want more. Don’t bet too much on this ending 11 versus 11.
15 min: Mane is booked for lashing out at Correa, who had previously bundled him over. Anfield continues to bubble away.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Jota 13)
This is as easy as it comes. Henderson and Alexander-Arnold combine down the right. The latter sends a bouncing bomb across the face of the six-yard box. Jota, racing in, can’t miss from close range and heads home. Anfield erupts!
Updated
12 min: Atletico unleash a clever training-ground routine, playing the ball back up the right flank, then back again into the box along the channel. De Paul is clear ... but then shanks an awful overhit cross out the other side of the pitch. A great chance to rack up an assist spurned.
11 min: De Paul, quarterbacking from deep on the left, nearly finds the head of Carrasco, six yards out, with a sensational raking diagonal ball. Tsimikas does extremely well to eyebrow away from danger, just in time. Atletico come again, though Suarez winning the first corner of the match out on the right. The visitors load the box.
10 min: Salah and Henderson nearly open Atletico up with some cute flicking down the right. Not quite. Fabinho goes crashing into a 50-50 with Felix. All good and legal, and much appreciated by the home fans.
8 min: ... and here’s the first yellow, Hermoso hanging a cynical leg across Salah as the Liverpool man prepared to skate off down the right. Fair to say there’s already an edge to this, but then we knew this would be the case at 7.59pm.
7 min: Trippier and Tsimikas clash heads as the pair contest a loose ball on the edge of the Atletico box. The England defender goes down, getting the worst of it. Completely accidental by the looks of it, though it earns the Greek left-back a lecture.
6 min: Suarez tries to worm his way clear down the inside-right channel. He attempts to make it through a space that doesn’t exist, Matip holding his ground. He goes over, claiming a penalty, but the referee isn’t interested at all.
4 min: A little bit of space for Felix out on the left, found by Carrasco. He looks to cushion the ball inside for Suarez, but Alisson is again on point. Look like Atletico have decided to target Alexander-Arnold’s flank.
2 min: Now it’s Van Dijk’s turn to spray a long diagonal pass. Left to right, this time. He finds Salah, who can’t release Henderson down the flank with his first touch. Both teams look in the mood to attack.
Liverpool take the knee, then Luis Suarez kicks off, to a cacophony of pantomime booing. Atletico launch long. Carrasco is quickly scampering down the left, sent clear by a long diagonal pass from Trippier. Matip holds firm. The ball’s in Alisson’s hands soon enough.
The teams are out! Liverpool in red, Atletico in third-choice blue. One of those Special European Atmospheres at Anfield™ this evening; it’s noisy. A blast of Zadok the Priest, and we’ll be off sooner rather than later!
Updated
Pre-match Mersey comedy with Jimmy Tarbuck, the cheeky chap from the ‘Pool, everybody’s pal, the jolly gap-toothed scouser with a twinkle in his eye and a smile for every honest Englishman Peter Oh. “Has the Anfield tannoy blared I Wanna Hold Your Hand in the direction of Diego Simeone yet?” he quips, because somebody had to.
Updated
Jurgen Klopp talks to BT Sport. “We have to be good tonight. They can go that tempo as well. If we are 2-0 up, it doesn’t mean anything to them, they go again. We have to be strong mentally. They are a bit more streetwise than us. We should not fight that fight, we should fight our fight with football, and hopefully it will work out.” He also reports that Curtis Jones copped a finger in the eye last night in training, hence his surprise omission from the squad, though the injury isn’t particularly serious.
Updated
The match between seven-time winners Milan and two-time champions Porto has ended 1-1 at the San Siro. That’s a good result for both Liverpool and Atletico; Jurgen Klopp’s side now just need a draw this evening to qualify. Here’s how Group B looks now.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 2 | FC Porto | 4 | -3 | 5 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | AC Milan | 4 | -3 | 1 |
Updated
... and now a reminder that Atletico are past masters at giving Liverpool a good working over at Anfield. The 3-2 win that deposed the European champions in March 2020 was just the latest successful Atletico sortie on Liverpool’s home turf. They also secured an aggregate win on away goals in the Europa League semi-finals in April 2010, while Liverpool required a late, and rather dubious, Steven Gerrard penalty to scrape a 1-1 draw in the Champions League groups in November 2008. Atletico will fancy this.
A reminder of how things stand in Group B. Liverpool, with three wins out of three, can qualify with a couple of games to spare if they win this one tonight. They’ll also be reasonably happy with the way things are going in the other match, an early kick-off between Milan and Porto. Luis Diaz gave Porto the lead at the San Siro after five minutes, but an own goal by Chancel Mbemba just after the hour has drawn Milan level. We’ll have the result, plus updated table, when it all comes down.
Liverpool make five changes to their starting XI after shipping a two-goal lead at home to Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend. Joel Matip, Kostas Tsimikas, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho and Diogo Jota step up; Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Roberto Firmino drop to the bench, while Naby Keita (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (eye) are injured.
Atletico make three changes to the side sent out to face Liverpool at the Metropolitano a fortnight ago. Jose Gimenez, Angel Correa and (drum roll) Luis Suarez are in; Antoine Griezmann, sent off last time round, is suspended, while Mario Hermoso and Geoffrey Kondogbia miss out altogether.
The teams
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Tsimikas, Henderson, Fabinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Jota, Mane.
Subs: Konate, Thiago, Firmino, Adrian, Minamino, Robertson, Origi, Phillips, Kelleher, Williams, Morton.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Gimenez, Felipe, Hermoso, Trippier, Koke, De Paul, Carrasco, Correa, Joao Felix, Suarez.
Subs: Lecomte, Renan Lodi, Herrera, Matheus Cunha, Vrsaljko, Serrano, Iturbe, Martin, Gonzalez.
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Dordrecht).
Updated
Preamble
This promises to be a feisty one. Four reasons, off the top of our heads.
- Atletico did a number on Liverpool the last time they came to Anfield
- Liverpool did a number on Atletico two weeks ago
- Diego Simeone
- Luis Suarez
Could be a lot of fun! Kick off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
