Liverpool have six games remaining to send Jurgen Klopp off on a high as they sit third in the Premier League - two points off the top

Liverpool have six games remaining to send Jurgen Klopp off on a high as they sit third in the Premier League - two points off the top

Even if Xabi Alonso was still in the running to replace Jürgen Klopp, all Liverpool eyes would have been trained on Bergamo tonight. But while the Reds tried and failed to stage another famous European comeback, their former midfielder was also in the dugout, navigating a trip to West Ham.

For a while, it was more or less presumed that Klopp would face off against Alonso in the Dublin final, in a fixture which may even serve as the passing of the torch. But both of those dreams are now dead, with Liverpool out of the competition and Alonso staying at Bayer Leverkusen.

Liverpool did briefly threaten to revive its hopes of advancing. Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross was blocked with a hand inside five minutes, and Mohamed Salah stepped up to convert, giving the visitor a long time to find two goals — a far more manageable task.

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Riding a wave of momentum, Liverpool threatened to add another quickly, and Luis Díaz just couldn't quite get on the end of a neat Cody Gakpo flick to double the lead on the night moments later. The Reds' threat then died down a little, but they had the best of the first half, and had a golden chance to go in with a two-goal advantage when Salah was sent clean through on goal.

With the ball bouncing invitingly, Salah went to lob the onrushing goalkeeper. But he connected all wrong, shinning it well wide.

Credit to Atalanta and especially Gian Piero Gasperini, who regrouped at half-time and played their own part in changing the narrative for the second half. But for Liverpool's part, it seemed like the belief had been sucked out.

Klopp did everything in his power to change things up. Gakpo ended the game notionally at left-back to accommodate a last roll of the dice with Jayden Danns, after Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota had been introduced already. But rather than piling on the pressure, the goal threat seemed to diminish at the final whistle drew closer.

There was a painful contrast to what was unfolding in the other Europa League game under the watch of Alonso. Just like Liverpool, West Ham had scored early, and it only needed one more goal to force extra-time. It, too, was struggling to find it, but David Moyes was at least on the verge of finally ending Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten streak.

Yet for the umpteenth time this season, Alonso's charges refused to say die. Remember, they were going through anyway, but still they found the reserves to score a late equalizer. Leverkusen are astoundingly close to an unprecedented invincible campaign across all competitions, and their comebacks simply feel inevitable at this stage.

Liverpool certainly had that quality at its peak under Klopp. The title-winning season was full of similar moments. But it also seemed to have that kind of aura earlier this season. Kick-started by Núñez's unlikely brace against Newcastle, Liverpool got a reputation as a comeback king. Even now, Klopp boasts far more goals by substitutes than his league peers. But they have not come in recent weeks.

There was no danger of Núñez repeating his dramatic brace tonight, with the contrast striking. Jota could hardly get a kick. Even Danns, who turned the League Cup final and then scored an FA Cup brace, could barely affect things with his youthful eagerness.

More than anything else, that's what makes it hard to be too confident in a Premier League fairytale. If it is to happen, Liverpool needs to re-find that unshakeable mentality, and it could do worse than looking to Alonso for inspiration.

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Liverpool match verdict after the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta in Bergamo

Liverpool match verdict after the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta in Bergamo

At no point in the second half did Liverpool really look like it would put Atalanta under some true pressure in Bergamo. But at the same time, the damage as Jürgen Klopp's side quietly slid, rather than crashed, out of the Europa League, was mainly done a week ago at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot but he missed the best chance of the game at the Gewiss Stadium. When put through on goal, the Egyptian could only lift the ball wide when he looked certain to score. Had Salah made it 2-0 on the night, any Atalanta jitters would have been amplified — but the sixth-placed Serie A side was instead let off the hook.

"We won and we kept a clean sheet," Virgil van Dijk told TNT Sports post-match. "We played better than last week and there were many things to be positive [about]."

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And the Liverpool captain is right. While the Reds are out of the competition and have played their final match in Europe under Klopp, they also have six big Premier League matches left to fight for. The signs were there that they might be more winnable than they looked post-Cystal Palace.

Cody Gakpo was sharp and looked good, helping knit things together in the middle of the pitch. The Dutch forward should start again versus Fulham on Sunday and he has done more than enough to keep the shirt.

Trent Alexander-Arnold tired a lot in the second half but he showed his class in the first. Managing 70 minutes on his first start since getting injured two months ago, the full-back will have benefited from the extra action in his legs.

Alisson Becker, too, was superb, and showed the gulf between him and any other goalkeeper in world football. He was strong with his saves but impressed as an extra outfield player with the positions that he was taking up. Caoimhín Kelleher is very good but Alisson is on another level altogether.

With its first choice back five starting together for only the first time since August, it should be no surprise that Liverpool kept a clean sheet here. There is more improvement to be done in the final third but this was at least a step in the right direction.

In Gakpo, Alexander-Arnold and Alisson, three big players are back and will have benefited from the time on the field. "We are back to winning ways," Klopp said at the final whistle, and that is true.

If Liverpool is to win six out of six in the Premier League run-in — and make no mistake, that is what will be required to lift the trophy — it will need to build again from here. But this was a start; the exit from Europe remains a shock one, but for what happened a week ago rather than here.

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There is a temptation to draw grand conclusions from a week of bad results, but the reality is much more simple...

Liverpool player ratings and scores after the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta in Bergamo

Liverpool player ratings and scores after the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta in Bergamo

Fans shared messages of support as the former no.9 announced his dad has died

Fans shared messages of support as the former no.9 announced his dad has died

We break down the key talking points from this Europa League quarter-final tie in Bergamo

GEWISS STADIUM, BERGAMO// Liverpool knew it had left itself a mountain to climb after a 3-0 reversal at Anfield. But it travelled to take on Atalanta buoyed by memories of famous European comebacks of old, with Jürgen Klopp certainly not minded to give up.

A three-goal deficit was quickly sliced down to two from the penalty spot, further swelling belief. But the 12-yard test told us little about whether Liverpool had overcome the finishing woes that have dogged recent fixtures.

When Mohamed Salah passed up a glorious opportunity to make it two, shinning his attempted chip horribly wide, a familiar fear crept in. That would have put Liverpool just a goal away from forcing extra time with more than 45 minutes to find it, but Atalanta held onto its safety net, and the Reds struggled to displace it.

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The big disappointment for Liverpool will be that it ultimately failed even to make it too nervy for Atalanta, as Klopp's time in Europe with Liverpool ended in hollow victory. Here are the four things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.

Salah gesture comes to nothing

It was the perfect start for Liverpool, as it was always going to have to be to give the Reds a chance. Instead of falling behind early, as has been an infuriating trend this season, the visitor was awarded a penalty inside five minutes.

For a brief moment, it looked like Alexis Mac Allister might step up, having been the taker in Mohamed Salah's absence. But the Egyptian took on the responsibility of the pressure kick.

Seemingly nerveless, Salah slotted the penalty away with no fuss. And his reaction spoke volumes.

There was no celebration whatsoever. Salah almost chased after his penalty in order to fish the ball out of the net and rush it back to the center circle. Liverpool hasn't looked especially recognizable in the last couple of games, but Klopp's mentality monsters seemed to be back on show here from the off.

Yet there was a fragility to it. For a while, Liverpool threatened to turn one into two and make things really interesting, but the opening just wouldn't quite come. And when it did fall to Salah, and he skewed it wide, some of that belief seemed to evaporate.

Alisson the spare man

In a repeat of his League Cup 2022 decision, Klopp opted to field Alisson in Caoimhín Kelleher's competition, with his number one still on his way back to full sharpness. But to be fair, the Brazilian looked plenty sharp enough here.

He was forced to showcase that to prevent a Virgil van Dijk own goal shortly after Liverpool had taken the lead. The offside flag eventually went up anyway, but Alisson wasn't to know that as he changed direction brilliantly, clawing the ball away from the line.

Meanwhile, he had an interesting role in possession. How much was in the game-plan only he and the coaches know, with Klopp seemingly urging him back to his goal at one point, but Alisson regularly stepped out with the ball, even approaching the center circle on one occasion.

With Atalanta's man-marking, Alisson was the spare man, putting the spotlight on his distribution. And while Trent Alexander-Arnold was unmatched in his ability to spray it around, the goalkeeper played his part too, with another side of his ridiculously well-rounded game coming to the fore.

Klopp's subs speak volumes

It was always likely that Klopp would look to the bench at some point. The game was threatening to go flat with 25 minutes to play, and it seemed an astute time to go to the bench.

On came Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota. They replaced Salah and Luis Díaz.

Most would have expected Cody Gakpo to be one of those who made way. But on a night where Liverpool deployed a highly fluid front three to try and shake off the man-marking shackles, the Dutchman knitted everything together really nicely.

Gakpo nearly released Díaz with a beautiful flick in the first half, and there were plenty of cute moments like that in tight spaces. He looked like one of the few who could really punish Atalanta for getting so tight.

It was a big statement for Klopp to leave Gakpo on and withdraw Salah. But right now, he probably is the form forward, and this was another encouraging outing for a player who was coming in for heavy criticism a few weeks ago.

A nod to the new era

There's no escaping it. This was a flat way for Klopp to bow out of European competition with Liverpool, having thrice taken it to the Champions League final.

But the introduction of Jayden Danns was a nice touch. Klopp turned to the youngster to try and find a route to goal, make no mistake, but it was also symbolic.

Danns is already good enough to be trusted in situations like these. But for the next manager, he could end up being a truly key figure, along with any number of promising youth talent. There's disappointment now, but the future is bright.

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The latest Liverpool news as there was an argument that Atalanta should have been down to ten men in the first half of the Europa League quarter-final second leg.

The latest Liverpool news as there was an argument that Atalanta should have been down to ten men in the first half of the Europa League quarter-final second leg.

Liverpool news as the Reds seek improbable Europa League turnaround against Atalanta following 3-0 first leg defeat

Liverpool news as the Reds seek improbable Europa League turnaround against Atalanta following 3-0 first leg defeat

Liverpool will be backed by just 750 supporters in Bergamo for the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta as they look to overturn a 3-0 deficit on the night.

Liverpool will be backed by just 750 supporters in Bergamo for the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta as they look to overturn a 3-0 deficit on the night.

Liverpool are away at Atalanta in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, hoping to overturn their 3-0 defeat in the first leg. We’re live to bring you the latest.

Kickoff at the Stadio di Bergamo is 8pm (UK), the referee is Francois Letexier.

Tonight’s blog is run by Sam Millne, get involved by Tweeting @thisisanfield, @sam_millne & in the comments below.

Teams

Atalanta: Musso; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners; Scamacca, Miranchuk

Subs: Carnesecchi, Rossi, Toloi, Holm, Pasalic, Toure, Lookman, De Ketelaere, Bakker, Adopo, Hateboer, Bonfanti

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz

Subs: Adrian, Kelleher, Quansah, Gomez, Tsimikas, Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott, Clark, Nunez, Jota, Danns

Our coverage updates automatically below:

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