Andoni Iraola will get excellent response from ‘unhappy’ Liverpool match-winner however suffers Barcola blow

Andoni Iraola got the perfect reaction from a ‘sad’ Liverpool star as he turned match-winner against Atletico, but the Reds suffered an injury blow to Bradley Barcola

Andoni Iraola had the perfect Champions League debut as his Liverpool side navigated the test of Atletico Madrid to start their campaign with a 2-1 win.

It was bound to be a chaotic night for Andoni Iraola’s Champions League debut, with no tougher test than taking on Atletico Madrid and all the dark arts that come with Diego Simeone’s side. The two clubs are no strangers to facing each other, with them clashing for the sixth time in as many years. Last year, Liverpool opened their Champions League campaign with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Rojiblancos thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s injury-time winner.

While the drama was not so late this time, the game was won in brilliant fashion as Alexis Mac Allister put his “sad” contract pain aside to score a fitting winner after Dominik Szoboszlai had cancelled out Marcos Llorente’s early opener.

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Liverpool started on the front foot but they were caught out after just 17 minutes when familiar foe Marcos Llorente sent Alisson to the ground before clipping the ball over him from Julian Alvarez’s through ball to open the scoring.

Llorente, who has named his dog Anfield because of his knack of scoring at the historic stadium, now has five goals in three games at the home of the Reds. But it was Milos Kerkez’s failure to track his run that has raised more questions about the stuttering form of the left-back

Speaking about the Hungarian’s involvement in the goal, Paul Robinson, on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “You can see Kerkez is a player lacking confidence. He has had a lot of criticism in the early stages of the season and tonight won’t help. His man ran away from him [for the goal].”

In true Atletico and Simeone style, the visitors were happy for Liverpool to keep the ball at the back and jump when the ball reached the midfield, leading to a number of fierce battles in the middle of the park.

One in particular saw Mac Allister with a target on his back from the Atleti bench after being booked for a late stamp on the foot of Lee Kangin, every time he went near a player in black, the coaching staff and subs were up on their feet piling pressure on the referee.

And the fire in the visitors was only stoked when they were backed into a corner as Szoboszlai fired a clinical finish into the bottom corner to level the scores just five minutes before half-time.

Bradley Barcola, on his first start following his £123million move, thought he was about to have his big moment when his one-on-one was well saved by the busy Jan Oblak, but the Spanish side failed to clear and Ronald Araujo flicked a perfect pass into Szoboszlai’s path, who passed the ball into the far corner from 12 yards.

Half-time brought some boos from the home crowd, aimed in the direction of referee Davide Massa, who didn’t have the most consistent first half in the eyes of the Liverpool fans.

But The Kop took a moment from jeering Atletico players who were rolling around on the floor to jump out of their seats when Mac Allister slammed a truly struck effort inside the near post from 20 yards.

Having publicly spoken about his ‘sadness’ at not receiving a new contract in the summer in the build-up to the game after his midfield partners Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch both penned new long-term lucrative contracts, and revealed he had options to leave the club in the transfer window, Mac Allister showed how vital he is to the team when he’s at his best.

The Argentine has endured a poor 12 months, battling form and fitness, but his strike showed the quality he possesses, and Iraola hopes he can produce more consistently.

But the positive mood was soon soured after Barcola’s night ended on the hour mark as he was forced off with a calf injury. The £123million man pulled up off the ball after attempting a sprint and was consoled by his team-mates before he limped off. The severity of his injury remains to be seen, or whether he just suffered cramp due to a lack of minutes so far this season.

Barcola didn’t have his dream debut and showed rust in front of goal as he wasted two golden chances to score, with Oblak saving a close range effort in the first-half before he shot wide from a one-on-one in the second.

Jeremie Frimpong was also introduced on the wing for Rio Ngumoha at the same time, and the right-back thought he sealed the win late on from his higher position, but he was denied by the offside flag after slamming the ball into an open goal in the 88th minute.

Despite the slender margin, Liverpool were untroubled by Atleti, who never looked like scoring a late equaliser.