November 04, (THEWILL) – Liverpool defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0, advancing to the Champions League knockout stage thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, the man of the match, set up both goals, the first from an usually impossible-to-defend curling pass behind the defence that Jota stooped to nod home, and the second from Mane nudging the defender’s strong low shot past Jan Oblak.
Felipe was sent off for clipping Mane with studs on his Achilles and then refusing to acquiesce to the referee’s requests for censure. Any hope Diego Simeone’s side had of getting back into the game was effectively extinguished.
When Jota was allowed the space to slide past Oblak, he thought he had scored a second, but he was marginally offside, as was Jose Maria Giminez at the other end just before Luis Suarez’s long-range shot bounced off Joel Matip and past Alisson.
The final score did not represent the fact that Liverpool dominated the game, and if Mohammed Salah had been in top form in front of goal, he could have scored another hat-trick.
Liverpool has 12 points from four Champions League games, while Atletico has four points, one point behind Porto, whom they face in the group’s final match.
Liverpool’s unbeaten run in all competitions now stands at 16 games, and they are through to the knockout stages as group champions with two games to spare.
After Porto’s earlier draw, Atletico Madrid is third in Group B and still has a chance to go to the last 16, but they can not afford to lose any more points in the Champions League.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
