Steve McManaman left with egg on his face after Liverpool prediction backfires spectacularly

Steve McManaman was left eating his words on Thursday night after Atalanta defied his prediction by battering Liverpool at Anfield.

Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by the Italian side in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. Jurgen Klopp made six changes for the match, with one eye on the Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Sunday, but saw the decision backfire.

The Reds were well off the pace and Gianluca Scamacca scored twice before Mario Pasalic rubbed salt into the wounds with a late rebound. The home side hit the woodwork through Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah had a goal ruled out for offside, but Atalanta were good value for their famous win.

Former Liverpool winger McManaman was on co-commentary duties for TNT Sports – and, like many, it is fair to say he was expecting a routine home win. Liverpool had gone 33 matches unbeaten at Anfield, while Atalanta had lost their previous two matches.

Speaking shortly after kick-off, McManaman confidently stated: “If Liverpool were in the Champions League, they would be one of the favourites”. In the opening five minutes, he mentioned that Liverpool looked much sharper and faster than Atalanta, who he suggested appeared strong but slow and even overweight.

His words prompted a strong reaction on social media. “I get that Liverpool should be beating Atalanta but the disdain in which they’re being held by McManaman is remarkable. It’s like how dare they come and do this,” one fan tweeted, summing up the mood. Another added: “Can we talk about how biassed McManaman is again. But also I think he's coming off very disrespectful towards Atalanta.”

The result was actually Atalanta’s second successive win at Anfield, following on from a 2-0 success in the Champions