If this is to be Jurgen Klopp's final European night at Anfield as Liverpool manager, this was not how it was all supposed to end.
After nearly nine years in charge, Klopp is able to toast to a whole host of famous evenings of continental football at this venue including Roma, Borussia Dortmund and, of course, a certain 4-0 win over Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final five years ago.
Liverpool might have to summon the spirit of May 2019 again because they require something of a similarly Herculean nature next week as they go in search of another three-goal turnaround against all odds.
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The good news is that Klopp's men did score five times the last time they were hosted by Atalanta four years ago, but that might be thin gruel for those seeking crumbs for comfort right now.
This horrorshow was the polar opposite of those aforementioned performances as the Reds suffered a genuinely shocking 3-0 defeat to leave their Europa League hopes hanging by a thread.
A big part of Liverpool's considerable arsenal is the ability to run over opponents with their extra reserves of speed and power. But they met their match here against a supremely drilled and physical Atalanta side who paid no respect to their opponents, the venue or the storyline of ending Klopp's time as manager with a Dublin final that, to many, has been enveloping this European campaign since he announced his decision to step down in January.
And full credit must go to Gian Piero Gasperini and his players, who proved that their 2020 success here in the Champions League was no quirk of the behind-closed-doors
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