Andoni Iraola‘s first Champions League game at Liverpool head coach was a victorious one, as the Reds came back from an early goal from Atletico Madrid to win the game 2-1 under the Anfield floodlights on Wednesday night.
The visitors struck first in the 17th minute with trademark efficiency. Marcos Llorente continued his habit of tormenting the Kop, ghosting into space down the right channel and driving a clinical finish beyond Alisson Becker.
It marked Llorente’s fifth career goal at Anfield, leaving Liverpool trailing early on and forced to break down a stubborn defensive shape.
Instead of retreating into frustration, Liverpool gradually seized control of the tempo in midfield.
Five minutes before the interval, their persistence was rewarded with a moment of pure inspiration. Ronald Araujo surged forward and produced a sublime backheel flick inside the penalty area to set up Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Hungarian midfielder struck cleanly past Jan Oblak into the corner, levelling the match and giving the fans renewed momentum right before half-time.
Liverpool emerged for the second period with more urgency and completed the turnaround within four minutes of the restart.
Alexis Mac Allister, who commanded the centre of the pitch throughout, found space outside the box and unleashed a thunderous effort into the net.
The rocket left Oblak helpless, capping a fine spell of play and handing the Reds a deserved 2-1 advantage.
Simeone reacted by introducing fresh attacking options from the bench, bringing on Ademola Lookman and Jonathan David to chase an equaliser.
Atletico generated late aerial pressure from set pieces, but Virgil van Dijk marshalled the back line alongside Jeremy Jacquet with calm authority to limit clear opportunities.
The victory delivers an ideal start to Liverpool’s European campaign. Bouncing back against one of the continent’s most resilient defensive setups showed sharp tactical cohesion and composure, setting an encouraging tone for the group stage ahead.
