da brwin： The ragged Reds were ripped to shreds by Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final

da jogodeouro： Jurgen Klopp insisted that there was no need to panic after Sunday's dreadful draw at Manchester United – but what about now? Liverpool's bid to win the Premier League may not have been dealt a fatal blow at Old Trafford but their Europa League hopes are over after an embarrassing 3-0 loss at home to Atalanta on Thursday night that only strengthens the suspicion that the Reds are running out of steam at precisely the wrong time.

Liverpool just never got going in the first leg of this quarter-final tie. Darwin Nunez may have squandered a wonderful opening and Harvey Elliot struck the woodwork with a wonderful effort but Atalanta should have been more than one goal to the good at the interval.

There was an element of fortune about the opener, with Caoimhin Kelleher somehow allowing Gianluca Scamacca's shot to squirm under his body, but the Italians were by far the better, more assured side and they deservedly doubled their lead when the Italian side-footed home a terrific cross from Charles De Ketelaere in the 60th minute.

By that stage, Klopp had brought on the likes of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, but there was no rousing the Reds, who conceded a killer third goal to Mario Pasalic in the dying minutes.

Below, GOAL rates all of the Liverpool players that were torn to shreds by an amazing Atalanta…

Getty Goalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (5/10):

Should have kept out Scamacca's poorly-struck effort but Liverpool would have been further behind at the break had he not made huge saves from Pasalic and Koopmeiners.

Joe Gomez (4/10):

Solid enough defensively but offered so little going forward. Alexander-Arnold's return to full fitness can't come soon enough.

Ibrahima Konate (4/10):

Brought back into the starting line-up in place of Quansah and won plenty of posseession but was guilty of playing Scamacca onside for the striker's second goal.

Virgil van Dijk (4/10):

Making some timely interceptions with some lovely touches, and also threatened at the other end of the field, but Liverpool's atrocious defensive record does not reflect well on the captain, who didn't step out early enough in the build-up to Atalanta's third goal.

Kostas Tsimikas (3/10):

Atalanta caused all sorts of problems down Liverpool's left-hand side, with their Greek full-back repeatedly caught out of position. Inevitably put out of his misery at half-time.

AdvertisementGetty Midfield

Alexis Mac Allister (5/10):

Blazed over early on and just wasn't his usual dynamic self, which is a major concern given how important he's been of late.

Wataru Endo (5/10):

Another worryingly subdued showing from a player who has looked tired in recent weeks. Came off with 15 minutes to go.

Curtis Jones (4/10):

His wonderful through-ball for Nunez deserved so much better but his passing repeatedly let him down at times and he was hooked at half-time.

Getty Attack

Harvey Elliott (5/10):

Given a deserved start after another super-sub showing at Old Trafford and cruelly denied what would have been a beautiful, Salah-like goal by a combination of the bar and the post. Seriously unlucky to be taken off at the break when his fellow forwards were performing far worse.

Darwin Nunez (4/10):

Caused problems with his pressing but made an absolute mess of his finish after being put clean through by Jones. The fact that he was subbed off while Liverpool needed a goal represented a damning indictment of his wastefulness.

Cody Gakpo (4/10):

Never stopped trying, at least, and created one chance for Nunez with his perseverance, but this was another wasted opportunity to press his claims for a starting spot.

Getty Subs & Manager

Luis Diaz (4/10):

Replaced Nunez on the hour mark but failed to make an impact.

Mohamed Salah (4/10):

Reclaimed his usual berth on the right wing from Elliott at the start of the second half and thought he'd got Liverpool back into the game but his tap-in was ruled out for offside.

Diogo Jota (5/10):

A welcome return to action after two months out but his arrival came too late to turn the tide in the hosts' favour.

Andy Robertson (6/10):

Unsurprisingly brought on in place of Tsimikas and while he was good going forward, he failed to curb the threat posed by Atalanta down the right flank.

Dominik Szoboszlai (3/10):

Came on in midfield for Jones but fared little better than his fellow midfielder before gifting Atalanta a killer third goal.

Jurgen Klopp (3/10):

An absolute nightmare for the German, who could only smile ruefully as his side completely capitulated. Clearly got his starting line-up all wrong against such a strong side and, on this occasion, his changes did nothing to alter the course of the game and Klopp now has a serious job on his hands to revive the Reds ahead of Sunday's must-win Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.