Atalanta - Liverpool: Liverpool sent a resounding message around Europe when it completely controlled Atalanta to the tune of a 5-0 win on Tuesday in Bergamo.
The win has Liverpool a perfect 9-for-9 points-wise in the UEFA Champions League group stage. That means twin five-point leads on Ajax and Atalanta all but assure a spot in the knockout rounds.
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Diogo Jota scored twice early before Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah added to the score line, and the zero on Atalanta’s side of the scoreboard might be even more impressive.
Atalanta - Liverpool was supposed to deliver goals. We just didn’t think they’d all come from the Merseyside powers. Basically, these cats were flawless.
Three things we learned from Atalanta - Liverpool
1. Diogo Jota keeps making his case: It’s four Liverpool appearances and five Liverpool goals for Diogo Jota, who Jurgen Klopp deployed as a center forward between Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Jota’s lightning turn was met by a calm if not cheeky little chip for the finish as Liverpool took a deserved lead in Italy, but his vicious low strike after tracking a looped pass over the top of the Atalanta back line was the real treat.
🔥⚽️🔥⚽️ Diogo Jota making a serious claim for a starting spot. He’s scored in each of his last 4 games and has scored 2 already against Atalanta for Liverpool tonight. #LFC flying in Bergamo. Jota is an incredible 4th choice forward.#UCL #ATALIV 0-2 pic.twitter.com/jcAFfXmydF
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 3, 2020
2. Atalanta shut down: This was the first time since a 2-0 loss to Inter Milan that Atalanta was kept off the scoreboard. Only twice had they been held to one goal, and that was at the hands of PSG and Napoli. That this clean sheet for Liverpool came with Joe Gomez and Rhys Williams at center back will give Reds fans around the world every reason to be excited for their chances in all competitions (and Fabinho will still return). Yes, Alisson Becker was terrific and made five saves and Duvan Zupata smashed the inside of the goal post and somehow saw the ball spin off the line, but this was a good thing.
3. Reds say hello to knockout rounds: Liverpool could lose all three matches -- Atalanta home, Midtjylland away, Ajax home -- and still make the knockout rounds with minimal help on the “out-of-town scoreboard.”
Man of the Match
Jota
What a cheeky finish from Diogo Jota 👏
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 3, 2020
He's been a brilliant signing for @LFCUSA pic.twitter.com/KQlUf7kXEq