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Liverpool\u2019s reign as European champions came to an end at the hands of Atl\u00e9tico Madrid as a 3-2 home defeat saw them exit 4-2 on aggregate after extra time.<\/p>\nLiverpool\u2019s reign as European champions came to an end at the hands of Atl\u00e9tico Madrid as a 3-2 home defeat saw them exit 4-2 on aggregate after extra time.<\/p>\n
In a tale of two goalkeepers, the LaLiga side\u2019s Jan Oblak showed why he is one of the world\u2019s best by single-handedly holding the visitors at bay in the second half as shots rained down on his goal with the tie level on aggregate at 1-1 after Georginio Wijnaldum\u2019s opener.<\/p>\n
By contrast Adrian, the goalkeeper who did not have a club in the summer and who was standing in for the injured Alisson Becker, had a shocking nine minutes in extra time with his error leading to Marcos Llorente\u2019s goal after Roberto Firmino\u2019s first at Anfield since April had put Liverpool ahead in the tie for the first time.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard then seemed slow to react to Alonso\u2019s long-range effort, which left Jurgen Klopp\u2019s side needing two goals in the final 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
For once Anfield could not deliver one of its famous comebacks as Klopp lost his first two-legged tie as Liverpool manager at the 11th attempt, with Alvaro Morata adding a third in the 120th minute.<\/p>\n
In truth it should never have got that far and would not have one had it not been for Oblak.<\/p>\n
After Diego Costa fired into the side-netting after just 14 seconds the direction of travel was mainly towards the visitors\u2019 goal, although Simeone\u2019s side did enjoy a spell of possession midway through the half which succeeded in quelling the crowd.<\/p>\n
It succeeded in stunting the Reds\u2019 momentum which had been growing with Oblak saving from Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Man\u00e9 and Alexander-Arnold as the return from injury of captain Jordan Henderson immediately made Liverpool look a different side.<\/p>\n
Atl\u00e9tico offered one more threat, Angel Correa heading wide from a corner, before the gamesmanship broke out with players crowding referee Danny Makkelie in an attempt to get Alexander-Arnold booked and Simeone looking to get in the ear of the fourth official at every opportunity.<\/p>\n
But the tension was building, with Liverpool\u2019s right side their most profitable avenue of attack as Oxlade-Chamberlain drove forward and Alexander-Arnold, given plenty of time and space to whip in cross after cross, stood out.<\/p>\n
So it was no surprise when one of that pair, Oxlade-Chamberlain, produced a brilliant cross on the run from the byline for Wijnaldum to head down and away from Oblak a minute before the break.<\/p>\n
It was his fourth goal in nine Champions League appearances \u2013 which included two in May\u2019s famous 4-0 comeback against Barcelona \u2013 having scored three in 33 in the Premier League during that time.<\/p>\n
The Atl\u00e9tico goalkeeper was back in employment in the second half saving a weak shot from Mohamed Salah, cutting in on his left foot, close-range strikes from Man\u00e9 and Roberto Firmino and one further out from Oxlade-Chamberlain.<\/p>\n
Costa was replaced by Llorente after failing to test Adrian or do the other part of his game and annoy his opponents and the best connection he had all night was when he booted a rack of water bottles in frustration on his way to the bench.<\/p>\n
But while Oblak was giving a commanding performance in front of the Kop, Adrian was less convincing after being fortunate to escape after parrying Joao Felix\u2019s shot into the path of Correa.<\/p>\n
Seeing that fragility prompted Saul Niguez to attempt to lob the Liverpool goalkeeper from well inside his own half but the ball drifted wide.<\/p>\n
Robertson\u2019s header against the crossbar re-established the natural order, with Alexander-Arnold\u2019s inswinging corner almost palmed into his own net by the otherwise impeccable Oblak, who then denied Alexander-Arnold and Wijnaldum as the saves kept coming.<\/p>\n
Liverpool resorted to the spectacular in an attempt to beat the Slovenian, with Man\u00e9\u2019s two overhead kicks and Salah\u2019s cut-inside-and-shot all off target.<\/p>\n
Niguez\u2019s header was the last touch of regulation time and although the ball hit the back of the net he was offside.<\/p>\n
Four minutes into extra time Firmino, poor all game by his standards, enjoyed a huge stroke of luck as his header from a cross by Wijnaldum, who by contrast got better as time went on, hit a post but rebounded straight back for him to side-foot inside the opposite upright.<\/p>\n
However, a duffed kick from Adrian straight to Joao Felix led to Llorente\u2019s first and the substitute found the same corner from a counter-attack just before the interval and Liverpool, uncharacteristically, went out with a whimper.<\/p>\n