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Liverpool 2 Atletico 0: Klopp’s boys through to Champions League knockout stages after easing past sulky Spaniards
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JURGEN KLOPP and his Liverpool team coasted through to the Champions League knockout stages.
And this was supposed to be the toughest group of them all.
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Porto, Milan and Atletico Madrid - what a nasty little set of fixtures this should have been - only for the Reds to qualify for the last 16 with two games to go. As group winners, also.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone is rarely subdued but at Anfield, the combustible Argentine was as quiet as a mouse as his team were beaten before the half-time whistle.
This is now a fifth Champions League campaign for Klopp on Merseyside and he has moulded an inter-changing team which are now veterans at this level.
Compare this to three seasons ago when they beat Spurs in the Champions League final at Atletico’s ground in Madrid.
Liverpool lost all three of their away group games to Napoli, Red Star Belgrade and PSG but this side is now streets ahead in terms of know-how and experience.
The Champions League final will be staged at the stunning Krestovsky Stadium in St Petersburg on May 28 and there will be a few Liverpool fans already booking their accommodation.
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After 16 games this season, despite question marks over their defence, Liverpool have yet to lose once.
Liverpool entertain Porto on November 24 before travelling to Milan next month and it is an unbelievable bonus for Klopp that he will be able to play much-changed, almost experimental sides for both games.
After a 3-2 win in Madrid two weeks ago, there was real tension in the air and Atletico coach Simeone charged down the tunnel and refused to shake hands with Klopp.
But there were no such issues as the game was already over at half-time after two home goals and a harsh sending off for Atletico defender Felipe.
Atletico started well enough and Rodrigo De Paul found himself in a good position but delivered an unbelievably-bad cross which went out for a throw.
But for Simeone, who started the evening screaming from the touchline, the evening went downhill once Jota put Liverpool ahead.
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Kieran Trippier hammered a crossfield pass straight to fellow England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold who combined with both Jordan Henderson and Mo Salah.
Alexander-Arnold then delivered a wonderful cross towards Jota who scored with an easy close-range header,
Trippier was furious with the defending from fellow defender Felipe and Jose Gimenez.
Yet there was even more finger-pointing around Simeone’s famously-mean defence as Mane ran rings around them for the second.
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Jota and Henderson were also involved but Mane showed real strength to create the move and then finish it with a tap-in from another brilliant ball from Alexander-Arnold.
It is difficult to have much sympathy for Simeone’s team of play-acting time-wasters despite their obvious talents.
But Felipe looked certain to land merely a yellow card for catching Mane before he was sent off.
It seemed an odd decision by Dutch referee Danny Makkelie and there was speculation whether Felipe’s refusal to acknowledge the official - despite three blows of the whistle - played a part in the decision.
But it appeared the red was simply for the tackle on Mane which was deliberate but not particularly nasty.
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Yet Makkelie was not taking any nonsense from the Atletico players as he also booked three others before the break including Suarez.
With Mane also cautioned - and considering Atletico’s players are extremely good at getting players sent off - the home striker was substituted at the break for Roberto Firmino.
Less than three minutes into the second half, Jota thought he had made it 3-0 but was ruled offside.
And former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, jeered by the home crowd for celebrating a goal for Barcelona in the 2019 semi-final at Anfield, also thought he had made it 2-1.
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But much to the delight of the Anfield fans, the strike was disallowed for offside and he was soon substituted to make it another unsuccessful return to his former chomping ground.
With Atletico beaten and Simeone unusually subdued, the final stages of this game was weirdly comfortable for Klopp’s team.
Rewind three seasons, when they won the Champions league, and it was only an injury-time save from Alisson to deny Arkadiusz Milik in the final group game against Napoli which saw the team through.
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Equally, it was Alisson’s spectacular headed winner against West Brom which saw them get on track to reach a Champions League spot,
But now in Europe, Alisson is having an easy life as all the action is at the other end.
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