Losing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Atalanta deserve to enter Europa League semis after belting Reds 1-3 on aggregate in QF second leg
Liverpool scorer Mohamed Salah wears a dejected look after being knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday. Pics/Getty Images
Liverpool were knocked out of the Europa League by Atalanta on Thursday as Jurgen Klopp’s final season with the Reds took another downward turn, their Italian opponents reaching the semi-finals 3-1 on aggregate.
Sala converts early penalty
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Atalanta are in the last four of a European competition for the first time since 1988, despite Mohamed Salah’s early penalty giving Liverpool a 1-0 second leg win, thanks to their three-goal lead established in the quarter-final first leg at Anfield last week.
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Jurgen Klopp
In what is becoming a sobering climax to the season, Liverpool have won just four of their last nine games in all competitions and again looked tired after having played 52 games this campaign. Jurgen Klopp may well only have the League Cup to show for his final season on Merseyside as the German’s team have been eliminated from the FA Cup and Europa League and trail Manchester City in the Premier League title race by two points.
“We didn’t lose the game or tie tonight, we lost it at home. They deserved to go through. When you win a tie against us 3-1 in this way then you deserve to go through,” Klopp told reporters.
“Disappointed that we didn’t go through but I’m not angry or frustrated or anything like that. Now we need to focus on the league.”
Atalanta, the heroes
Gian Piero Gasperini called Thursday’s match probably the most important Atalanta had ever played and his players were hailed as heroes at the final whistle by a pulsating crowd at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.
Atalanta last reached the semi-finals of a European competition in 1988 when they were knocked out of the old Cup Winners’ Cup by Mechelen.
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