Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Radio 5 Live (19/10, 22:05) that Liverpool started brightly in their 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid, but Jurgen Klopp must also pick out the bad moments.
The Reds stormed to a two-goal lead at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday night after strikes from Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita. But Antoine Griezmann responded on 20 and 34-minutes to draw Atleti level before the break. Only to see red early in the second-half.
Salah would eventually seal all three-points from the penalty spot for Liverpool in the 78th-minute against a 10-man Atletico side. Yet there was late drama when referee Daniel Siebert awarded then waved away a Colchoneros penalty following VAR consultation.
Lawrenson considers Liverpool winning against Atletico Madrid the most important aspect from a Reds perspective for their Champions League hopes. The result moved Klopp’s side five-points clear of Atleti and Porto at the top of Group B after three games.
Lawrenson notes Liverpool not flawless in Atletico win
But former Liverpool defender Lawrenson also notes Klopp must pick apart the bad aspects from the Reds’ performance. Believing assessing what went wrong in Madrid will be key to beating Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
“Where do you start with this? First and foremost, Liverpool have won, and that’s the most important thing,” Lawrenson said. “They played really well first 20-minutes and then were poor to end up at 2-2.
“Just a fabulous game. We’ve seen everything that can happen in football game. Liverpool had a few problems in this game, but they’ve won, and you can’t take that away from them.”
Adding: “It’s massive. Jurgen Klopp will have to pick both the good and bad bits out of it before Manchester United on Sunday. But Liverpool keep finding a way. They have nine-points from three games, so they may only need a draw at home to Atletico [to advance].”
Should Klopp share Lawrenson’s Liverpool concerns?
Liverpool certainly started brightly at Atletico Madrid, but allowed their hosts back into the tie following Salah and Keita’s goals. The Reds allowed the Colchoneros to run with the ball and move into dangerous positions, which Griezmann soon capitalised on.
Had Alisson not been in sublime form between the sticks, Atletico could have then pulled ahead later in the first-half. Liverpool relied heavily on their keeper denying Griezmann, Joao Felix and Thomas Lemar. And again needed the Brazilian to deny Yannick Carrasco early in the second-half before Griezmann’s red card shifted the game.
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