How Liverpool Fought Through a Difficult First Half to See Off a Dangerous Atletico Side
There was nothing tidy about Liverpool’s return to Champions League action, and that is precisely why it mattered so much. A 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield was hard earned rather than handed over, and it told us more about this Andoni Iraola side than a routine victory ever could have.
A Shaky Opening Forced Liverpool to Dig In
For long spells of the first half, Atletico looked like the team with a clearer plan. Diego Simeone’s side pressed intelligently, held the majority of the ball and made life uncomfortable for a Liverpool midfield still finding its shape under Iraola. When Marcus Llorente turned home Julian Alvarez’s pass in the 17th minute, it felt like a fair reflection of the balance of play.
What followed said plenty about the character in this squad. Rather than wilting, Liverpool worked their way back into the contest, and Dominik Szoboszlai’s equaliser just before the break, teed up by Ronald Araujo, was the moment the evening turned. Going in level at half time, having weathered a spell where they had barely a foothold in midfield, was arguably a better outcome than the run of play suggested Liverpool deserved.
It is worth remembering this was still a Liverpool side missing key pieces of the puzzle, and games like this are exactly where growing pains show up first.
Liverpool have become the first side in UCL history to beat Atletico Madrid four times in-a-row 🔴💪 pic.twitter.com/zoAci7k9xv
— Prime Video Sport UK (@PrimeVideoSport) September 9, 2026
A Different Team After the Break
Whatever was said at half time worked. Liverpool came out for the second half with far more purpose, and it took only five minutes for that intent to translate into a goal. Alexis Mac Allister finished smartly after being picked out by Alexander Isak, and from there Atletico were forced to chase a game they had largely controlled up to that point.
The numbers back up the eye test. Liverpool finished with 14 shots to Atletico’s nine and a superior expected goals tally of 1.69 against 0.89, despite having less of the ball across the ninety minutes. Iraola’s changes helped sustain that pressure too. Bringing on Victor Munoz and Jeremie Frimpong just after the hour, followed by Ryan Gravenberch for Mac Allister and later Lewis Koumas for Isak, kept the legs fresh without disrupting the rhythm Liverpool had found.
Jacquet Quietly Underlines His Credentials
Away from the goals, one performance deserves particular mention. Jeremy Jacquet misplaced just a single pass all night, completed all five of his attempted long balls and made joint most passes into the final third for Liverpool, adding six recoveries and two interceptions for good measure. For a defender still settling into the side alongside Virgil van Dijk, that is a serious statement of composure against a physical, well drilled Atletico front line.
What This Result Tells Us About the Iraola Project
This was not the free flowing, dominant Liverpool performance supporters might eventually hope to see under Iraola, and there is still clear work to do in controlling matches through midfield. But resilience of this kind cannot be coached overnight, and finding a way to win a game you were losing control of says something about the mentality being built.
Back to back wins following the victory over Ipswich give this new era some early momentum. There will be tougher European nights than this one, and Iraola knows it, but a team capable of surviving a difficult opening act and then taking control when it matters is a team worth believing in.