Alexis Mac Allister did his case for an improved Liverpool contract no harm with the winner as Andoni Iraola got off to a winning Champions League start by beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Wednesday
Mac Allister expressed his frustration at not being offered a new deal on the eve of the match, but responded by blasting home from the edge of the box to cap Liverpool’s comeback
Marcos Llorente had given Atletico an early lead before Dominik Szoboszlai levelled before half-time
Victory came at a cost for the Reds, though, as new signing Bradley Barcola limped off with a calf injury
For the first time three players who cost in excess of £100 million ($135 million) were named in the same side as Barcola made his Anfield debut alongside Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the Liverpool attack
Isak fired just wide after a purposeful break by Szoboszlai in an energetic start by Liverpool in the first Champions League game of Iraola’s career
But in their desperation to pour forward, the Reds left themselves wide open to the counter-attack
Atletico were humbled 3-0 by Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to cap an underwhelming start to the season by Diego Simeone’s men
Julian Alvarez’s future has cast a cloud over Atletico on and off the field for the past few months after his desire for a move to Barcelona was steadfastly rejected by the club’s hierarchy
The Argentine was handed his first start of the season and cut open the Liverpool defence for the opening goal
Llorente, who named his dog Anfield after scoring twice in Atletico’s last 16 win over Liverpool in 2020, raced onto Alvarez’s pass to score his fifth goal in three visits to Anfield with the Spanish side
Only a brilliant save by Alisson Becker denied Alvarez from long range before the Liverpool fightback began
Barcola twice should have marked his first chance to impress his new fanbase with a goal
The French winger, who could cost up to £123 million, failed to squeeze the ball past Jan Oblak with just the giant Slovenian to beat
However, Liverpool kept the attack alive and Ronald Araujo’s flick teed up Szoboszlai to find the bottom corner on 40 minutes
Barcola missed an even better chance for his first Liverpool goal when he fired wide after being played in by Wirtz early in the second half
Again, though, the reprieve was brief for the visitors
Mac Allister had been linked with a move to Atletico during the transfer window and expressed his sadness at not being offered a new contract by Liverpool, while Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have agreed new deals in recent months
The Argentine international arrowed in a shot from outside the box on his weaker left foot and celebrated wildly in front of the Kop
Liverpool’s joy was short-lived as Barcola pulled up holding his calf before the hour mark in what Iraola will hope is not a serious setback
Iraola will be much happier with his side’s defensive display in the second half
Alvarez fired too close to Alisson with one of the visitors’ few clear sights of goal
A last-ditch challenge by Robin Le Normand denied Isak a third goal to round off a fine night for Liverpool
But Iraola was able to celebrate his first statement win since taking charge