LIVERPOOL, England (BN24) — Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time header sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory for Liverpool over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in a heated Champions League opener at Anfield that ended with visiting manager Diego Simeone sent off.
Van Dijk rose unmarked in the 92nd minute to meet Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner, restoring Liverpool’s lead after Atletico’s Marcos Llorente had erased a two-goal cushion. The late winner sparked a confrontation between Simeone and a section of the home support, with the Atletico coach shown a red card by Italian referee Maurizio Mariani for his reaction.
The match bore a striking resemblance to Atletico’s controversial 3-2 extra-time win at Anfield in 2020, when Llorente also scored twice to eliminate Liverpool from the last 16. This time, however, the Spanish midfielder’s efforts came in vain.
Liverpool appeared to be cruising after a fast start saw them score twice within the first six minutes. Mohamed Salah’s free kick deflected off Andy Robertson and into the net for the opener, before Salah doubled the lead moments later with a composed finish from Ryan Gravenberch’s pass, weaving through multiple challenges.
Alexander Isak made his debut after becoming the most expensive signing in English football history following a £125 million ($170 million) move from Newcastle. The Swedish striker showed flashes of promise but lasted less than an hour, having missed pre-season amid transfer negotiations.
Isak’s most notable moment came in a move that saw Florian Wirtz round Atletico keeper Jan Oblak, only for Jeremie Frimpong to misfire from close range. Salah nearly made it 3-0 shortly after, striking the inside of the post after a flowing move involving Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and Szoboszlai.
Despite their early dominance, Liverpool were punished for failing to extend the lead. Llorente pulled one back in first-half stoppage time with a low finish into the far corner. The equalizer came nine minutes from time when his volley deflected off Alexis Mac Allister, wrong-footing Alisson Becker.
Liverpool, unbeaten in the Premier League and Champions League so far this season, has now scored the winning goal after the 80th minute in all five of their competitive matches. However, their defensive stability remains a concern under new manager Arne Slot, with the Reds conceding two or more goals in four of their opening six matches across all competitions.
Atletico’s own struggles continued, having won just one of their opening four La Liga games. The disciplined structure once associated with Simeone’s sides was missing again, as Van Dijk was left completely unmarked to head home the match-winner.
Simeone’s frustration boiled over in the aftermath, with the Argentine seen gesturing toward supporters before being dismissed from the technical area.
