Mohamed Salah found the back of the net but missed a crucial scoring opportunity during the Europa League quarterfinals against Atalanta on Thursday. Salah converted a penalty in the seventh minute, sparking hopes of a remarkable comeback, but Liverpool, despite dominating for much of the game, couldn't capitalize on their opportunities
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp expressed his disappointment after his team's exit from the Europa League quarterfinals against Atalanta on Thursday, emphasizing that star player Mohamed Salah wasn't at fault.
Liverpool couldn't overturn the 3-0 deficit from the first leg, securing a 1-0 win in Italy but ultimately losing 3-1 on aggregate.
Salah converted a penalty in the seventh minute, sparking hopes of a remarkable comeback, but Liverpool, despite dominating for much of the game, couldn't capitalize on their opportunities.
Salah missed a great opportunity to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead in the first half, misfiring his lobbed finish after catching Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso off his line.
This miss adds to a series of missed chances since Salah's return from a muscle injury sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations in January. If he had scored, Liverpool might have put more pressure on Atalanta, who had to defend steadfastly for much of the first half.
When asked about Salah's form, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp downplayed any concerns. "I'm not particularly worried," Klopp told reporters. "That's what happens with strikers. We have to go through this, and he has to go through it. He's one of the most experienced players in our squad, so he'll manage it."
Klopp added, "It's not the first time Mo [Salah] has missed chances. That's part of the game. The penalty was outstanding, and then the next chance was just unlucky, but he's missed chances before.
After Klopp announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, many at the club hoped to give the 56-year-old German a memorable farewell by winning another European trophy.
Fans had earmarked the Europa League final in Dublin, Ireland, as Klopp's potential final game in charge, but those plans collapsed after a frustrating night in Italy. Klopp insisted the loss wasn't due to the return leg but because of the 3-0 defeat in the first leg at Anfield.
"It's easy to congratulate Atalanta because they deserved to go through," Klopp said after his last European game as Liverpool manager. "When you win a tie against us 3-1, especially in this way, you absolutely deserve it."
Elsewhere on Thursday, West Ham, another Premier League side, was eliminated from the Europa League quarterfinals after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Bayer Leverkusen. This followed defeats by Arsenal and Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, leaving no English team in the semifinals of either competition for the first time since the 2014/15 season, according to Opta.
With these setbacks in Europe for English clubs, attention now turns back to the Premier League title race. Following surprising defeats for Liverpool and Arsenal on Sunday, reigning champions Manchester City climbed to the top of the table and are now favorites to win the title.
However, with both Arsenal and Liverpool only two points behind, the race remains open, with just six games left in the season.
Klopp, hoping to leave Liverpool with a Premier League title, stated that the team's focus is now on the remaining league games. Liverpool will face Fulham in its next match on Sunday.
"We have a few days to recover, then we'll travel the day after tomorrow to London to play Fulham," Klopp said. "It will be a tricky match, but we will give it our all. That's our focus now.
