Soccer

How Atalanta’s Anfield humbling compares in Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side inflicted a record-equalling home defeat on Klopp with Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp reacts after defeat to Atalanta
Jurgen Klopp applauds the fans after defeat to Atalanta Jurgen Klopp reacts after defeat to Atalanta (Peter Byrne/PA)
By Tom White, PA Sport Data Journalist

Jurgen Klopp was left to reflect on “a low point” for Liverpool after Atalanta inflicted one of the heaviest defeats of his reign in Thursday’s Europa League clash.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how the Serie A side’s 3-0 romp compares to Klopp’s worst games with the club.

Low point

Liverpool’s Joe Gomez reacts as Atalanta celebrate Gianluca Scamacca’s second goal
Gianluca Scamacca, centre, celebrates with team-mates after scoring Atalanta's second goal at Anfield as Liverpool's Joe Gomez, foreground left, looks dejected Liverpool’s Joe Gomez reacts as Atalanta celebrate Gianluca Scamacca’s second goal (Peter Byrne/PA)

Gianluca Scamacca’s double and Mario Pasalic’s late strike gave Atalanta a 3-0 win in the first leg of their quarter-final, denting Klopp’s bid to add an eighth different trophy to his Anfield honours roll and end his reign with a showpiece final in Dublin.

Only Manchester City and Aston Villa have ever enjoyed bigger winning margins against Klopp’s Liverpool, across his 483 games since taking charge in October 2015.

City beat their perennial title rivals 5-0 on the way to the 2017-18 crown, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane scoring twice apiece, and then 4-0 in a futile attempt to stop Klopp’s men romping to their Covid-delayed 2019-20 win.

Dejected Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian congratulates Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins after Villa’s 7-2 win in 2020
Dejected Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian, left, fist-bumps Ollie Watkins as the scoreboard shows Aston Villa 7 Liverpool 2 Dejected Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian congratulates Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins after Villa’s 7-2 win in 2020 (Peter Powell/PA)

Villa beat a much-changed Liverpool side 5-0 in the Carabao Cup in December 2019 – a defence of Ki-Jana Hoever, Tony Gallacher, Sepp van den Berg and Morgan Boyes powerless to prevent Jonathan Kodjia scoring his only two goals of that season.

More memorably, Ollie Watkins’ hat-trick and a Jack Grealish brace set up a 7-2 league triumph against Klopp’s defending champions in October 2020.

Anfield nightmare

Vinicius Jr, right, inspired Real Madrid’s 5-2 win at Anfield last season
Vinicius Jr, right, celebrates scoring Real Madrid’s first goal at Anfield last season Vinicius Jr, right, inspired Real Madrid’s 5-2 win at Anfield last season (Peter Byrne/PA)

The common thread between those four hammerings is that they all took place away from Anfield, meaning Gian Piero Gasperini’s side inflicted a record-equalling home defeat on Klopp with Liverpool.

It is the 11th time his side have lost by three goals – a sixth 3-0, to go with four 4-1s and a 5-2 – but only the third at home.

City triumphed 4-1 in 2021, Ilkay Gundogan scoring twice, while last season’s Champions League challenge was effectively ended by that 5-2 defeat in the first leg of their last-16 tie against Real Madrid. Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool an early 2-0 lead but Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema scored twice apiece in Real’s emphatic comeback.

City are also among the teams to inflict three-goal away defeats on Klopp’s side, a list that curiously includes Watford on two separate occasions along with Tottenham, Brighton and Wolves in the Premier League and Barcelona and Napoli in the Champions League.

Liverpool’s heaviest ever home defeat is only 6-0, against Sunderland in the First Division in April 1930.