Liverpool fans may cringe at ex-Red’s assessment of Atletico thriller: “I think the decisions went against Atletico” | OneFootball

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·20 October 2021

Liverpool fans may cringe at ex-Red’s assessment of Atletico thriller: “I think the decisions went against Atletico”

Article image:Liverpool fans may cringe at ex-Red’s assessment of Atletico thriller: “I think the decisions went against Atletico”

Dietmar Hamann was, as ever, uncompromising with his post-match verdict, labelling Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid outfit the superior side for much of the club’s Champions League defeat to Liverpool.

The La Liga giants conceded two early goal in the first-half courtesy of some brilliant individual play, though some average defensive work saw Los Colchoneros welcomed back into the tie with a double of their own in the opening 45 minutes.


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“I think it was a very fortunate win [for Liverpool],” the former Red told RTE Sport post-match.

“After a perfect start, for 20 minutes they look like world-beaters; for 70 minutes they looked like an average team.

“If you look at the whole game, I think Atletico had the better chances.

“I think the decisions went against Atletico – all three were in Liverpool’s favour – and I think it was a very fortunate win. It shouldn’t have been that close.

“But I’ve got to say I was very impressed with Atletico.”

With the midfield being far too easily bypassed by the Spanish outfit, Klopp saw fit to replace Naby Keita at the half-time break and opt for the more defensively solid Fabinho in the middle of the park.

A somewhat weak midfield did allow Atletico to carve their way back into the game, however, Hamann’s comments interestingly seem to ignore decisions that also went the home side’s way.

As one Liverpool journalist noted in the first-half, Sadio Mane seemed to earn little protection from officials after being kicked about on the pitch, and Thomas Lemar was let off for offside despite appearing to obstruct Joel Matip before Antoine Griezmann’s first goal struck the net.

We were arguably not our best selves for much of the match, though we might argue that the 48-year-old’s verdict was a little harsh.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of RTE Sport:

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