A stern red from the head referee indeed! Liverpool move on from first place thanks to it

Liverpool won their fourth Champions League group stage match, beating Atletico Madrid 2-0 at home. They secured not only qualification, but also the first place in the group.

Atletico started the match well, but it was the home side who took the lead. Trent Alexander Arnold found Diogo Jota in the penalty area, who had an easy job.

In the 21st minute it was 2-0. Arnold’s shot was headed by Sadio Mané beyond the reach of Jan Oblak.

Atleti disappeared from the pitch, but it was Liverpool’s two goals that gave them the momentum. In the 37th minute, Felipe received a harsh red card for tripping Mané.

The Reds wanted to take advantage of the powerplay before half-time, but Mohamed Salah’s shot and Jota’s header were both defused by Oblak.

Jota added an insurance goal just after the change of sides, but his second goal was disallowed due to a close offside. Subsequently, Salah and Joel Matip blew their big chances and almost regretted it. But when Luis Suarez did get his goal, he was ruined by an offside.

In the 62nd minute, Virgil van Dijk shot from distance, but missed the target by a whisker. After that, the game was more of a back-and-forth affair and Liverpool advanced from first place in the group with a 2-0 win. The Athletics still have a fight ahead of them.

Source: O2 TV