MAC ATTACK! Liverpool star backs up contract demand with sumptuous winner as Reds come from behind to beat Atletico Madrid in Champions League

Liverpool came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid and give Andoni Iraola victory in his first Champions League game in charge. The Reds were on the receiving end of yet another Marcos Llorente goal at Anfield, but battled back to kick off their European campaign with three points.

Llorente opened the scoring and made it five goals against Liverpool when he raced onto Julian Alvarez's pass to chip over Alisson after an incisive counter-attack. Alisson was then forced to dive full stretch to push away a long-range effort from Alvarez as Atleti dominating the opening stages.

Moments after Bradley Barcola was denied a first Liverpool goal, the home side equalised when Ronald Araujo's clever flick found Dominik Szoboszlai, who coolly slotted into the corner. Barcola missed a one-on-one opportunity before Alexis Mac Allister blasted home from the edge of the box to make it 2-1 in the 50th minute.

Jeremie Frimpong saw a late goal ruled out for offside as Liverpool managed to find enough control to see out the game and claim victory over Diego Simeone's side. Here are the talking points from an engrossing tie at Anfield.

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The ease with which Atleti played through the Liverpool press and cut them open with one pass was alarming, but not surprising. The early stages of the Andoni Iraola era have seen Liverpool consistently disorganised in their attempts to press and out of position on the break.

"When you press like us, it's a bit tough to do it for all the game and all the 90 minutes," left-back Milos Kerkez told the club website after the 2-0 win over Ipswich on the weekend. "We can do it for the first 30 to 35 minutes and in some ways we can do that in the second half at the beginning – but then it's all about staying compact and talking to each other. That's what we said also that we need to improve."

After the hot knife went through the butter of Liverpool's non-existent midfield, it was Kerkez who played Llorente onside from Alvarez's through ball. That improvement is still some way off.

Virgil van Dijk may still be the captain of Liverpool, but it's increasingly clear who is the side's driving force. Szoboszlai's playing style - all-action, driving from midfield - is infectious and his quality in all areas of the pitch makes him the team's beating heart.

It was he who started most of Liverpool's attacks before he scored. And it was the Hungarian's cool head which ensured the most was made of Araujo's surprisingly adept feet inside the box. He may not suit a midfield two, especially when paired with Mac Allister, but Szoboszlai's status in this side is undeniable.

Liverpool's focus over the summer transfer window was in wide areas, with Barcola and Victor Munoz accounting for two of their four signings. But with the in-form Cody Gakpo missing, there was little to get excited about on the flanks against Atleti in the first half.

As ever, Rio Ngumoha tried to make the most of his opportunity, driving at Llorente when he could, but the Spanish side's famous defensive determination thwarted him at every turn. Meanwhile, on the left side, Barcola was even quieter, seeing very little of the ball on the touchline.

The £123million summer signing did see two sights of goal inside the box - the first of which was offside and the second of which led to the equaliser - but Iraola may prefer to field the Frenchman on his favoured left wing. He missed a one-on-one chance before hobbling off with a possible calf injury in the 60th minute as Iraola swapped Barcola and Ngumoha for Munoz and Frimpong.

Mac Allister laid his cards on the table in the pre-match press conference, openly moaning about the club's decision not to hand him a contract extension. "As everyone knows, I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract, which makes me very, very sad," he said.

Despite having two years left on his current deal, the new contracts for Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch clearly grated on the Argentina international. But Liverpool's decision has been rooted in logic, with Mac Allister enduring a poor 2025/26 campaign.

So, after publicly criticising his employers, it was wise of Mac Allister to back up his words with a rocket of a strike and a performance packed full of bite. He rose to the occasion presented by Atleti, crashing into tackles and not shying away from the dark side.

The decision to play Araujo ahead of Frimpong at right-back is just one example of the Liverpool manager beginning to discover the right blend of players this season. While he did grab a surprise assist, the Barcelona loanee is the safety-first option, with Frimpong still yet to dispel the impression he's a winger masquerading as a right-back.

Iraola's substitutes also made an impact against Atleti, with Gravenberch introduced for the fired-up Mac Allister at the right time, while Liverpool - for once - did manage to shut up shop and see out the game.