Result: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
Date: 18 February 2020
Venue: Wanda Metropolitano
Defending champions Liverpool face an uphill task in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the first leg on Tuesday night.
Sadio Mane and Fabinho reclaimed their spots in the starting line-up at the expense of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and and Naby Keita, while former Chelsea striker Diego Costa was only fit enough to make the bench for Atletico.
The LaLiga outfit got off to the ideal start after just four minutes as the Reds' failure to deal with a corner ended with Saul Niguez firing past Alisson Becker from six-yards out.
Despite going behind early on, Jurgen Klopp's men enjoyed a lion's share of the possession and they had the ball in the back of the net through Mohamed Salah on 26 minutes but the strike was disallowed for an offside in the build up.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they were unable to claw their way back into the contest in the remaining stages of the first half as Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak was barely tested.
With the Reds chasing the game, Klopp opted for a surprising change at the start of the second half as Mane, who had a quiet first half, made way for Divock Origi.
The visitors had to wait until the 72nd minute for their first real opening of the half when Jordan Henderson was left unmarked in the box, but the skipper was unable to hit the target from 12-yards out as frustration began to grow.
Klopp threw on James Milner for Jordan Henderson for the final 10 minutes, just moments before Costa replaced Angel Correa for the home side who continued pushing for a second goal.
Nevertheless, neither side were able to find another goal in the latter stages as the half as Diego Simeone's charges will head to Anfield with a slight advantage.
