Atalanta 0-5 Liverpool: Jota scores hat-trick in big win
Diogo Jota scored a hat-trick as Liverpool thrashed Atalanta 5-0 in the Champions Leaue.
Picked ahead of the out-of-sorts Roberto Firmino, the Portuguese strengthened his claim to a regular starting berth with three brilliantly taken goals in Bergamo.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane also got on the scoresheet as Jurgen Klopp’s men took complete control of Group D with a convincing away win over another of their supposed rivals for top spot.
A clash between two of Europe’s most free-scoring sides was always going to produce chances, and the start of the first half did not disappoint in that regard.
Just two minutes had elapsed when Jota danced through the Atalanta defence before drawing a smart stop from Marco Sportiello, an opening that was quickly followed by Luis Muriel forcing Alisson Becker into action at the other end with a deflected strike.
The opportunities continued to come thick and fast from there but, crucially, it was the visitors who took one of theirs first.
Played in behind by a beautifully weighted Trent Alexander-Arnold pass, Jota showed the confidence of a man who had scored three times in in the last three games, shrugging off Jose Luis Palomino and dinking the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.
And adding another goal to that impressive haul appeared to have done his self-belief little harm when he latched onto a ball over the top with half an hour gone, touching it around his man and lashing an effort in at the near post to make it 2-0.
Just two minutes into the second half, Salah’s sprint in behind a wide-open Atalanta defence was picked out by Curtis Jones, and the Egyptian was customarily ruthless with the subsequent left-footed finish into the top corner.
Having equalled Steven Gerrard’s haul of 21 goals in Europe’s elite competition, Salah turned provider two minutes later, playing Mane in behind for a beautiful dinked effort that made a mockery of Sportiello’s attempt to close the angle.
It was then that Jota capped a remarkable start to the second period, beating the keeper to a Mane pass to round him and coolly finish from distance.
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