'Just happy' - Jurgen Klopp names one positive from Liverpool's loss against Atalanta

Jurgen Klopp admitted his Liverpool troops must feel the pain of their chastening loss against Atalanta - but told them to quickly lick their wounds.

The Reds face the stark reality of elimination from the Europa League after a shock 3-0 defeat by the Italian club in the quarter-final first leg at Anfield. Liverpool were second-best in all departments, with former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca plundering a double either side of half-time before Mario Pasalic put the gloss on Atalanta’s deserved triumph.

The Reds now head to Bergamo next week having to turn around a significant deficit. And they’ll be hoping there is no hangover that impacts their Premier League title challenge ahead of Sunday’s clash against Crystal Palace.

While there were few positives to take from the reverse, Diogo Jota did come off the bench for his first appearance in almost two months after an ankle injury. Now the Reds have to prepare for the visit of Palace.

Liverpool manager Klopp said: “It just was a really bad game, oh my God. So we started well, really well, and then didn't continue. I think even before they scored but we just lost the plot a little bit, like we were everywhere and nowhere. [The] midfield was spread like that, right midfielder left side, left midfielder, striker... I didn't recognise that, that was really strange. In football terms that's tactical discipline. But anyhow we had a big chance I think from Darwin [Nunez] and then unlucky with Harvey [Elliott]. Then they scored the goal and then we kept playing into their hands, to be honest.

“A really good example [of] how it could have looked is the goal we scored because that's [the] striker wide, full-back underlap in a massive space, arrives, has all the time in the world, passes the ball and Mo [Salah] scores the goal. It was then offside but that's one thing. We should have had these situations more often.

“[We] didn't use the man-marking besides that, I would say, a lot. Then Diogo came on, we cannot use him now just because we think now he's the solution or whatever. He needs time as well but he came on and just [had] no bad experience or whatever in the whole game for weeks and months, so just happy to play – and you could see that changed a lot.

“We played a bad game, we deserved to lose and we must feel that now. But the boys have exactly this night to feel bad about it and then we have to build up again for the Crystal Palace game, so that's how it is. You ask me probably about the game next Thursday but there is Crystal Palace in between. So, congratulations Atalanta, really well done.”