Klopp seeks Liverpool reaction after heavy defeat by Atalanta

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has promised a strong reaction from his team, stunned by their 3-0 Europa League quarter-final home loss to Atalanta, when they host Crystal Palace in tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Anfield.
Gianluca Scamacca struck either side of halftime before Mario Pasalic capped an impressive win for the Italians in Thursday’s first leg as Liverpool slumped to their joint-heaviest home defeat in European competition. Liverpool will seek to overturn the deficit in the second leg in Italy next week and keep their hopes of a European title alive, but there is also much at stake in their meeting with Palace.
The Merseyside club are involved in a tight title race in the Premier League and sit in second place, level on 71 points with Arsenal and one ahead of Manchester City with seven games left in the season. “The good thing about a really bad performance is that you can play better. We should start from there. I told the boys ‘take it home’, nobody will sleep great and tomorrow we come together,” Klopp told reporters.
“The boys recover and all the others get a proper session. We go from there and on Saturday we start preparing for Palace. Yes, we have to show a reaction. Definitely, 100%, that is clear. But I cannot plan the reaction 20 minutes after the game. I will think about that. It is now not the first time in my life that I lost a football game, unfortunately.”
Klopp made six changes to his team for the defeat by Atalanta but the recently injured trio of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Stefan Bajcetic and Diogo Jota were left on the bench. The German said players returning from injury could no longer afford to ease their way back to full fitness, adding: “My job is not the easiest in the world, not the most difficult as well.
“It’s about when you have players you need to make sure that you get them together on the pitch and then it works out somehow. “We need them all and we need them all aggressive, fit, going for it, a bit angry, full of desire, stuff like this, and not so much dealing with your own situation, like ‘I’ve no rhythm, I didn’t play for ages’, stuff like this. You have to try to avoid that.”
In another Europa League quarter-final first leg matches, AC Milan lost 1-0 at home to fellow Italian side AS Roma. Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen secured a last-gasp 2-0 home win over West Ham United.
Late strikes by Bayer Leverkusen substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface earned the Bundesliga leaders a two-goal advantage over West Ham and they remained undefeated this season with 37 wins and five draws across all competitions. Leverkusen dominated the game but the visitors’ keeper Lukasz Fabianski pulled off a string of saves and kept out dangerous efforts by Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick to keep the scores level at the break.
Hofmann gave Leverkusen the lead in the 83rd minute, scoring with a first-time effort and striker Boniface doubled the advantage in stoppage time with a header into the bottom corner. The hosts, who can clinch the Bundesliga title tomorrow, had 33 attempts on goal – 13 on target – compared to one sole effort by midfielder Mohammed Kudus for Europa Conference League holders West Ham.
Roma upset hosts Milan as Gianluca Mancini scored to end the capital club’s nine-match winless run against Stefano Pioli’s side. Roma, who had last beaten Milan in 2019, took the lead thanks to Mancini’s pinpoint header from Paulo Dybala’s corner in the 17th minute. Portuguese champions Benfica claimed a 2-1 home win over Olympique de Marseille through goals by Rafa Silva and Argentine forward Angel Di Maria.