Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut against Atlético de Madrid in the club’s first UEFA Champions League clash of the season.
It was surprising as fans hadn’t expected Arne Slot to let the Swedish striker start following his statements regarding Isak’s fitness.
The 25-year-old wasn’t a part of the Merseysiders’ first outing after the international break. Liverpool faced Burnley at Turf Moor, and a last-minute penalty scored by Mohamed Salah saved the Reds’ winning streak.
The six-time UEFA Champions League winners have won all four of their English Premier League games. A continental matchup followed against Diego Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid as the Reds came out on top to win their first Champions League game of the season.
A header from Virgil van Dijk saved Arne Slot’s men from ending the game with a draw. It would’ve also cost Slot their winning streak with only one point in the continental cup.
Mohamed Salah was the perpetrator of the first two goals as the Egyptian’s free kick deflected off Andrew Robertson in the fourth minute.
The North African winger was quick to follow up with a far corner finish in under two minutes. Simeone’s men did follow up, though, with Marcos Llorente getting them back into the game.
Quiz: Can you name the team Liverpool sold these players to?
Alexander Isak impresses Arne Slot
Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut against Atlético de Madrid (Credits: Imago Images)
Alexander Isak hadn’t participated in the pre-season or team training with Newcastle United. These actions were what led the Magpies to give up and sell him to the Reds.
However, the strategy did cost the player as the Swede only played 20 minutes of international football during the break. Arne Slot followed a similar suit as the manager didn’t take him out against Burnley.
Nonetheless, the striker got his debut against Atlético as he played 58 minutes against Simeone’s side. Hugo Ekitike was subbed on in the Swede’s stead after the one-hour debut.
“In the 60 minutes he played, he seemed to be quite fit to me. It wasn’t as if after 10 minutes he was already very tired. He could play at this level quite well after one or two weeks of team sessions.”
“So that was the thing, and he can play football and that he’s a joy to watch, and that is not a surprise to me. He was fitter than I expected, but the fans can’t get their hopes too high. We play three times a week and that’s a bit too much for him still”, Slot told TNT Sports.
