Van Dijk: "We've made it very difficult for ourselves"

Liverpool's disappointing performance tonight was justly punished by a sharp Atalanta side, with the Italian team perhaps ruing they didn't extend their three-goal lead even further as they head back to Bergamo for the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.

While the historical context shows Liverpool can indeed deliver a legendary comeback, the current scenario seems a steep hill to climb.

Post-match, captain Virgil van Dijk was the face addressing the media and assessed the situation with poise.

Speaking to beIN SPORTS, he acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead.

"We've made it very difficult for ourselves, we can't lie about that," he stated.

"We’ll give it everything. We're not going to Italy to just score one; we have to do a lot more than we did today. We have the quality to do so but we have to learn from a lot of things that we did wrong today."

Tonight’s game exposed significant flaws in Liverpool's approach, with Atalanta implementing a tight man-marking system that stymied Liverpool's offensive efforts.

The Reds struggled to create significant chances, and although they did manage a few openings, it was far from enough to suggest a potential turnaround in the second leg.

The likelihood of Liverpool replicating their previous rout in Bergamo seems slim based on tonight’s evidence.

Atalanta, aware of what's at stake, may play more conservatively with their significant lead, potentially increasing the pressure and nerves, but Liverpool will need more than just pressure to overcome this deficit.

Looking ahead, Liverpool must first regroup and focus on their upcoming Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

This will be crucial for rebuilding confidence and momentum before they attempt to mount a challenge in Italy next week.