What Gasperini said before his side beat Liverpool 3-0 is exasperating now

Before his side travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Europa League, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini was excited to play at the Reds' hallowed stadium.

Speaking to reporters before his side ran amok, winning 3-0, Gasperini said that he couldn't wait to see "the real Anfield."

“It’s always a thrill to come here, to one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe. Last time there was no crowd and it was a disappointment, now we get to see the real Anfield,” Gasperini said in a pre-match interview with Sky Sport Italia,via TMW.

Unfortunately for Liverpool and fortunately for Gasperini, there was no real Anfield in sight. No real Liverpool. No real desire.

Nothing.

It was one of those first leg defeats that leaves you with the horrible feeling that the tie is over already.

Of course, if this wasn't Liverpool we're talking about, it would be a safe bet, but Jurgen Klopp being borderline speechless after full-time is a pretty good reflection of how bad that display was.

The travelling Kop is Liverpool's biggest hope now

Anfield should have been the force it needed to be last night but when the team was so poor, there were very little opportunities to drag them forward.

The team simply lacked the drive and the cutting edge to put in the performance needed to defeat a well-organised and efficient Atalanta side.

Jurgen Klopp will be praying for a miracle in the second leg just like supporters and if the travelling Kop can do what they do best and interrupt the flow at the Stadio di Bergamo, hopefully it can fuel the players on the pitch.

It's going to require a perfect storm for Liverpool to find the result to progress to the semi-final but it's not over yet.