Liverpool were stunned at Anfield after losing 3-0 to Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal tie.

Jurgen Klopp made changes before kickoff, but they almost backfired, with his team relying on Caoimhin Kelleher to make a fantastic stop from Mario Pasalic at point blank range.

The Reds were far from their best, but Gianluca Scamacca earned his team a merited lead, despite his effort slipping under Kelleher’s grasp.

Despite a quadruple substitution at halftime, Liverpool couldn’t recover, and Scamacca doubled Atalanta’s advantage after more poor defense, before Mario Pasalic added a third to send the Italians into dreamland ahead of next week’s second leg in Bergamo.

Will Pickworth has rated the players…

Liverpool (4-3-3)

Caoimhin Kelleher – Pasalic made a remarkable save early on, but Kelleher was at blame for the first goal, allowing Scamacca’s shot to slip through his grasp. He did make some nice stops after that, albeit his parry fell at the feet of Pasalic for Atalanta’s third. 5

Joe Gomez – Lost his customary cool on the right and didn’t know whether he was coming or going while dealing with Atalanta’s split forwards as the Italians regularly went in behind. Attacking is wasteful. 5.5

Ibrahima Konate – Struggled to deal with a dangerous attacking trio and was at fault for Scamacca’s second goal, putting De Ketelaere onside and leaving the former West Ham flop in acres of space. 6

Virgil van Dijk – Surprisingly inconsistent, with the Serie A club frequently cutting Liverpool open, as the Reds struggled against their opponents’ push. Also missed a good chance in a corner. 6

Kostas Tsimikas – Exposed in his first start since February, with Zappacosta and Koopmeiners causing him all sorts of issues, and he was completely out of place in the build-up to Scamacca’s opening goal. Hooked at halftime. 5.5

Wataru Endo – Failed to provide the defensive screening he had been doing for much of the season. One of several Liverpool players who were off-colour at Anfield. 6

Alexis MacAllister – A strong contender for Liverpool’s Player of the Season, the Argentine endured one of his quieter evenings as a Reds player. 6

Curtis Jones A fantastic ball to set up a Nunez chance, and we got some decent positions on the inside left channel. Perhaps a harsh replacement at halftime. 7

Harvey Elliott – Unlucky not to score after his curled effort struck the post and bar, but he failed to take advantage of his opportunity from the start. 6.5

Darwin Nunez – Missed a fantastic opportunity at 0-0 when he should have gone around Musso, then blazed over inside the box in the second half. If Nunez wants to advance, he must improve his goal-scoring ability. 5

Cody Gakpo – Caused intermittent issues coming in off the left as the Dutch forward returned to form, but he was unable to inspire his team to a comeback. 6

SUBSTITUTES

Mohamed Salah (for Harvey Elliott, 45 minutes) – Finished well on his disallowed goal, but should not have been offside. Two additional good chances were squandered, and even Liverpool’s talisman failed to motivate them on this bleak night. 6

Andy Robertson (for Kostas Tsimikas, 45 minutes) – A bright spot for Liverpool, adding energy down the left and playing a lovely ball for Salah’s disallowed goal. 6.5

Dominik Szoboszlai (for Curtis Jones, 45 minutes) – Looked to provide energy, but made a terrible mistake on Atalanta’s third, which could prove critical in the tie. I also missed a nice chance late on. 5

Luis Diaz (for Darwin Nunez, 60 minutes) – Struggled to get into the game, but he did test Musso with one chance. 5.5

Diogo Jota (for Endo, 75 minutes) – Jota’s return to the pitch for the first time since February was a pleasing sight, but he arrived too late to have an impact on this game. 5.5