Szobo pulls the strings, Macca pulls Liverpool back from the brink

Liverpool's Champions League campaign began with a win, but certainly not with a performance that screamed champions.Andoni Iraola's side survived a bruising 2-1 battle with Atletico Madrid at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister turning the game around after the visitors had threatened to leave Merseyside with all three points.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Liverpool have become the first side in UCL HISTORY to beat Atletico Madrid four times in-a-row 🔴💪 <a href="https://t.co/zOACI7k9xV">pic.twitter.com/zOACI7k9xV</a></p>&mdash; Prime Video Sport UK (@primevideosport) <a href="https://x.com/primevideosport/status/2097794674987852200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##Of all the early UCL encounters, this felt more like a knockout tie – not because of the quality, which was often lacking, but because of the intensity. The opening exchanges resembled a wrestling match, a rhythm that naturally suited Diego Simeone's men far more than Liverpool.The Reds were the more dangerous side early on, with Bradley Barcola making his first start and immediately causing problems for Jan Oblak. Alexander Isak also threatened early, while Florian Wirtz continued to search for the spark that made him one of Europe’s most coveted young players at Bayer Leverkusen.But if Liverpool were going to find a way back, it was always likely to begin with Szoboszlai.##LINKED_NEWS_68844##The Hungarian produced a moment of ice-cold quality in the 40th minute, reacting brilliantly to Ronald Araujo's unexpected backheel to level the game. Without that intervention, Liverpool – a team that still looks short of the confidence and cohesion of its title-winning days – could have been facing a very different second half.Atletico had taken the lead in the 17th minute through Marcos Llorente, who is becoming something of a nightmare figure for Liverpool. Five of his 10 Champions League goals have come against the Reds, including three at Anfield.Julian Alvarez created the opening with a clever pass, while Kerkez was caught too late trying to spring the offside trap. Llorente did the rest.##REDDIT_<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="546"> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/1wbw2dt/liverpool_11_atletico_madrid_dominik_szoboszlai_40/">Liverpool [1]-1 Atletico Madrid – Dominik Szoboszlai 40'</a><br> by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/xggq/">u/xggq</a> in <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/">LiverpoolFC</a> </blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>##But Los Colchoneros' biggest problem remains exactly where it has been since Luis Suarez left: scoring goals. And with Antoine Griezmann no longer there to provide his creativity, Simeone's side increasingly looks like a team built to destroy rather than create.Once the Reds went ahead, Atletico were forced to attack – and the limitations quickly became obvious. Alvarez looked distracted, Alex Baena could not provide Griezmann's solutions, and Giovanni Simeone offered little of the invention needed in the final third.Liverpool, meanwhile, kept building pressure. Barcola missed a golden chance before Mac Allister produced a thunderbolt to complete the comeback.##REDDIT_<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="546"> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/comments/1wbws51/liverpool_21_atletico_madrid_alexis_mac_allister/">Liverpool [2]-1 Atletico Madrid – Alexis Mac Allister 50'</a><br> by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/xggq/">u/xggq</a> in <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/">LiverpoolFC</a> </blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>##The timing was particularly interesting. Just a day earlier, the Argentine had admitted he was disappointed that Liverpool had handed new contracts to Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch while telling him there was no new deal for now.Perhaps someone at Anfield will be thinking twice after that goal.Liverpool still have plenty of work to do. They have spent heavily, but this is not yet a side that should be talking like champions. ##NAJAVA_MECA_9945972##There is quality everywhere, but the cohesion, confidence and control of a truly elite team remain a few steps away. For now, though, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister have ensured the result looks better than the performance.And in the Champions League, that is sometimes enough.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEROUND 1TuesdayAEK – LASK 1-0 (1-0)/Marin 21/Club Brugge – Aston Villa 2-3 (1-3)/Vetlesen 19, Tresoldi 61 pen – McGinn 11, Buendia 22, Jackson 43/Porto – Manchester City 0-2 (0-0)/Haaland 47, 90+1/Dortmund – Villarreal 3-2 (0-0)/Veiga 53 og, Guirassy 80, 85 pen – Mourino 66, Guirassy 90+3 og/Lille – Betis 2-3 (2-1)/Ueda 12, Ribeiro 36 – Bartra 33,49, Parrott 53/Real Madrid – Inter 2-1 (2-0)/Mbappe 14, Valverde 23 – Augusto 77/WednesdayBarcelona – Feyenoord 5-1 (2-0)/Raphinha 3, 57, Aeyemi 22, Yamal 77, Jesus 85 – Steijn 82/Stuttgart – Viking 3-1 (3-1)/Demirovic 20, 26, 32 – Tripic 22/Liverpool – Atl.Madrid 2-1 (1-1)/Szoboszlai 40, Mac Allister 50 – Llorente 17/Napoli – Arsenal 0-1 (0-0)/Odegaard 75/PSG – Slovan B. 6-1 (3-0)/Dembele 17, 23, Torres 31, 47, 57, Ruiz 87 – Camara 58/Sporting – Galatasaray 3-1 (1-1)/Catamo 27, Suarez 57(p), Zalazar 63 – Inacio 5(og)/Thursday19.45: (3.15) Fenerbahce (3.45) Roma (2.25)19.45: (1.43) PSV (4.60) Shakhtar (7.25)22.00: (1.10) Bayern (10.0) Bodo (16.0)22.00: (1.95) Como (3.50) RB Leipzig (3.90)22.00: (1.10) Man.Utd. (11.0) Sabah (18.0)22.00: (2.60) Slavia Praha (3.35) Lens (2.70)***odds are subject to change***##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-138314-96518" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/138314/season/96518/standings?widgetTitle=UEFA+Champions+League&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1763px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##