Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid: Lookman flops again as contract-seeking star secures comeback victory for Reds

Liverpool scored in either half to secure a comeback victory against Atletico Madrid to begin their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with triumph at Anfield.

The Reds conceded relatively early against routine villain Marcos Llorente, but goals from Dominik Szoboszlai (40') and Alexis Mac Allister (50') gave Andoni Iraola's side a well-earned comeback win.

Ademola Lookman came off the bench as Plan B, after recent poor form cost him his starting berth. However, he failed to impact the game, struggling under close monitoring from Liverpool's Ronald Araujo.

The visitors silenced the Kop inside the opening 17 minutes when Marcos Llorente continued his incredible personal record on Merseyside.

 Latching onto a superb through ball from Julián Alvarez, Llorente finished clinically to put Atlético ahead with his fifth career Champions League goal at the stadium. 

Roared on by the home supporters, Liverpool immediately pressed for an equaliser and found their reward in the 39th minute. 

Capitalising on defensive confusion from the Spanish side, new arrival Ronald Araújo delivered a clever heel flick to Dominik Szoboszlai, who fired a low shot past Jan Oblak into the far right corner to level the score just before halftime.

The momentum shifted to the hosts following the interval. In the 49th minute, a scramble in the Atlético penalty area saw the ball fall invitingly to Alexis Mac Allister on the edge of the box. 

The Argentine midfielder, who recently provided a heartfelt update on his contract situation, waved off his teammates and drove a low, left-footed strike into the bottom corner to complete the turnaround.

Desperate to rescue a point, Diego Simeone turned to his bench in the 58th minute, introducing Ademola Lookman to lead the attacking charge.

 Lookman tried to inject pace and urgency, but he struggled against the unit, Araujo, firing off multiple crosses off the Barcelona loanee. 

Despite Lookman's cameo and a late barrage of set-pieces from the visitors, Liverpool successfully managed the final minutes, navigating an injury scare to winger Bradley Barcola, to grind out the vital 2-1 victory.