The ground that saw the Reds raise their sixth European Cup turned into a minor house of horrors when facing the residents.
Liverpool fell to a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the last-16 Champions League at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Nearly everything that could break for the home side did, and Liverpool were forced to adapt, continue to look for an equaliser and ultimately prepare for an altogether different scenario on Merseyside in a couple of weeks.
After an early dubious throw-in call, Atletico Madrid managed to parlay a corner kick. Koke’s delivery caused a scramble and Liverpool uncharacteristically found themselves behind after just four minutes.
The unlikeliest of collective errors led to the unluckiest of moments. Liverpool conceded against Diego Simeone’s side.
From that point, Atletico knew exactly what to do, turning the match into a battle. No club shuts up shop quite like Simeone’s Los Rojiblancos.
The hosts disrupted and destroyed any chances for a Reds equaliser.
Liverpool never panicked and continued to go again for the full 90. It has become so rare that the Reds have not secured a result, so there will undoubtedly be disappointment in the camp.
Yet, this was almost a perfect storm. The Reds escaped with only a goal to overcome at Anfield. They will be more than ready.
Here are our four findings from the match.
