Liverpool edged out Atletico Madrid in a Champions League thriller.
Mohamed Salah became the first player in Anfield history to score in nine consecutive games when he broke the deadlock with a sweeping early finish.
The Reds doubled their lead in the Spanish capital just five minutes later courtesy of a wonderful volley on the edge of the penalty area by Naby Keita.
But Atleti struck back with two goals in 14 minutes from Antoine Griezmann, who exposed the visitors’ lax defending to level up the Group B showdown.
However the Spanish champions were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Griezmann was sent off for a high-footed foul on Roberto Firmino.
Jurgen Klopp’s side went on to take maximum points as Salah wrongfooted Jan Oblak with a late penalty after Mario Hermoso bundled over Diogo Jota.
A win over Atleti in next month’s corresponding fixture at Anfield will secure Liverpool’s place for the knockout stage of Europe’s elite club competition.
Here were the key talking points from the Wanda Metropolitano:
Reds dig in for rare ‘dirty’ win
Winning ugly has seldom been a hallmark of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool dynasty.
But when the German requires his players to dig for victory, they duly oblige.
They had to do it again when coming up against an Atletico Madrid side that were both resilient and pernicious throughout this thrilling Group B encounter.
Last weekend’s emphatic five-goal hammering over Watford appeared a distant memory as the Reds ground out victory at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The stadium which heralded their sixth Champions League triumph just two years ago is no stranger to seeing them produce less than sparkling displays.
Facing Diego Simeone’s side in their failed defence of the trophy the following season offered a taste of what Liverpool could expect a second time around.
Atleti rallied from their early deficit to draw level and almost snatched a late point when Diogo Jota sent Jose Giminez tumbling inside the penalty area.
VAR intervention helped spare Jota’s blushes as the initial decision was belatedly overturned to hand the visitors a clear path to the knockout stages.
Little wonder Klopp was happy to claim what he deemed a ‘dirty’ three points.
…but history nearly repeats itself
Ahead of this game, Klopp spoke of similarities between Atleti and Sevilla.
Both La Liga outfits boast highly intimidating home atmospheres and possess teams which will fight for every ball, as the Liverpool manager knows well.
At times it felt as though his players had travelled back in time to autumn 2017, when they were held to a 3-3 draw in the ‘frying pan of Europe’.
Those alarming defensive deficiencies threatened to see Liverpool’s Champions League adventure faltering long before the final hurdle.
Virgil van Dijk’s arrival aided a swift recovery to reach the showpiece but the centre-back endured one of his more difficult evenings against Atleti’s attack.
The Dutchman and his cohorts struggled with the constant threat posed by Felix and, prior to his dismissal for high-footing Roberto Firmino, Griezmann.
Suarez, too, managed to get in Van Dijk’s face for the little time he featured against his former employers as the pair regularly exchanged combat blows.
They may have got away with it on this occasion but Liverpool cannot risk being caught out when Atleti pitch up at Anfield in just a fortnight’s time.
Keita still stuck between two stools
Naby Keita’s habit of conjuring masterful long-range volleys has been a surprising addition to his personal repertoire for Liverpool this season.
Still, an early thunderbolt could not mask the ongoing deficiencies in the Guinean midfielder’s game as he was overrun for both of Atleti’s goals.
Thomas Lemar first had the beating of Keita in the prelude to Antoine Griezmann’s reducer before Joao Felix repeated his teammate’s trick.
Sensing that the clash was ebbing away from his side, Klopp took the logical decision to hook the 26-year-old at the half-time interval in favour of Fabinho.
Almost immediately, Liverpool regained control of the midfield battle with the Brazilian stealing possession from Felix to head off a potential counter-attack.
Keita’s three years on Merseyside have been charactrised by frustration, from his proneness to injury and inability to consistently produce solid showings.
He appears destined to be permanently caught between two stools.
Salah reaffirms his legend status
It takes something truly special to become the first Liverpool player to score in nine consecutive games when countless predecessors have tried and failed.
Ian Rush, the late great Roger Hunt, Robbie Fowler and even Luis Suarez – a substitute in this fixture – could not do what Mohamed Salah has achieved.
The Egypt international further cemented his place in the Anfield record books by not only netting a well-taken opener but also a decisive late penalty kick.
Fittingly, Salah’s 12-yard dispatch occurred at the same end of the Wanda Metropolitano where he had scored in the 2019 Champions League final.
Liverpool’s record all-time goal scorer in Europe’s elite club competition has made it his mission to deliver on each of the biggest stages, not just this one.
Yet the ongoing apprehension by some to herald Salah as an Anfield legend is perplexing given he has already eclipsed many of his illustrious predecessors.
As proved the case with his opposite number at the Wanda, it may only be once he departs that the 29-year-old’s greatness will be truly appreciated.