Mac Allister’s Second-Half Screamer Gives Liverpool 2-1 Comeback Win Over Atletico Madrid
Liverpool came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 at Anfield on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, with a moment of magic from Alexis Mac Allister settling their opening fixture of the 2026-27 Champions League league phase and handing new head coach Andoni Iraola maximum points on his European managerial debut.
Atletico made the brighter start and took a deserved lead in the first half through Marcos Llorente, who beat goalkeeper Alisson to net his fifth career goal at Anfield. Liverpool were level by the break, though, as Dominik Szoboszlai swept a precise finish into the bottom corner from close range after a clever backheel flick from Ronald Araujo picked him out inside the box. The goal shifted the momentum firmly in Liverpool’s favour heading into the second half.
The decisive moment arrived shortly after the restart, when Mac Allister produced a moment of quality to put the hosts ahead, driving forward before unleashing a powerful, precisely placed effort from outside the box that gave Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak no chance. From there, Liverpool controlled the closing stages, seeing out the win despite Atletico enjoying the bulk of possession during the final half hour. Statistically, the visitors managed just a modest expected-goals return of 0.81 from nine shots, while Liverpool posted 1.69 from 14 attempts across the match, reflecting Liverpool’s greater cutting edge in the key moments.
The result extended Liverpool’s dominance in the fixture, with the win representing their fourth straight victory over Atletico Madrid across the sides’ recent meetings, having also beaten the Spanish club 3-2 at Anfield in last season’s Champions League league phase. For Iraola, the win marks a strong start to his first European campaign in charge of Liverpool, coming on the back of a Premier League victory over Ipswich Town the previous weekend, and represents his first win over Atletico boss Diego Simeone.
Liverpool made changes as the match progressed, with Rio Ngumoha and Alexander Isak both involved in the buildup play despite Isak failing to add to the scoresheet himself after a bright start to the season, while Victor Munoz and Ryan Gravenberch were introduced from the bench to help see out the result. Atletico, for their part, arrived at Anfield off the back of a heavy 3-0 domestic defeat to Athletic Bilbao and were unable to fully recover from Wednesday’s setback in what was a difficult night on their European debut of the new campaign, with Julian Alvarez unable to find a way past Liverpool’s defence.
Both sides now turn their attention to their next league-phase fixtures next month, with Liverpool travelling to face Austrian side LASK, while Atletico host Liverpool’s old English rivals Manchester United in what promises to be another closely watched European test for Simeone’s side as they look to bounce back from Wednesday’s disappointment.
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