Alexis Mac Allister's second-half strike completed a Liverpool comeback against Atlético Madrid, securing a 2–1 win on Andoni Iraola's Champions League debut as a head coach.
Marcos Llorente had put the visitors ahead at Anfield, but Dominik Szoboszlai equalised before the interval and Mac Allister scored five minutes after it. Liverpool began the league phase with three points and followed their victory at Ipswich with a second successive competitive win.
Bradley Barcola made his first start for the club and was repeatedly involved in their best openings. He could not mark the occasion with a goal, then had to come off in the second half. Iraola later said the problem was cramp rather than an injury.
With Cody Gakpo absent because of an adductor problem, Rio Ngumoha also came into the starting side. Barcola operated on the right, Ngumoha on the left, and Alexander Isak led the attack. Ronald Araújo continued in a defence completed by Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez.
Liverpool almost scored in the opening seconds. Szoboszlai won possession in Atlético's half and released Isak, whose low shot went across goal and wide. Another opportunity arrived when Barcola controlled a dropping pass inside the area, only for Jan Oblak to block his attempt from a narrowing angle.
Atlético then found the breakthrough in the 17th minute. Julián Álvarez played Llorente through, and the midfielder lifted his finish over Alisson. The goalkeeper was needed again when Álvarez shot from distance, stretching to turn the ball away and prevent Liverpool falling further behind.
The home response brought pressure on Oblak's goal. Liverpool continued to find runners in the area, and Barcola was denied again before the equaliser in the 40th minute. Araújo kept the move alive with a deft flick that put Szoboszlai in to finish from close range.
Liverpool carried that momentum into the second half. Barcola and Florian Wirtz combined on a counter-attack that left the French forward facing Oblak, but his shot went just wide. The miss was followed almost immediately by Mac Allister's winner.
Ngumoha worked space for a cross, the ball broke into Mac Allister's path outside the area, and the midfielder struck left-footed past Oblak. Liverpool had turned the score around either side of half-time, with their two central midfielders supplying the goals.
Barcola and Ngumoha were replaced on the hour by Víctor Muñoz and Jeremie Frimpong. Ryan Gravenberch followed for Mac Allister nine minutes later, while Diego Simeone also made changes as Atlético searched for a way back into the match.
Liverpool remained capable of adding a third. Robin Le Normand blocked an Isak attempt, and Frimpong put the ball in the net late on only to be ruled offside. Neither moment changed the score, but the hosts held their advantage through the remaining minutes. Kostas Tsimikas and Lewis Koumas were introduced in the closing stages.
Mac Allister's post-match assessment focused on the response to conceding. He acknowledged that Liverpool had not defended the opening goal properly, but welcomed the team's determination and the way their improved start to the second half had produced the decisive strike.
For Iraola, the result provided a winning first European night at Anfield. Liverpool had again needed to recover from a deficit, as they had in their opening two league games. This time the recovery delivered victory, leaving them with a successful start to the league phase before October's trip to LASK.