Van Dijk celebrate the winner
Liverpool opened their Champions League campaign with trademark late drama, edging Atletico Madrid 3-2 at Anfield thanks to a stoppage-time header from captain Virgil van Dijk.
New signing Alexander Isak made his long-awaited debut, but it was Liverpool’s established stars who delivered the key moments.
Mohamed Salah was instrumental as the Reds surged into a 2-0 lead inside six minutes. His free-kick deflected off Andrew Robertson to wrong-foot Jan Oblak before he calmly finished a slick exchange with Ryan Gravenberch.
Atletico struck back on the stroke of half-time when Marcos Llorente slid the ball under Alisson. Salah nearly restored the cushion after the break but struck the post following neat play from Florian Wirtz.
Llorente then repeated his Anfield heroics from 2020, volleying home via a deflection off Alexis Mac Allister nine minutes from time to level the contest.
Just as it seemed Atletico had salvaged a point, Liverpool found their familiar late surge. Van Dijk rose highest to meet a corner, powering his header past Oblak to spark wild celebrations on the Kop.
The drama didn’t end there, with Atletico coach Diego Simeone shown a red card after clashing with fans near his technical area.
Liverpool’s victory continues their early-season trend of late winners, keeping momentum high under new manager Arne Slot.