Liverpool back to their title-winning form in win over Atletico Madrid

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (centre) heads towards goal

Liverpool’s historic champions may have taken a mini-break in season 2020-21 but there’s absolutely no doubt the feelgood factor is back at Anfield now after another strong European performance - and no limit to where their upwards trajectory can take them.

A 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, which takes Jurgen Klopp’s side into the knockout stages as group winners with two group fixtures to spare, was a poignant one in many ways.

The last time the teams met at Anfield, Liverpool were in their absolute pomp, on their way to ending 30 years of hurt in the Premier League and dreaming – justifiably – of winning the Champions League, too.

A 3-2 defeat that day in 2020, which sent Liverpool out on aggregate, was one of very few on-pitch lows of a glorious campaign which ended with a title win that had been dreamt of for so long.

But the Atletico tie also will be remembered for more sombre reasons, too. More than 3,000 away fans were allowed to travel to the match, despite Covid just starting to take a grip in Spain, and a subsequent government report into the handling of the crisis claims 37 people died unnecessarily on Merseyside because of that decision.

Who knows if that allegation will ever be properly corroborated, but it won’t be forgotten easily.

In football terms it was three months before another game of any kind was played in England, and Liverpool had to win their title without fans – and celebrate it alone on the Kop, too.

No wonder the atmosphere at Anfield was so boisterous this time because Liverpool and their supporters have been through an awful lot since.

Nobody expected the dramatic dip which followed as Klopp’s side attempted to defend their title, stuttering alarmingly in a campaign which saw their invincibility at Anfield melt into the ether and their squad decimated by injuries.

Only a late season rally saved their blushes, but now those miserable memories can be filed in the shoebox marked ‘things to learn from’ and Liverpool can get back to playing the high-octane, high-pressing, highly entertaining football that made them such worthy champions.

The 5-0 victory at Old Trafford in October showed exactly where they are at; and this result only served to underline it with a mixture of attacking verve to start with and professional control in the latter stages.

The first half, in particular, was classic Liverpool – and it felt like we really were back in 2019-20, before the pandemic darkened our days.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who broke so many records that year, was back to his absolute best – what a personal see-saw the England full-back has been on for club and country recently – providing assists for Diego Jota and Sadio Mane. The delivery for the first, in particular, was beyond top class.

Liverpool were confident, organised and able to swagger, long before Atletico had Felipe sent off for dissent as half-time neared. Back to their best and finally free from the shackles of last season’s frustrations.

Jota was unfortunate not to make it 3-0 with a second half effort that was narrowly offside – at least VAR thought so – and goodness knows how Mo Salah didn’t add to the tally given the effort he put in.

But it’s still 47 goals scored already this season in just 15 games for Liverpool, and that marks them out as serious contenders at home and abroad.

Luis Suarez, playing against his former club, almost put a dampener on the night with a goal at 2-0, but once it was ruled out for offside Liverpool were able to play keep-ball with Thiago, who is still waiting to catch fire in a Liverpool shirt, directing proceedings.

The finale lacked further goal drama, but when they needed to be the home side were electric, driven forward by Jordan Henderson, another man back to top form, with Salah, currently in the best form of his life, twisting and turning one of the best defences in European football this way and that.

This was the Liverpool of their title winning season, not necessarily a 90-minute demolition perhaps but a mixture of swagger when required and concentration at important times - and it feels like the old belief, the old confidence is now back for good.

That’s bad news for their rivals in both the Champions League and the Premier League.

Chelsea and Manchester City will have a say in the matter, of course, but don’t rule out this Liverpool side doing what even the heroes of 2019-20 were unable to do. There’s a long way to go, and a lot of opportunity for bad fortune to rear its head (a late injury for substitute Roberto Firmino at Anfield highlighting the fact). But if Klopp’s side aren’t at least challenging for a double come May, you’d be surprised; that’s the level they are returning to.