In some quarters, Atalanta’s 3-0 win at Anfield was seen as the shock of European football last week but it came as no surprise to Lee Congerton after the past two years at Stadio di Bergamo crafting the current team.
There are ways of losing, and Pep Guardiola made clear that this one, in a game his team dominated, in a shootout they threw away, was acceptable and that he had made his peace with it.
The Premier League is almost certain to miss out on an extra Champions League place after Manchester City and Arsenal lost their quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
Jurgen Klopp is evoking the spirit of Liverpool’s greatest ever comeback in a last-ditch attempt to ensure a glittering European career at the club does not meander to an inglorious end.