Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid: A night where a likely dynasty started to cruelly crumble

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As Liverpool prepare to host Atletico Madrid, we are reminded of their clash at Anfield in 2020, which was cruelly the beginning of the end of a potential dynasty. Things could barely have been going better for the Reds.

But it is hard not to look back at that Atletico game and wonder how differently things would have panned out if there had been no Covid at all. The following Premier League campaign then saw Liverpool not only have to defend their crown with no fans in stadiums, but also with an endless run of fitness woes, not least Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury at the hands of Jordan Pickford.

They have peaked just as their rivals have fallen away and are in transitional periods, and they are likely to enjoy more success than Klopp’s Liverpool did. Had Pep Guardiola’s City not been around, Liverpool would have won three or four Premier League titles under Klopp, and without Covid, you have to wonder if they would have cleaned up, too.