Alexis Mac Allister's superb strike saw Liverpool come from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 at Anfield as Bradley Barcola went off with "cramp" on an eventful home debut.
Barcola was making his first start for Liverpool but felt his calf in the second half and the £123m signing was substituted having missed three good chances to mark the occasion with a goal. It did not impact the result thanks to Mac Allister's rocket.
Marcos Llorente had opened the scoring for the Spanish side with his fifth goal against Liverpool when put through well by Julian Alvarez on the Argentine forward's return to the starting line-up. But that man Dominik Szoboszlai levelled it up before the break.
Curiously, both Liverpool goals came in the immediate aftermath of Barcola chances. Jan Oblak saved to deny him in the build-up to Szoboszlai's goal, Ronald Araujo cleverly recycling the chance. And Mac Allister blasted in to spare his blushes for the second.
Liverpool had drawn their first two Premier League games of the season two apiece, and given the open nature of the game there was a risk of a repeat. But instead Andoni Iraola earned this Anfield victory in his first Champions League match as a head coach.
1 - CHANCE! Szoboszlai robs Koke but Isak drags his shot wide
15 - SAVE! Barcola chance in behind on the right but Oblak saves
17 - GOAL! Alvarez sends Llorente through and he beats Alisson
27 - SAVE! Alvarez shot from distance tipped just wide by Alisson
30 - SAVE! Wirtz denied by Oblak after starting the move himself
40 - GOAL! Araujo's clever flick puts Szoboszlai in to slot home
49 - WIDE! Wirtz sends Barcola clean through but he shoots wide
50 - GOAL! Mac Allister blasts in left-footed just second later
58 - INJURY! Barcola substituted after going down holding his calf
88 - OFFSIDE! Frimpong sweeps the ball home but is well offside
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola speaking about Bradley Barcola in the press conference:
"No, it's cramp. It's just cramp, there is no injury. With Bradley, it's about building his physical condition.
"We don't really know, or we didn't know until now probably, how much he can play, because he hasn't had any minutes in pre-season for PSG.
"He played 30 the other day. Today we had some question marks, how many minutes he can give us, and probably now we know.
"And I'm very happy because also he has had two very clear chances against the keeper. He hasn't scored, but I want him there. That is where he has to make the difference - arriving to those spots, those positions.
"And I'm very happy because in, I don't know how many minutes he's played, two times against the keeper is a good sign with Bradley."
Your Site' Adam Bate at Anfield:
Barcola might have scored twice in the first half on his Anfield bow and missed a big chance at the start of the second but it was still a promising performance. He has been used on the left by Paris Saint-Germain but showed his versatility playing from the right.
His fitness looked sharper than his finishing and it did not take long for him to win over the Kop, his name being chanted inside 15 minutes when he tracked back to shut down an early Atletico counter-attack. That pace looks like it will be a real weapon for Iraola.
The worry was the sight of him trudging off before the hour. The Liverpool boss had stressed the need to manage Barcola given that he had not been involved in pre-season. Iraola needs him up to speed quickly. On this evidence, he can make a difference.
