Liverpool and West Ham knocked out of Europa League
Atalanta progressed to the Europa League semi-finals despite losing 1-0 to Liverpool on Thursday as they triumphed 3-1 on aggregate to move one step closer to a first ever European final for the Serie A side.
Atalanta had stunned the Premier League club 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final last week at Anfield, levelling another huge blow to Liverpool’s dreams of a fairytale ending in manager Juergen Klopp’s final season.
Liverpool got off to a quick start in Italy as talisman Mohammed Salah scored from the penalty spot in the seventh minute, fuelling hope that a remarkable comeback was in the making.
But while Klopp’s men looked little like the shaky side who were steamrolled by Atalanta at Anfield, Gian Piero Gasperini’s team held on in what the manager had called the biggest game in the team’s history to earn a semi-final place.
Leverkusen reach semis as Frimpong preserves unbeaten run
Newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen reached the Europa League semi-finals but almost lost their season-long unbeaten record as they drew 1-1 away at West Ham United for a 3-1 aggregate victory on Thursday.
Xavi Alonso’s side trailed to Michail Antonio’s early header and were far below their usual high standards in the first half as the hosts carved out several more chances.
Leverkusen, who clinched their first German title at the weekend, improved dramatically after the break and squandered numerous opportunities before substitute Jeremie Frimpong’s shot deflected past Lukasz Fabianski in the 89th minute.
Despite being below their best, Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 44 games and they are still on course for a treble.
Ten-man Roma beat Milan
AS Roma beat AC Milan 2-1 on Thursday to complete a 3-1 aggregate win and set up a semi-final showdown with Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.
Defender Gianluca Mancini gave Roma the lead in the 12th minute of the quarter-final second leg, scoring on a rebound from close range.
Paulo Dybala doubled the advantage for the hosts 10 minutes later with a curled shot inside the far post before Matteo Gabbia pulled one back for Milan five minutes from time, nodding home a cross from forward Rafael Leao.
Roma lost striker Romelu Lukaku to an injury in the 28th minute before they were left with 10 men in the 31st when defender Zeki Celik was sent off for a challenge on Leao.