How Liverpool beat Atalanta 1-0 but were still eliminated from Europa League

Davide Zappacosta spoke about the significance of Atalanta reaching the semi-final: "It is a historic achievement. We are happy for ourselves, for the people of Bergamo and the club. We really tried to give our best and it showed. We played two great matches and are deservedly in the semi-finals.

"We didn't want to concede early. We did but we reacted as a team. We are really happy with what we did. Everyone thought we had no chance against Liverpool but we showed that we could compete with anyone. And we won playing our football, playing one-against-one all over the pitch. It was a great night."

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke to Sky Sport Italia after Atalanta advanced: "We eliminated a great coach and a great team. We had heart and a wonderful crowd helping us tonight. We gave a fantastic performance after that penalty and should have scored. There were the spaces to score, just like in Liverpool. It was a bit of a frenetic match. There are different ways to defend, either sitting back or going to press them high, and we chose the latter option. We were physically strong and kept up the tempo.

“In my career there might not be trophies, but there are a few medals and I think this will deserve a medal. Without doubt, we care about winning something, but the trophy also is seeing the unity of these lads. At half-time, I asked them if they wanted to drop back a bit and defend deeper if they were feeling the pressure, but they said absolutely not. That is a trophy for me, because they think like me."

Here's a look at how the semi-finals of the three major European competitions break down in terms of countries represented.

• Champions League: Germany (2), France, Spain
• Europa League: Italy (2), Germany, France
• Europa Conference League: Italy, England, Belgium, Greece

Total: Germany (3), Italy (3), France (2), Spain, England, Belgium, Greece

Marseille have beaten Benfica 4-2 on penalties after a 1-0 win in France on the night.

Atalanta will face the Ligue 1 side in one of the Europa League semi-finals, while Bayer Leverkusen and Roma will meet in the other.

Over in the Europa Conference League, Olympiacos have beaten Fenerbahce 3-2 on penalties after the Turkish side forced extra time with a 1-0 win at home on the night.

Olympiacos will take on Aston Villa in one of the semi-finals, while the other features Fiorentina vs Club Bruges.

The reaction from Liverpool fans on our discussion page has been a mix of disappointment and anger...

Matty P: So sad that Klopp’s reign goes out like this, the trophies we should have won…

Andrew H: Cannot wait for Klopp to leave. The tactics are terrible. Ever since Buvac left and “heavy metal football” left the players never put the ball into space or on diagonals to run onto.

Gabriel C: Klopp gave it away with the subs. Took too long and taking Diaz and Alexander-Arnold off, two of our most creative players, was a really bad move.

For the first time since the 2014-15 season, there will no English clubs in the semi-finals of either the Champions League or the Europa League.

Jurgen Klopp also spoke to TNT Sports after Liverpool's elimination: "It was clear we gave ourselves a massive hurdle. I liked the game a lot tonight with the desire and power the boys showed. It was incredible from them.

"It was really tricky and we were too hasty in moments. If Trent Alexander-Arnold had been a bit fitter he could have gone a bit longer, but it is insane that he has even played. In the end he was running out of gas.

"We won the game and that was the reaction we wanted to show. It was difficult and we knew it would be but they deserve to go through 100 per cent.

"We have to focus on the league and that is exactly what we will do from now. Tonight we won the game so we are back to winning ways. We have a few days to recover to go again against Fulham. That will be a different game but it will be tricky.

"It is mixed emotions. We are out but I am happy with the game. We would have wished that we could have gone to Dublin but that hasn't happened.

"We now have one competition left and we will throw ourselves into that completely."

Hopes of a quadruple of trophies in Jurgen Klopp's final season got off to a good start when the team won the Carabao Cup in February, but since then things have gone from bad to worse, leaving only the Premier League title to be fought for in the season's closing stages.

• March 17: Liverpool are knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United
• April 14: Liverpool lose 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace, falling two points behind Manchester City in the PL table
• April 18: Liverpool are knocked out of the Europa League

Speaking of whether Mohamed Salah should be dropped from Liverpool's line-up, he was guilty of missing the team's biggest chance tonight.

Despite making no mistake from the penalty spot in the seventh minute, Salah wasted a massive opportunity in the 39th minute to reduce Liverpool's aggregate deficit to one. Breaking free on goal, he had only Atalanta's goalkeeper to beat. He went for the chip and had the correct height and power on it, but his aim was errant as he missed wide.

If Liverpool had spent the second half chasing only one goal, this game would have taken on an entirely different complexion. Instead, Atalanta were relatively comfortable holding onto their two-goal lead.

The Athletic has broken down the main talking points for Liverpool from tonight's result, looking at:

• Can Liverpool rouse themselves in the Premier League title race?
• Should Mohamed Salah be dropped?
• Is Trent Alexander-Arnold already proving his worth?
• Did Jurgen Klopp's attacking rotation offer hope?

Follow the link below to check out the breakdown!

That's now 133 instances in UEFA Cup/Europa League history of an away side winning the first leg of a two-legged tie by three or more goals, without a single instance of the losing side coming back to advance.

Roma and Bayer Leverkusen will meet in one semi-final, while Atalanta are awaiting the winner of Benfica and Marseille in the other.

• Roma have beaten AC Milan 2-1 despite having a man sent off in the first half, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.
• West Ham pulled within a goal of Bayer Leverkusen on aggregate in the 13th minute but couldn't close the gap. Leverkusen then scored in the 89th minute to secure a 1-1 draw, keeping their unbeaten season alive in all competitions and advancing 3-1 on aggregate.
• Marseille and Benfica are in extra time, tied 2-2 on aggregate with Marseille leading 1-0 on the night.