A day after revealing his disappointment over the lack of a new contract offer by Liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister delivered the perfect response with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Mac Allister unleashed a ferocious strike from outside of the box as Liverpool came back from a goal down at Anfield.
The Argentina international, who joined Liverpool in 2023, raced away to celebrate in front of the home fans. It was in stark contrast to his somber tone ahead of the game when discussing the uncertainty over his position at the club.
“I try to be sincere. It helped me free myself up a bit,” Mac Allister said to ESPN Argentina after Wednesday’s win when asked about his pregame comments. “I’ll always be the same person, right up to my last day here, whether it’s two years, longer, or if I leave sooner. I’m going to give it my all until the very last day.
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“I really enjoy being at this club, and I’m very happy living in the moment”
Mac Allister’s contract runs until 2028, so there is no urgency for Liverpool to renew yet. But his goal five minutes after after halftime was a reminder of his qualities, firing powerfully into the corner and beyond the reach of Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
“Normally when I’m in those positions I like to shoot,” Mac Allister said. “It doesn’t happen very often, but I’m happy because I love to score goals. Today, it was a nice goal and was important for the team as well, which is what I want.”
Atlético had taken the lead through Marcos Llorente after 17 minutes, with the midfielder extending his remarkable goalscoring run at Anfield.
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It was his fifth goal in his last three visits to Merseyside, having famously scored twice as Atlético eliminated then-defending champions Liverpool from the tournament just before the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
Dominik Szoboszlai leveled in the 40th before Mac Allister’s winner.
“I think we have an amazing team. We have quality, we have desire and we have everything to be successful,” Mac Allister said. “But we need to show it. We have to have everyone in the same page and we can do great things.”
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The win was a first for Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola against Atlético manager Diego Simeone in any competition, having lost three times and drawn once against the Argentine coach.
Mac Allister’s Argentina teammate Julián Álvarez started the game for Atlético after a turbulent closed season saw him try to force a move away from Madrid to join Barcelona.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
