Bradley Barcola Injury Scare: Liverpool's Champions League Win

Bradley Barcola’s early scare at Anfield turned out to be just that – a scare.

Liverpool’s £106million summer signing, whose fee could climb to £123m, limped off in the second half of the 2-1 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, clutching his left calf and sparking instant anxiety around the ground.

Andoni Iraola moved quickly to calm it.

Iraola eases injury fears

“It’s just cramps, especially with Bradley,” the Liverpool head coach said afterwards, stressing there was no serious problem. “We are kind of rushing him as we haven’t had him in pre-season.”

Barcola had gone down just before the hour, clearly uncomfortable as he received treatment and rubbed his calf. He was replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, his first European start for the club cut short on a night that had promised a statement performance.

The French winger is still playing catch-up. This was his first start for Liverpool after only a 26‑minute Premier League debut off the bench at Ipswich Town last Friday, and the intensity of a Champions League tie under the Anfield lights quickly found his legs.

A huge miss before the cramp

Moments before signalling to the bench, Barcola had the chance to swing the game. Slipped through by a perfectly weighted Florian Wirtz pass, he burst clear of the Atletico back line with only Jan Oblak to beat. The angle opened up, the Kop held its breath – and he dragged his finish wide of the far post.

It felt costly at the time. It didn’t stay that way for long.

Alexis Mac Allister, who has recently made clear Liverpool do not plan to offer him a new contract, stepped up with a strike that ripped the game away from Atletico. Picking up the ball just outside the area, the midfielder unleashed a vicious left-footed drive that flew beyond Oblak and into the net, putting the hosts 2-1 ahead.

Llorente’s Anfield habit

Liverpool had been chasing the game from the 17th minute. Marcos Llorente, a familiar tormentor in this competition, drifted past Milos Kerkez and hammered a low, driven effort past Alisson to silence Anfield.

That goal carried a remarkable quirk. It was Llorente’s tenth in the Champions League – and his fifth against Liverpool, all of them scored at this same stadium. Different nights, same storyline.

Liverpool needed time to respond. The equaliser finally came on 40 minutes, and while Dominik Szoboszlai applied the finish, most eyes went straight to Ronald Araujo.

The defender produced a moment of pure class on the edge of the box, slipping the ball through an Atletico defender’s legs with a deft flick that wrong-footed the visitors’ back line. Szoboszlai took full advantage, steadying himself before stroking a composed finish past Oblak to drag Liverpool level.

Frimpong denied late on

As Atletico tired, Liverpool pushed for breathing space. Frimpong thought he had delivered it just before second-half stoppage time, reacting quickest to a rebound and stabbing in from close range. Anfield roared, but the celebrations were chopped off almost instantly.

The flag was up. The VAR check backed the on-field decision, and the goal was ruled out for offside.

Liverpool held on, though, taking three important points from a night that flirted with drama but ended with reassurance – not least over Barcola.

With Fulham visiting Anfield on Saturday and a Champions League trip to LASK to come on October 14, Iraola will hope that “just cramps” is all it proves to be for a winger bought to change the tempo of Liverpool’s season.