Jota nets hat-trick as excellent Liverpool thrash Atalanta 5-0
Striker Diogo Jota netted his first hat-trick for Liverpool because they thrashed Atalanta 5-0 on Tuesday in a blistering performance to go five points clear close to the top of Champions League Group D after three straight wins.
Jota's treble continued his scintillating figure out how to his Liverpool career while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane also got on the scoresheet in a excellent display from Juergen Klopp's Premier League champions.
Jota wasted an early on chance before giving his side the lead in the 16th minute, latching to a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold and holding off Jose Luis Palomino before delicately flicking the ball past Marco Sportiello.
The Portugal forward, who arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported payment of 41 million pounds ($54 million)in September, got 2-0 in the 33rd minute, controlling a raking pass from Joe Gomez along with his left foot before firing house with his right.
With the house side reeling, Salah scored an excellent solo goal two minutes in to the second half, collecting a clearance from Andy Robertson and running from the halfway line before curling the ball in at the far post.
Minutes later it turned out Mane's turn to create it 4-0 with a sublime chipped finish before Jota completed his hat-trick with another coolly-taken effort in the 55th for his seventh goal in his first 10 appearances for Liverpool.
Atalanta's best chances on the night fell to Duvan Zapata, who clipped the lower of the crossbar with a exceptional curling strike. He twice tested Liverpool keeper Alisson with stinging shots and likewise had a stoppage-time effort eliminated for offside.
Salah almost scored a sixth for Liverpool in the 83rd minute. Once again he ran half the distance of the pitch after an Atalanta corner was cleared, but this time around his shot was steered out for a corner by Sportiello.
The victory puts Liverpool top of the group with nine points after three games, having conceded no goals. Ajax Amsterdam are second on four points and before Atalanta on goal difference after a 2-1 win away to Danish side FC Midtjylland.
