Andy Robertson Accuses Atlético Madrid of Over-Celebrating After Narrow Champions League Win

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has aimed a dig at Atlético Madrid following the Reds' 1-0 loss in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, claiming that they were celebrating the victory as though they had won the whole tie.

The current European champions face the prospect of being knocked out before the quarter-finals after a fourth-minute Saul Niguez goal proved to be the difference between the two sides at Wanda Metropolitano. 

However, Robertson was far from impressed with the way their opponents celebrated the win, with Diego Simeone also proving to be typically spirited throughout the game.

The 25-year-old spoke to BT Sport after the game, and said (via ​The Metro): "Look that’s what he is you know. When you’re not playing against them it’s probably great to watch. He’s full of enthusiasm, I think he was like that as a player.

"We’ve got no problem with that, but you know like you said they’ve celebrated as if they’ve won the tie after the game. So let’s see. We’ve got a couple of weeks, we’ve got Premier League business to take care of, then they’re coming back to Anfield.

"We know our fans will be there, we know we’ll be there. So it’s up to them to come as well."

Virgil van Dijk was also asked about Atlético's play-acting and antics, and was clearly not impressed. He said: "Yeah but that’s the way they play, that’s a bit of the Spanish football as well.

"So you have to adapt, but we knew that, but I think we handled it pretty well. Sometimes it’s not easy but it’s part of their game and we needed to adapt."

Despite the defeat, ​Liverpool will believe that they are capable of knocking out ​Atlético  at home and producing yet another special European night at Anfield. 

They will also be buoyed by the fact that the last time they played a Spanish side in Europe they also managed to overturn a first leg deficit after famously losing 3-0 away at Barcelona last season in the semi-final.