A winning start with something more to it

There are nights when you take the result and move on, and there are nights when you come away feeling like you've actually seen something. Liverpool's Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, it seems, falls firmly into the second category. A 2-1 win is a tidy way to begin any European campaign, but the chatter coming out of Anfield suggests the manner of this victory is worth sitting with for a moment.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister were the men who made the difference, both getting on the scoresheet to send Liverpool's European adventure off to a confident start. For Szoboszlai in particular, finding the net in a match of this scale will do nothing but good for the confidence. This was the kind of result that sets a tone.

Iraola begins his European journey with a loss

Spare a thought, briefly, for Andon Iraola, who suffered defeat on his managerial debut in the Champions League. Coming up against Liverpool on a big European night at Anfield is about as tough a baptism as you could ask for, and he'll know better than anyone that his side couldn't quite live with the Reds on the night.

That said, the significance of this result is very much seen through a red lens. Atletico are no soft touch, and taking three points off them whilst also putting in a performance worth talking about is the kind of thing that makes the rest of European football sit up and pay attention.

Why this felt like more than just three points

The post-match reaction from those who were there points to something beyond a routine opening-night win. The word is that the performance itself carried real weight, the sort that makes you think this Liverpool side could genuinely go deep in this competition if they carry it forward.

It is still early, of course, and one match does not make a campaign. But there is something to be said for starting with conviction rather than simply grinding out a result. Liverpool did both, and that combination is what has people talking. The Champions League is a long road, but right now, the Reds look very much pointed in the right direction.