Marcos Llorente breaks Anfield record with fifth Champions League goal against Liverpool

Marcos Llorente continued his remarkable scoring record at Anfield by finding the net for a fifth time against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, putting Atletico de Madrid ahead after 16 minutes on Wednesday.

The Atletico right-back produced a superb finish after receiving a pass from Julian Alvarez to open the scoring. It was his fifth goal against Liverpool at their home stadium in just three Champions League appearances.

Llorente first scored twice at Anfield in the last-16 tie during the 2019-20 season. He then added another brace in the group stage last season before striking again in Wednesday’s match.

The latest goal strengthened Llorente’s unusual connection with Liverpool and moved him clear as the leading visiting scorer at Anfield in the Champions League era.

According to football statistics account Mister Chip, Llorente has now scored more Champions League goals at Anfield than any other visiting player. He overtook Karim Benzema, who scored four times at the stadium for Real Madrid.

Players with three goals include Ousmane Dembele, while Driouech, Vinicius and Ivanovic were listed among those with two.

Llorente’s five goals at Anfield also place him level with the combined total recorded by Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and PSV Eindhoven at the stadium in the competition.

Only Real Madrid have scored more Champions League goals at Anfield than Llorente has managed individually. The Spanish club have scored eight times there, compared with the Atletico player’s total of five.

The landmark also accounts for half of Llorente’s Champions League goals for Atletico de Madrid. He has scored 10 times in the competition for the club, with five of those goals coming against Liverpool at Anfield.

Remarkably, Llorente has scored more Champions League goals at Liverpool’s ground than he has at Atletico’s home stadium in Madrid. His tally in the competition at home for Atletico stands at three.

His latest strike therefore added to a record that has become one of the most distinctive individual scoring trends in the recent history of the Champions League. While Llorente is primarily deployed as a right-back, Anfield has proved an especially productive venue for him in Europe, with every one of his five goals against Liverpool arriving at the same stadium.

The goal also gave Atletico the early advantage in Wednesday’s match, with Llorente once again central to the Spanish side’s attacking threat against Liverpool.