“In the 60 minutes he played he seemed to be quite fit to me. It wasn't as if after 10 minutes he was already very tired. He could play at this level quite well after one or two weeks of team sessions.

"So that was the thing and he can play football and that he's a joy to watch and that is not a surprise to me. He was fitter than I expected but the fans can't get their hopes too high. We play three times a week and that's a bit too much for him still.

"We have two great number nines and we're going to use both of them throughout their career here."

Liverpool rallied, as they have before. Ridiculously, Van Dijk’s goal was only their third latest this season – Salah at Burnley and Ngumoha struck even deeper into matches. Another late, late show. And Isak, watching on from the bench by then, must be wondering what, exactly, he has joined.

Atletico Madrid found a talisman in Marcos Llorente. The midfielder has only scored seven Champions League goals, but four have come at Anfield.

He halved the deficit when he poked in a shot after a pass from Giacomo Raspadori. Alisson was aggrieved that the offside Antoine Griezmann was in his line of vision.

Llorente levelled with a sweetly-struck volley that nevertheless took a sizeable deflection off Alexis Mac Allister. Given the unwitting role Robertson played in the opener, Liverpool could scarcely complain.

Liverpool’s second was altogether more intentional and typical, the type of one-two Mohamed Salah often plays as he cuts infield. Ryan Gravenberch, who had won the free kick for the opener, returned the ball to him. Salah angled a shot past Oblak.

Salah was electric, close to a spectacular second with a curling shot, denied by the post when he should have extended Liverpool’s lead.

There are days when he seems impossible to contain. This was the first such occasion in the current campaign.

"I was just trying to get in the line of the keeper, so he couldn't see,” Robertson said. “It's a great finish, give me the Puskas award now! But no, honestly I didn't know anything about it. It was a great start and thank goodness it went in.”

Isak played 58 minutes before he was replaced by Hugo Ekitike and showed some bright moments.

“He did really well, held the ball up and linked play really well,” Van Dijk said. “He’s a very good player and we know there’s more to come from him.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot said his team could have made it easier for themselves in beating Atletico Madrid but praised his side’s mentality in finding another late goal in their Champions League opener.

“If you want to beat a team like Atletico that has a great mentality you have to beat them using their weapons as well, and that is mentality. That’s what we showed today. But I think we should have made it easier for ourselves,” Slot said.

“In moments, we gave away something. It wasn’t a complete surprise to me that it was 2-1 at half time, because they were coming more. We need to find a better balance to not give away too much at the end of the first half.”

Liverpool’s run of late wins isn’t good for their supporters’ health, Andy Robertson joked, including that of Arne Slot’s assistant Sipke Hulshoff.

"We need to get back to winning a bit simpler and easier,” Robertson told TNT Sports. “The assistant manager turned to me when Virgil put it in and said he's getting too old for it, so I can't imagine what the fans are like.

“It's a great thing to have, being able to keep going until the end. When you're 2-0 up and playing so well in the first half it should've been a more comfortable night."

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has said he was “insulted” by a Liverpool supporter at Anfield, leading to his altercation at the end of his team’s defeat to the Reds.

Simeone was seen arguing with fans behind his dugout after Virgil van Dijk’s late winner and the fiery Argentine was pulled away as stewards stepped in.

“We are in a place where we don’t have a right to reply or react and it is never good when we react as managers,” Simeone said.

“When they scored the third goal, he turned round and insulted me. I am a person, I am human.”

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone had to be held back by stewards as he engaged in screaming match with a fan moments after Liverpool’s late winner in the Champions League.

Simeone was shown a red card for his reaction, with the TV cameras picking up a Liverpool supporter cheering in the Argentinian’s face as he was squared up to.

The altercation occurred in the midst of wild celebrations over yet another last-gasp goal from Arne Slot’s side, with captain Virgil van Dijk heading past Jan Oblak in the 92nd minute.