Jurgen Klopp explains why he's not 'concerned' by Mohamed Salah's finishing despite Liverpool star struggling in front of goal again in Europa League exit to Atalanta

Salah found the net against Atalanta from the spot at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on Thursday evening but could not inspire Liverpool to a comeback by overturning a 3-0 deficit from the first leg. He was instead caught guilty of squandering chances and had to be subsequently taken off in the second half despite his team trailing by two aggregate goals.

However, Klopp downplayed Salah's ineffectiveness in front of the goal. Instead, he insisted that missing chances is part and parcel of the sport and is not a cause for alarm.

“I’m not particularly concerned,” said Klopp. “That’s what strikers do. That’s how it is. We have to go through it, he has to go through it. He is one of the most experienced players in the squad. That’s pretty much all.

"It’s not that Mo didn’t miss chances before in his life, that’s part of the game. The penalty was super convincing, a super penalty then the next chance that was unlucky, but it’s not the first time has has missed chances like that. I won’t make a big story of it. I’m not particularly concerned.”

However, Klopp did focus on the broader shortcomings, particularly in creating scoring opportunities, against well-drilled defences like Atalanta.

"We didn't have enough chances," he said. "We have to create a little bit more than we did in the first half already as it's clear you need a result to help destabilise the opponent and if you have a second goal it's a tricky one as the next goal is extra time but we didn't get to that point and we will never really know how that would have looked. If you don't deserve it, it's all good."

Liverpool's Europa League exit comes as a blow to the players, who had hoped to bid farewell to the legendary manager with another European trophy. With their European aspirations dashed, Liverpool's focus now shifts entirely to the Premier League title race, where they trail behind Manchester City by two points and are level with Arsenal. They will next take the pitch against Fulham on Sunday at Craven Cottage.