Liverpool 2 Real Madrid 5: Embarrassed Reds blow two-goal lead to slump to worst European loss in Anfield thriller
AS a night of history and comedy turned to humiliation and horror, Jurgen Klopp was left to survey the wreckage of his Anfield empire.
This was the night when Liverpool had hoped to salvage glory from a miserable season by exacting revenge on Real Madrid – and when the Reds roared into an early-two goal lead that mission looked very much on.
What followed had the air of feverish nightmare for Klopp’s men as Carlo Ancelotti’s champions rattled in five unanswered goals to condemn Liverpool to their heaviest European defeat on home soil and virtually kill off this last-16 tie.
It was Liverpool’s final chance for silverware this season but that ambition has surely been snuffed out before the return leg in the Bernabeu on March 15.
Mo Salah had created history by becoming the club’s greatest European goalscorer, following an early Darwin Nunez opener.
But Alisson provided the comedy by gifting Vinicius Jr his equalising second goal before half-time.
And then the horror and humiliation of a second-half capitulation as Eder Militao headed Real in front and Karim Benzema netted a double in what was a personal nightmare for hapless defender Joe Gomez.
We have grown used to extreme levels of lunacy in the Champions League knock-out stages in recent years.
But never has the sharp end of the club football’s elite competition been as utterly potty as this.
It was football from the cuckoo’s nest, a royal variety show played out between two of European football’s aristocratic clubs in which Alisson and Gomez were the fall guys.
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It was so dramatic that at one point, Ancelotti – the most successful boss of all time in the European Cup and the coolest dude in any building – almost raised his famous eyebrow an inch or two higher than usual.
Some local scallies had let off fireworks outside Madrid’s team hotel in the early hours, in an attempt to rob the champions of some sleep – but that was nothing compared to the footballing pyrotechnics ignited by the Spanish side.
There were goals of extreme quality and low farce, the tempo was relentless and the drama unceasing.
Real had already ended Liverpool’s hopes of lifting the European Cup three times during Klopp’s reign – and this will surely be the fourth.
While last year’s final in Paris was overshadowed by the chaos at the Stade de France caused by Uefa’s dangerous incompetence, Liverpool might have won it and Thibaut Courtois was the undoubted man of the match.
When the draw for the last 16 was made, few would have fancied the Reds but back-to-back victories over Everton and Newcastle had restored some of their old conviction.
Liverpool supporters howled in derision at the Champions League anthem, in protest at those events in Paris – and inside four minutes their team was in front.
Nunez, passed fit to start after injuring a shoulder on Tyneside on Saturday, met a low angled centre from Mo Salah with a balletic back-heel, a finish drenched in sauce.
There was a warning for Liverpool when a dozy Gomez gifted possession to Rodrygo but he was spared by his central defensive partner Virgil van Dijk, who blocked the shot.
Yet Liverpool were straight back at the champions, Cody Gakpo out-muscling his marker and slipping a pass to Salah, who swivelled his hips, shimmied past two defenders but shot wide.
Then came the moment which was horrific for Courtois and historic for Salah.
A Dani Carvajal back-pass was chested down by the Belgian but the ball bounced off his knee and he slipped to allow Salah a tap-in to go past Steven Gerrard’s mark of 41 European goals for Liverpool.
But when Real play in Europe, they never know when they are beaten.
And that famous never-say-die spirit, which took them past each of the top three teams in the Premier League last season, emerged again.
Vinicius kippered Jordan Henderson, exchanged passes with Benzema, turned and curled a sweet strike inside the far post.
After three goals in 21 minutes, there was little let-up.
Militao hacked off the line as Salah and Nunez attempted to scramble across the line in a traditional Pancake Day bundle.
After David Alaba limped off, a Vinicius shot was brilliantly turned away by a fully-stretched Alisson and then Federico Valverde spooned over after a Henderson mishap.
And then it was Alisson’s turn to balls it up.
Gomez beat Vincius to a Valverde through-ball but Liverpool’s Brazilian keeper botched his clearance, hitting it straight at Vinicius, the ball cannoning back into the goal even though the winger had his back turned.
Before half-time, Andy Robertson slid in with an outstanding tackle to prevent Rodrygo applying a killer touch to a Vinicius cross.
After so much bedlam, surely a quieter start to the second half? Nope.
Gomez gave away a needless free-kick, Luka Modric delivered it from a narrow position near the byline and Militao was waved through for a free header which he stooped to net.
Liverpool demanded a penalty when Carvajal appeared to push over Nunez but the officials were unmoved.
Gomez had been audibly told to ‘f***ing wake up’ by a team-mate on the TV coverage but he must have cocked a deaf ‘un because when Benzema shot, Gomez turned his back and deflected the Ballon d’Or winner’s shot beyond a helpless Alisson.
The fifth arrived when Benzema’s turn took out both Gomez and Alisson before the Frenchman found the net.
Klopp and the Kop were shellshocked. Liverpool had been obliterated.