Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League this week by Real Madrid so the Merseyside outfit have to finish in the top-four of the Premier League this season if they wish to remain amongst the European elites.
The Reds went into this second leg with a two-goal deficit from the match in Spain but thanks to that away goal, Jurgen Klopp’s side very much remained in the tie. And since this second leg was being played at Anfield, everyone was certain Liverpool will turn up the heat.
But despite having so much firepower against a depleted Real Madrid defence, Liverpool could only manage four shots on target and in the end, Courtois had a fairly easy outing.
The Liverpool forwards did get a couple of great chances to take the lead on the night but they failed to convert them, thereby capping another disappointing performance at home. But, it looks like Jurgen Klopp seems to be very happy with his side’s display, barring the missed chances, of course.
The manager said after the match: “We started the game extremely well and could have obviously scored there early, but we didn’t. So, we were good in the game, we played much better. We didn’t lose the tie tonight, we lost the game obviously in Madrid, that’s clear, with the performance we put out there, which was not good enough. Today it was good enough to go 1-0 up for sure and then it would’ve been a different game.
“It was uncomfortable for Madrid, we were good, we were aggressive, we played some really good stuff, had massive chances in the beginning of the game.
“If we take one of them, it opens up. They had already struggles, it would have increased that. But if and when isn’t interesting because we didn’t score and then with the experience of Real Madrid they slowed it down.
“We’ve had ridiculous games here where we should have won, not tonight, but in the Premier League, where we just didn’t finish. Many times Mo Salah would finish this type of thing. We had so many situations and we could have created more because the football we played was better.”
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“So, with the experience of Real Madrid and the situation like you have to chase a game, that you have to score and stuff like this, it got more and more difficult obviously. So they controlled the game from a specific moment on, had then their counter-attacking chances themselves. But obviously what we saw tonight, with two good performances we would’ve had a better chance to go through. One good performance without scoring then anyway was not enough.”
Klopp very much understands why Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League and no matter how bold he is infront of the press, the German will be absolutely livid with forwards like Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.
Real Madrid were without key defenders such as Sergio Ramos and Varane, making this the golden opportunity for the English side to stage a comeback. But, in the end, Zidane’s men managed to put on a top-class defensive display at Anfield.
This exit now means Liverpool have to put all their focus on finishing in the top-four of the Premier League which is easier said than done since they will have to fend off a series of clubs to be able to grab that one final Champions League spot on the table.
