‘Pool of tears..
BUT SUPER CITY CELEBRATE CHAMPS LEAGUE COMEBACK:
JURGEN KLOPP has seven games to save Liverpool’s season after they came up short of a Champions League miracle at empty Anfield.
As the Reds’ last hope of a trophy disappeared, Klopp was left with a three-point gap to bridge if they are to rescue a topfour finish in the Premier League.
They played with spirit but needing to overturn a twogoal deficit from the first leg, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino managed to spurn good opportunities and Real Madrid’s former Chelsea goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, will now return to Stamford Bridge to face his old club in the semi-finals.
IT was as though Jurgen Klopp foretold this disaster, his fears about Liverpool’s lack of a killer instinct realised as they crashed out of the Champions League.
He had said only last weekend that the Reds needed 10 chances to score a single goal, perhaps issuing a premonition of his team’s struggles against the experience of Real Madrid.
They had chances to progress to the semi-final – many, many chances, and surely should have finished two of them to deliver the victory required to overturn the 3-1 first-leg deficit. But they were undone by some panicked finishing, and an obvious lack of belief in front of goal.
Surely now the focus must turn to their attacking players where, for so much of this demented Liverpool season, it has been on a feeble defence.
They were fine here at Anfield, but the forwards were not. It was that simple, so many chances spurned, when victory was within their grasp.
The first came as early as the second minute as the home side started on fire. It was a sweeping move, Andy Robertson finding Sadio Mane, who did well to feed Mo Salah, but his first-time shot was too close to Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois. He should have done
better. It was a moment which seemed pivotal in the tie, a chance to remind Madrid of the quality of the Premier League champions... and also that famous night two years ago here, when Barcelona unravelled, and have never been the same side since.
Worse followed though, Mane again suggesting he is finally returning to form after a long, baffling barren spell, where he had scored just three goals in almost four months.
His cross flashed beyond Courtois to the far post, but Roberto Firmino didn’t react quickly enough, and was inches away from converting.
The Belgium keeper was called into action again soon
when Liverpool broke with real pace and intent, allowing James Milner a delicious curling shot, that was tipped away from the top corner brilliantly. The worst miss of a dominant first half for the hosts came just before the interval, when Gini Wijnaldum was fed by Trent Alexanderafter,
Arnold and was unmarked just 12 yards out. But he blazed over, perhaps dazzled as his eyes lit up.
Madrid seemed content to ride their luck and with it a passage into the semi-final.
But Karim Benzema did produce one warning for the Reds midway through the first half, when he turned sharply and saw his shot deflected off Ozan Kabak onto the post.
It was a dangerous game because this performance was more like the old Liverpool, with an urgency that has been lacking far too often this term.
Within the space of three minutes after the restart, the Reds again produced the chances which would have put
them ahead in the tie, if there was any hint of the killer instinct of the past few years.
First, Firmino found himself in front of goal, but produced a tame shot straight at Courtois.
And then he headed wide after another cross from the excellent Alexander-arnold. A third effort soon after from the Brazilian flashed over the bar.
From there, Madrid were cold, calculating, seeing the game out with a mixture of cynicism and nerve, the frozen white iceberg that lay in wait for Klopp’s side sinking Liverpool’s European hopes.
It was perhaps fitting, given it was on this very day the Titanic listed and sank, back in 1912.