The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Classy Madrid give
Liverpool Real Madrid 0 3
REAL MADRID showed exactly why they are European champions and how far Liverpool have fallen down the pecking order with a 3-0 victory in a display which oozed class at Anfield last night.
Karim Benzema scored twice after Cristiano Ronaldo broke his six-match duck at the ground with a superb opener to edge within one of club icon Raul’s all-time Champions League goalscoring record.
Real’s first win — in fact first goals — in four meetings against the Reds came all too easily as they highlighted the gulf in class.
The Spanish side last visited Merseyside in 2009, at a time when Liverpool could conceivably argue they were still contenders for Europe’s top honours.
Now they are feeling their way back into the competition and it is tough going.
On that March evening five years ago Madrid were torn apart 4-0 by — in Steven Gerrard’s words — a “world-class” Fernando Torres.
There was noone approaching the stature of him — or the recently departed Luis Suarez — among the home side’s ranks and the game-plan appeared to involve just giving the ball to Raheem Sterling.
That was asking a lot of the 19-year-old, even for someone with his precocious talent.
It had all looked so good for 23 minutes as Liverpool evoked memories of famous Anfield nights of the past, boosted by the fervour rolling down off the Kop.
Sterling’s pace caused Real’s defence some problems and former Reds defender Alvaro Arbeloa got away with a trip on the youngster as he raced on to Jordan Henderson’s ball over the top.
Gerrard troubled Iker Casillas with a low, dipping shot which was parried by the goalkeeper, who then got in a flap trying to deal with the Reds captain’s corner.
JoeAllen clipping a shot wide and Philippe Coutinho firing against the post late in the half was as close as Liverpool came, as Real, having absorbed the early pressure, switched up gear in an instant.
Ronaldo, whose previous involvement