It was all going so well - then more torture for Klopp

Vulnerable Liverpool looked overawed in an epic collapse that has left their season on the brink.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker reacts as Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, right, scores in their Champions League game. Picture: AFP

At the time it felt almost incidental. When Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah combined with a slick move that carried Liverpool the length of the pitch in the blink of an eye, it did not seem to matter that the effort from the Egypt forward from close range struck the side-netting of Thibaut Courtois’ goal.

Jurgen Klopp applauded the intent his team, already 1-0 up, had displayed in the early frenzy that unfolded here. In any case, Salah soon scored the goal that put him clear of Steven Gerrard as the club’s all-time leading European goalscorer.

Barely 20 minutes later and that miss had proved pivotal.

In many ways, the story of Liverpool’s desperate season has been as much about the failure to make the most of opportunities as the malaise which has, at times, afflicted their midfield. The vulnerabilities that have regularly appeared in their defence resurfaced in Wednesday’s loss to Real Madrid.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Picture: AFP

If watching a rerun of May’s Champions League final with Madrid and the 1-0 scoreline in the Spaniards’ favour at the end proved “torture” for the Liverpool manager, then the analysis of this match will leave him utterly tormented.

From 2-0 up, and Anfield at its finest, to 5-2 after 67 minutes. Much of this was an entirely self-inflicted capitulation, and the first time they had ever conceded this many goals in a European tie in front of their own, shell-shocked supporters.

The Marca headline from 2009 that blew up in the face of Real back then feels right today: Esto Es Anfield – y Que? – This is Anfield – So What?

What would have been especially troublesome for Klopp is that he had warned his players on the eve of the game how the tie might play out.

Even when things do not go the way of Real – and they had gone considerably awry in that early spell when a deafening din rolled down from the stands and the intensity of the hosts was palpable – he had warned they would not panic. That they would wait for the chance to strike back. The ruthlessness Liverpool missed was evident elsewhere.

From a position of ascendancy, it was Liverpool who were suddenly wracked with anxiety. Joe Gomez could not prevent Vinicius Junior, 22, from dispatching a sensational finish.

An unravelling followed. Mistakes, slack marking – at times, no marking – but also exceptional approach play from the Spaniards. They have left Liverpool’s season on the brink.

The trip to the Bernabeu on March 15 will surely offer no shot at redemption even for this club. Klopp will be mindful of the repercussions of such a chastening loss seeping into their attempts to qualify for this competition via a top-four spot in the league.

Back-to-back wins over Everton and Newcastle United had, in effect, brought false hope. The notion Liverpool had turned a corner was brutally exposed here. The loss brings the rebuild that will take place this summer into even sharper focus.

Klopp should add a centre back to his list of requirements, though it remains in midfield where reinforcements are most pressing. Stefan Bajcetic, the 18-year-old who was born after Luka Modric had made his professional debut, will have found the match a harsh lesson.

The Times