Steven Gerrard admits Liverpool have a lot to “find themselves” and has asked Jürgen Klopp to launch a legal inquiry after suffering one of the most cathartic defeats in years at the hands of Real Madrid.
The Reds will be out of the Champions League in the round of 16 unless they secure a miraculous win at the Santiago Bernabeu after being beaten 5-2 at Anfield on Tuesday night. The hosts were 2-0 up after 14 minutes, but Los Blancos showed all their experience and European heritage to bounce back, scoring five unanswered goals.
Liverpool entered the game after back-to-back Premier League victories over Everton and Newcastle, so their early flurry against Real Madrid seemed to confirm they were moving on from a poor season. But they were brought back to clay with a thud when their defensive problems were brutally exposed by the reigning European champions in what Gerrard described as a “reality test” for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Speaking to the BT Sport studio, the Anfield legend said: “[Liverpool] are off to a perfect start, just what you need on a European night – start fast, get to the top, build on it. They went up by two nil, but from then on Real Madrid came back, scored quite quickly – fantastic goal.
“From then on, Liverpool were dominated and outclassed for long periods. Look, I think every team, every club, when you’ve conceded five goals, there needs to be an investigation into why and how. I’m sure Jurgen will do.” at dawn. I think everyone will be a little raw in the face of this loss.
“Liverpool don’t concede five goals here at Anfield and when they do it’s very rare. There will be a bit of soul-searching, a bit of looking in the mirror, of course there are always plenty of goals when you concede that. It wasn’t good enough.”
Gerrard had no qualms about admitting that Liverpool had been largely outplayed by the same team that had beaten them in two Champions League finals in the past five years. Once again it was the seasoned veterans of Carlo Ancelotti’s side who shone brightest, with Benzema commanding and Luka Modric dominating the midfield.
“Sometimes in football you have to put your hands up and say the best team won,” added Gerrard. “Liverpool were outclassed, Liverpool were dominated. They [Real Madrid] were better in most areas of the pitch, you should say.
“They’ve gotten off to a slow start, but the experience, the reaction has been absolutely top-notch. And we’re seeing absolute greatness here in Modric and Benzema; you’re talking about players who operate at a different level than most.”
