Different manner, same result, and enough to at least leave Jurgen Klopp wondering what is going on here. Real Madrid have ended Liverpool’s chances of winning the Champions League for the third successive season. On this occasion, though, the wonder wasn’t how you beat them but how you even score against them. Liverpool couldn’t get anywhere close to a comeback because they so struggled to get forward, leaving Karim Benzema to pick them off for a 1-0 that made it 6-2 on aggregate.
A large part of that was admittedly down to an injury crisis in midfield, which made it a bad – or perhaps inevitable – night for Madrid to show how imperious they are in that area. Far from this being a team that could be ageing, in transition or just vulnerable, the European champions look a more complete team than last season. A lot of that might have to do with the fact they can call themselves European champions. It is as if it has given young stars like Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga the conviction to go to another level, while Luka Modric and Benzema stay at the standard of last season.
