Liverpool’s hopes of a memorable return to Istanbul for another Champions League final are in tatters after a 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid. The result meant the Reds have lost three of their last eight games in all competitions by at least three goals, when it had only occurred that many times in the 149 matches prior to that.
Similarly, the humbling by the defending champions was only the 12th occasion where Klopp’s Liverpool have conceded at least four goals. Such games are inevitably (and unfortunately) memorable, though there have often been explanatory factors in the past.
Maybe it was Sadio Mane getting sent off in the first half at Manchester City which had an impact, or the combination of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson having to play in central defence against the same opposition in 2021. For one of the games, Klopp and his first team were in Qatar while the youngest ever Liverpool side were taken apart by a strong Aston Villa team in a cup match.
