Jurgen Klopp saluted Real Madrid for the respect shown to Liverpool at full-time of their Champions League tie when they played You'll Never Walk Alone as a thank-you for the wreath laid to honour a former club president at Anfield last month.
Liverpool put down a floral tribute to honorary Los Blancos president Amancio Amaro who died at the age of 83 on the same day of the first-leg meeting on February 21.
In a show of appreciation for that gesture, Madrid played the famous Reds' anthem at full time after they had secured their passage into the last eight of the Champions League with a 1-0 win that saw them advance 6-2 on aggregate on Wednesday night.
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"It was a really nice gesture," Klopp said. "We are two heavyweights who meet each other quite frequently in international competition and it’s clear we respect each other a lot and however we did something like that, it was a really nice gesture I have to say.
“I was not angry after the game, I was disappointed. I would be angry if we would have played better and it was close and they won because of a penalty which isn’t a penalty or things like that, but in the end that all didn’t happen. Real Madrid was just the better side. I’m long enough in the business to respect that."
Klopp added: “With the experience they have, with the confidence they have they are one of the favourites. But whoever wants to win the competition has to beat Real Madrid, Man City or Napoli, who are a really good football team.
"Bayern Munich are there as well, and there are now only really strong football teams involved. Madrid with their history is a team who for sure can win it."
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