Thibaut Courtois paid tribute to Liverpool supporters after Real Madrid’s stunning 5-2 Champions League win at Anfield.
The home side raced into a two-goal lead, thanks in large part to Courtois’ error. The Belgian stumbled on the ball and allowed Mohamed Salah to tap in following Darwin Nunez’s early goal before the Spanish champions launched a famous comeback.
Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr both scored braces, while defender Eder Militao also got in on the act as Real scored five without reply to take a commanding lead into the second leg later this month.
Courtois’ mistake was a far cry from his last performance against Liverpool, in which he helped the Madrid giants claim a 14th Champions League title with an outstanding display in Paris.
After the final, he called on English fans to show him more respect, describing himself as the “difference” between the two teams.
Of Tuesday night’s meeting, Courtois said: “We’re never beaten, we always react. Those two quick goals did help us to do that. We were calm, mentally, and when we are on the rise we play well.
“It’s my first time playing Champions League football at Anfield when fans are in the stadium and the fact that there was applause from Liverpool supporters for Luka and Karim just proves that people here know how to appreciate guys who are great players.”
