Lisandro Martinez is relishing the pressure of his position at Manchester United, with the Argentina international keen to meet the club's "demands" for success.

The centre-back was one of Erik ten Hag's flagship recruits ahead of the 2022-23 season, following the Dutchman from Ajax to Old Trafford.

Since then, Martinez has tasted silverware with both club and country, helping United to the EFL Cup and Argentina to World Cup glory.

That pressure to continue to deliver this season does not faze him however, with the defender delighted to be ensuring he meets expectations.

"I feel [like I have been] at home since the first day here," he told the club's website.

"When I [first] put my foot in Carrington, I remember it was an amazing feeling.

"In a quick time, we [have got] the first trophy. We have to work for everything, we have to believe.

"This club demands to win every game, every title. We are happy to take that responsibility."

Though an outside chance of Premier League success looks to have faded now, United remain in serious contention for both the FA Cup and Europa League this term.

Martinez will be expected to feature on Thursday when Ten Hag's side play the second leg of their last-16 tie with Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Despite holding a 4-1 lead from the first leg, he is under no illusion that their hosts are more than capable of a dramatic comeback, and insists United must be at their best to progress.

"[In] the game, we start [at] 0-0," he added. "We have to be ready. We need full focus because it's going to be a hard game for us.

"If you are not focused, you can lose this game. The first leg was a great result for us, but it doesn't say anything. In football everything can happen, so we have to be ready."

Luciano Spalletti has pushed back on Pep Guardiola's claim Napoli are the best team in Europe right now, claiming the comments are "a game to build us up, so they can knock us down".

The Partenopei booked their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the last-16 second leg.

With an 18-point lead at the summit of Serie A to boot, Spalletti's side seem primed for silverware regardless, and City boss Guardiola suggested they are the team to beat.

Spalletti, however, feels the Catalan coach is only saying as much in order to take the advantage in the mental tussle ahead of Friday's last-eight draw, with both teams in the mix to meet.

"I don't feel proud, I don't feel anything," he told Amazon Prime Italia. "I know this game that everyone does to put pressure on the others.

"Are we putting Napoli in front of Manchester City? If they can spend €900m compared to our €9m, there must be a reason. It's a game to build us up, so they can knock us down."

City booked their place in the quarter-finals with a ruthless result of their own, notching a 7-0 second leg victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Napoli meanwhile join rivals Milan and Inter in the last-eight, marking the first time three Italian teams have reached the stage since the 2005-06 campaign.

Spalletti urged supporters to enjoy the moment, but insisted his team cannot get carried away as they look to make further history in Europe this season.

"It is a great result, [and] we are going to enjoy it along with all our fans," he added. "Now it becomes fundamental that we maintain the same attitude.

"If Napoli in the entire history of this club had not reached the quarter-finals before, that means this is a great result."

Virgil van Dijk conceded the "damage was done in Liverpool" as the Reds' exit from the Champions League was confirmed in a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Despite racing into a two-goal lead in the first leg at Anfield last month, Jurgen Klopp's men succumbed to a 5-2 reverse in a tie that represented a repeat of last season's final, which Madrid won 1-0 in Paris.

Liverpool had their moments at the Santiago Bernabeu but were unable to find a breakthrough and also had goalkeeper Alisson to thank for giving them a fighting chance.

But ultimately, Madrid star Karim Benzema's 78th-minute goal earned Carlo Ancelotti's side a 1-0 win on the night and a 6-2 aggregate success.

Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Liverpool centre-back Van Dijk said: "I think if I'm honest the first half was quite even. 

"It's always going to be a very difficult task to come here and turn it all around. But you try not to look ahead, you try to win obviously.

"In my time at Liverpool with the games we've played against Real Madrid, I've never won against them, so it's always something that we wanted to do, we wanted to win.

"I think we created some dangerous moments in the first half. They had a couple of shots from distance as well and obviously with the quality they have on the break, especially Benzema dropping in, Vinicius with the speed and obviously his quality. It could always be dangerous on the break. 

"It was tough but I think the damage was done in Liverpool and that's the most disappointing thing."

Van Dijk acknowledged Madrid's coolness in the big moments was a decisive factor.

"I think you play against a team who never get fazed a little bit," he added. "Even when you put them under pressure, even if [they] have difficult moments, they try to stay calm and obviously they have the players, if you look at [Luka] Modric, Benzema they're difference-makers and especially when they're under pressure.

"But still, I think in the first half we could have scored and it could be a totally different game. But today was definitely all about the small margins, and [in the] second half you try your absolute best and you just come too short."

There is uncertainty at Paris Saint-Germain due to fears over further financial fair play sanctions, leading to speculation of numerous players being sold or offloaded.

L'Equipe claimed earlier this week that PSG had put on hold contract negotiations with Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi.

Messi is contracted with PSG until the end of this season, although he reportedly had come to a verbal agreement with the club in December.

Back in September, the Ligue 1 leaders were hit with a €10million fine for FFP violations after the 2020-21 season with a further €45m suspended for any future infringements.

TOP STORY – MESSI'S OFFER TO ECLIPSE RONALDO'S RECORD

Marca reports Lionel Messi is set to receive a world-record €220million (£193m) per year offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club.

Messi's contemporary rival Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in January in a deal worth €200m, the highest football salary in history.

The Mirror claims the unnamed club is Al Hilal. The Argentinian has constantly been linked with the MLS too.

ROUND-UP

–  Barcelona head coach Xavi has been in touch with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan about a move, with his contract running out at the end of this season, claims AS.

– Calciomercato claims Marco Verratti is weighing up a move away from Paris Saint-Germain following recent criticism. Verratti penned a contract extension until 2026 recently.

– Manchester United are pondering tabling a £105m offer for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani, per Sport Bild.

– Mundo Deportivo claims Manchester United are interested in Barcelona's Franck Kessie as a midfield partner for Casemiro, while Tottenham and Chelsea are also circling for him.

– Arsenal are interested in Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard who may be available for a cut price with his current deal due to expire in 2024, reports Fichajes.

– Paul Pogba is eager to remain at Juventus despite battling injuries throughout this season, claims 90min.

Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa remain in contention to play in Juventus' Europa League last-16 second leg against SC Freiburg despite injury worries.

Di Maria appeared hampered by a left thigh injury late in the 1-0 first-leg win last Thursday, where he earlier netted the winner, and subsequently missed Juventus' 4-2 Serie A win over Sampdoria on Sunday.

Chiesa came on in the 67th minute against Freiburg but sustained a right knee injury, although the club confirmed it was not ligament capsule damage.

Bianconeri head coach Massimiliano Allegri hopeful that the pair would play some part in the second leg, although he conceded they would not be fit to start.

"It is very unlikely they will be there from the start, as we only recovered them this morning, but they could be of use during the match," Allegri told reporters.

"I will evaluate Chiesa and Di Maria tomorrow morning and from there I can make my decision on the starting line-up.

"Unfortunately, Di Maria had this injury after the first leg with Freiburg and had to miss quite a few training sessions.

"The test went well today, that doesn’t mean he has a lot of minutes in his legs, but there is the risk we could lose him for 40 days, seeing as that is what happened in September.

"Tomorrow is important, but we also have many more matches to play this season."

Di Maria has scored eight goals in all competitions with four Serie Aa assists this term, while Chiesa has contributed three league assists with one goal.

Allegri declared striker Dusan Vlahovic was fully fit and available to play although he declined to commit to starting him alongside Moise Kean.

Vlahovic has not scored in his past six appearances dating back to his goal against Nantes in the Europa League on February 16.

"Dusan Vlahovic was very sad that he hasn't scored recently, but is fine physically. I am relaxed and certain that he’ll soon be back on the scoresheet," Allegri added.

"We want to score here, because just trying to defend for 0-0 is really not a good idea. Freiburg are good on set plays, we need to be very organised and concentrated for the full 100 minutes."

Trent Alexander-Arnold's poor form "can't continue" for Liverpool as Jamie Carragher called on his former club to sign another right-back.

Alexander-Arnold endured another difficult night up against Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior as Liverpool bowed out of the Champions League with a 1-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Such performances have been the norm for Alexander-Arnold this season, though – often against opponents of far more modest talent.

Having established himself as one of the best full-backs in world football in previous campaigns, there is concern now around Alexander-Arnold's form.

Anfield great Carragher, in his role as a CBS Sports pundit, said: "It's very, very worrying – not just for Liverpool as a team; for him. That can't continue, what's happened this season with him and the amount of times he's been lacking defensively."

Signing another right-back to compete with or replace Alexander-Arnold would be a solution, Carragher continued.

"The problem they've got in that position is they've never had real competition for Trent Alexander-Arnold," he said.

"One of the reasons why is because he's been so good. You think: who do you buy? How much do you spend for someone who's not really going to play every week?

"But I think Liverpool are at the point now where they've got to go and buy a right-back. That's Jurgen Klopp's decision in terms of how good that right-back is, how much he costs, but that lad needs serious competition.

"He's been playing now for five years at the top level, week in, week out, with no rest."

Alexander-Arnold "needs help", according to Carragher, although he suggests the defender's flaws would not be as obvious if the rest of the Liverpool team were performing as they have previously.

"I've always defended him in that he's played for one of the best teams in the world, and when you play for one of the best teams in the world, as Liverpool are, you do a lot more attacking than you do defending," Carragher said.

"We all know his defending is not good enough, and I don't think it will ever be good enough. We're talking about a player who's played 260 games; it's not going to massively improve now.

"So, when Liverpool drop off and aren't one of the best teams in Europe, like they have been for the last four years, now they're one of the pack going for the Champions League, then you're doing more defending, less attacking.

"You're seeing the worst traits of Trent and now his strengths going forward. That is a massive problem.

"I thought this problem would rear its head when Klopp left and Liverpool dropped back to where they were when I was a player, most seasons trying to qualify for top four.

"If Liverpool are trying to qualify for the Champions League on a yearly basis, I'm not sure Trent's your man at right-back.

"If Liverpool get back to being one of the best teams in Europe, which is what they'll try to do next season, he is your man."

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti claimed Vinicius Junior is the "best in the world" after helping Los Blancos into the Champions League quarter-finals in Wednesday's 1-0 win over Liverpool.

The Brazilian provided the assist for Karim Benzema's 78th-minute winner in the last-16 second leg, having netted twice while setting up another in the 5-2 first-leg victory at Anfield three weeks ago.

Ancelotti stated Vinicius was "one of the best players in the world" prior to their Copa del Rey clash with Barcelona earlier this month, and he now cannot see anyone better.

"For me, he's the best in the world," Ancelotti told reporters. "Today he didn't score, but he played very well and provided a goal."

The Brazil international has scored 19 goals this season, along with 10 assists.

Vinicius is one of only two players to have both scored and assisted 10-plus goals (13 goals and 10 assists) across the last three editions of the Champions League, alongside Kylian Mbappe (21 goals and 11 assists).

The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021-22 with 17 LaLiga goals and 22 in all competitions for Los Blancos as they won a league and Champions League double.

Vinicius finished eighth in the voting for last year's Ballon d'Or, won by team-mate Benzema, while he came 11th for the Best FIFA Men's Player award won by Lionel Messi last month.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Benzema's goal, the scorer appeared to be hampered by an ankle injury and was quickly replaced by Rodrygo.

"It's a blow, nothing more," Ancelotti said. "I hope there will be no problems."

Liverpool play Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in consecutive matches at the start of April, making up a week that Jurgen Klopp acknowledges could be "pretty decisive" in the Reds' season.

After being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on Wednesday, Liverpool's only remaining aim is securing a return to Europe's elite club competition for next season.

That is no guarantee in a difficult campaign, sitting sixth, six points behind Tottenham with a game in hand and two points behind Newcastle United having played a game more.

Consistency has deserted Klopp's side, as shown by their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth six days on from a 7-0 victory over Manchester United.

But Klopp is determined to achieve a top-four finish and knows just how vital the next stretch of fixtures could prove.

"Of course, it is 'the' competition and we want to be part of it every year," the manager said. "That's a massive task for us, we all know that.

"When we come back from the international break, we have a proper football week ahead of us, I would say, with three games: City, Chelsea and Arsenal, which will then probably define what we get out of it.

"People might say we lost it in Bournemouth, but I think this week is a pretty decisive one, so we have to hope now the boys come back healthy, early enough, in the right shape and then we will try it."

Klopp was speaking after the 1-0 loss to Madrid, which was followed by the LaLiga giants playing Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone in the stadium.

"It is a really nice gesture," Klopp said. "We are two heavyweights who meet each other quite frequently in international football.

"I think it is clear we respect each other a lot, and whoever did it, whoever was doing something like that, [made] a really nice gesture, I have to say.

"I was not angry after the game, but I was disappointed. I would be angry if we would have played better and it was close and then they win because of a penalty which was not a penalty or stuff like this.

"But in the end that all didn't happen. Real Madrid were just the better side and I am long enough in the business to respect that."

Luciano Spalletti believes Napoli's current team is a greater collective unit than the Partenopei sides which Diego Maradona inspired to two Serie A titles.

Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, completing a 5-0 aggregate triumph in their last-16 tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

A Victor Osimhen brace and a Piotr Zielinski penalty guided Napoli to a 3-0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with last season's Europa League winners failing to land a blow on Spalletti's men.

With Napoli set to end a 33-year wait to win Serie A after building an 18-point lead at the summit, comparisons have been made with the sides Maradona led to the Scudetto in 1986-87 and 1989-90.

However, Spalletti feels his team are less reliant on individual brilliance, saying: "There is a key difference – nobody wins games alone like Maradona did. 

"We manage to make up for our shortcomings thanks to collective work. Tonight I saw many elements combine and play a messy game, which sometimes you need. 

"It's not just that the important individuals create an outlet. To make the most of it, you need those who scrape and clean up situations for the players with more quality."

While Napoli's remarkable rise has been a collective effort, Osimhen produced another talismanic forward display against Eintracht as he reached 23 goals for the campaign.

The Nigeria international has scored 13 times since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Marcus Rashford (15) among players from Europe's top five leagues – and Spalletti says there is more to come.

"He's already a world-class player, a great world-class player," Spalletti said of Osimhen. "He still has untapped potential – a lot of it – so we're pleased. 

"In addition to scoring goals, he cleans up situations when the opposing team presses us, he creates opportunities for us. He has these flashes. 

"Everything is correct with him, and we need to build on these matches both individually and collectively to be even more ready for the following games."

Carlo Ancelotti believes the high-press system favoured by Liverpool worked in Real Madrid's favour as the holders sealed a safe passage through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Karim Benzema scored the only goal of Wednesday's last-16 second leg to complete a 6-2 aggregate win for Madrid, who have eliminated Liverpool from the competition for three seasons running, which includes last season's final.

The damage was ultimately done in the reverse fixture at Anfield three weeks ago when Madrid scored five goals in the space of 46 minutes to recover from two goals down and take control of the tie.

Liverpool had a number of chances at Santiago Bernabeu, but Madrid also tested Alisson five times before Benzema tapped in to inflict a joint-heaviest defeat on the Reds in a two-legged European tie.

Toni Kroos and Luka Modric helped control play for the hosts, and Ancelotti puts that down to Liverpool's playing style, which has brought plenty of success and trophies to Anfield in recent years but has not been as efficient this season.

"Pressing up high for them has cost them because Modric and Kroos manage very well in these types of matches," Ancelotti told Movistar+.

"They are not afraid and are able to get the ball out from the back. It has cost [Liverpool] in this sense."

 Madrid are through to the quarter-finals for a 19th time in the Champions League era – once more than LaLiga rivals Barcelona, and behind only Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich (21 times).

Ancelotti decided against making any substitutions until after Benzema's 78th-minute breakthrough, despite having a trip to Barca on Sunday, with the Italian explaining he was wary of Liverpool finding a route back into the tie.

"The team was fine. There's no need to change for the sake of changing," he said. "I wanted to keep the substitutions to stop the game if we had problems at the end. 

"I liked the team. On a psychological level, in a game like this when you have a three-goal lead, you can lower your level... but we didn't lower it today."

Madrid had a late penalty appeal rejected following a VAR review in added time after a goal-bound shot hit Kostas Tsimikas on the arm, but Ancelotti had no complaints over the decision.

Asked about his conversation with Klopp at the end of the game, Ancelotti said: "We agreed it wasn't a handball. We talked about yesterday's penalty against Leipzig in the [Manchester City] game.

"You have to be careful with decisions like that because it's not football. I don't think anyone noticed it was a penalty, not even [Pep] Guardiola."

Ancelotti will take charge of a Champions League quarter-final for a 13th time, taking him ahead of Manchester United great Alex Ferguson and level with Guardiola (13) for the joint-most of any manager.

Victor Osimhen believes Napoli are good enough to win the Champions League after they reached the competition's quarter-finals for the first time with an emphatic win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Osimhen scored twice as Napoli ran out 3-0 winners in Wednesday's last-16 second leg at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, securing a 5-0 aggregate success over last season's Europa League winners.

Piotr Zielinski also netted from the penalty spot as Napoli posted their fourth win in as many home Champions League games this season – the Partenopei have scored three or more goals in each of those victories.

With Napoli's tally of 26 Champions League goals unmatched by any other team this campaign, Osimhen believes the runaway Serie A leaders are capable of delivering European glory.

"I think anything is possible and we have the squad to achieve this dream," Osimhen told BT Sport.

"We want to go step by step and we will see what happens at the end of the season.

"It feels good to make history with this win. It was huge win. Congratulations to the team on a good performance from the whole squad."

Asked whether he had any preference regarding Napoli's quarter-final opponents, the striker said: "We are a top club and it would be good to have a draw with another top club.

"It's going to be a huge match, it's going to be great. We are ready for it, and we are ready for any big team we might have to play." 

Osimhen became the first Napoli player to score in both legs of a European Cup/Champions League knockout tie and he passed up the chance for a hat-trick by allowing Zielinski to take the Partenopei's penalty.

"With the penalty, Zielinski asked me if he could take it," he revealed. "Of course, I'm a team player and it doesn't matter who scores as long as the team achieves success. 

"I know my goals will come with or without that penalty. It's good to have that kind of mentality in the squad, and I'm happy about the three goals."

Zielinski believes Napoli's competitors should be nervous about the prospect of facing them, saying: "We want to do the best we can. It is obvious that everyone wants to go all the way.

"Whoever we get in the draw, we want to play our football and go through to the next round. Whoever we get, we will be ready to fight.

"I think teams should be afraid of this Napoli team. We are in great shape and everyone who faces us struggles to get a result. We can do great things this season."

Jurgen Klopp was disappointed Liverpool were not able to produce a "special performance" against Real Madrid, meaning they would have been eliminated from the Champions League regardless of the first-leg collapse.

Liverpool headed to the Santiago Bernabeu for the return match in the last 16 with a huge task, needing to overturn a 5-2 deficit.

Klopp's Reds were unable to do that as they instead lost 1-0 to a Karim Benzema goal and bowed out 6-2 on aggregate.

While the nature of the heavy defeat at Anfield in the first match impacted on Liverpool's attempts to rescue the tie on Wednesday, Klopp pointed out even a draw at home would not have been enough if Madrid then controlled the second game.

"To be honest, if we draw at home and play the game that we played tonight, we go out probably as well," Klopp told BT Sport. "We cannot come here and hope that you get something.

"We prepared for a special performance, but we were not able to put it on the pitch tonight.

"It was obvious, I think – nobody is thinking, 'how could Liverpool go out?' That's probably the best sign that the right team went through."

He added: "In three halves of the two games, they were the better team. That's how you go through to the next round."

Liverpool at least avoided another embarrassment, albeit only after Alisson impressed in goal, making two "sensational saves", according to Klopp.

"Not all exits are like this," the manager said. "There are probably 500,000 different ways to go out, and this was ours tonight.

"It's not what we wanted, but it's what we got. Now we have to carry on."

Jurgen Klopp gave Liverpool just a "one per cent chance" of conjuring one of the great all-time Champions League comebacks in Wednesday's last-16 second leg with Real Madrid.

For any other club, maybe, but this is a side that wrote the book on making the impossible possible in the biggest club competition of them all – none more so than their triumph from three goals down against Milan in the 2005 final.

One of four sides to have progressed from a tie having lost the first leg by three or more goals – doing so against Barcelona in the 2018-19 semi-finals – Liverpool simply could not be completely written off.

Even as Karim Benzema fired in Madrid's fifth goal in their 5-2 win at Anfield three weeks ago, there was still that glimmer of hope. The one per cent chance, as Klopp put it.

In the end it was the prolific striker's 78th-minute tap-in that settled the second leg, extinguishing those lingering thoughts among the travelling fans high up in the away end that this would be another of those nights.

Incredibly, that Benzema goal came from the 11th shot on target of the second leg, with the first half in particular on a par with what we witnessed on Merseyside, albeit without the goals to show for it.

But for some fine goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois, channelling his display from last season's showpiece in Paris between these heavyweights when making the most saves on record in a final, who knows what could have happened?

Courtois made four saves in the first half alone, three of those attempts from the energetic Darwin Nunez, who only just about managed as many passes (five) in the opening 45 minutes.

The 17 first-half shots attempted at both ends were just one fewer than the whole of the contest at Anfield, while the eight on-target attempts were the most in a Champions League knockout tie without a goal since the 2013 final.

This latest tussle between clubs boasting 20 European Cups between them certainly did not let down in terms of entertainment as a one-off, but Liverpool's inability to find a way through denied neutrals the jeopardy they tuned in for.

Instead it was Madrid who found a way, as they so often do, to remain on course for a sixth Champions League crown in under a decade. It is a period of dominance the like of which the competition has never seen.

While other teams may have given the Reds that route into the contest they craved, Madrid simply know how to get the job done on the big stage, even if they have struggled for consistency domestically this season.

This is the 27th time in 28 European Cup and Champions League ties they have advanced after winning the first leg away from home, the exception being their 5-3 aggregate defeat to Ajax at this stage in the 2018-19 season.

It was ultimately in that first leg at Anfield the damage was done, a five-goal blast in the space of 46 minutes of playing time completely blowing Liverpool away in a match they led 2-0 at one point.

Not many would have believed you after 20 minutes of the first leg at Anfield if you'd told them that Liverpool would go on to suffer a record equalling defeat across two legs of a European tie.

If not for Alisson, it may well have been a higher margin of defeat in what was an end-to-end game, the Reds keeper making six saves either side of Benzema's finish, which was his final action before limping off ahead of El Clasico.

It was that type of game, as both men between the sticks arguably proved their respective teams' best player.

And so there was to be no magical Madrid comeback for Liverpool, but nor too did they get annihilated in a match that saw them commit players forward in desperate search of that much-needed first goal.

The Reds' sole focus is now on a top-four battle in the Premier League, a far cry from 12 months ago when they already had one cup in the bag and were in hot pursuit of three more.

The era of the 'mentality monsters' is surely over. The question is whether Klopp can get a tune out of the new group he is assembling on the back of this record-equalling loss on the continent. Now that really would be some comeback.

Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals as Liverpool never threatened the three-goal fightback they required in a 1-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.

European champions Madrid had claimed a brilliant 5-2 win in England in the first leg of their last-16 tie, leaving Liverpool a mighty uphill battle in Wednesday's return match.

The Reds defence – and Alisson in particular – at least gave their team-mates a platform from which to build this time, but the goal threat that had briefly concerned Madrid on Merseyside was less evident.

Eventually, Karim Benzema, that familiar foe, put Jurgen Klopp's side out of their misery as Madrid continued their bid for yet another crown in their favourite competition of all.

The goalkeepers were the undoubted stars of a goalless first half, with Alisson brilliantly blocking from Vinicius Junior at close quarters and soon touching Eduardo Camavinga's deflected shot onto the crossbar. A VAR review might have overturned the offside given against Vinicius when he was denied again by Alisson.

Those stops just about kept Liverpool in the tie, but Thibaut Courtois – the hero of last season's final between the sides – was not to be outdone. His fingertip stop from Darwin Nunez was as impressive as any of Alisson's saves, and he then beat away a thunderous Cody Gakpo drive.

Federico Valverde ran through early in the second half but scuffed straight at Alisson, with the same man heading over following excellent work on the left from Luka Modric. Benzema also missed the target when well placed on his right foot.

The chances continued to fall Madrid's way, however, and Benzema made no mistake when Vinicius miscued his finish and instead prodded to his team-mate for an open goal in the 78th minute.

Benzema took a kick in the process, but that was about the extent of Madrid's concern in a dominant 6-2 aggregate triumph.

What does it mean? Madrid never under threat

Klopp had acknowledged Liverpool would have to be "extremely good" to stand any chance, and they were not that in an attacking sense – particularly in the second half.

Still three goals behind in the tie with 45 minutes to play, the visitors needed to let the handbrake off but instead struggled to pose any sort of threat.

After a James Milner shot in the 37th minute – their eighth of the match – Liverpool went until Harvey Elliott's tame effort in the 83rd minute before mustering another attempt.

Courtois king again

This was more like the Courtois who made a match-winning nine saves in the Paris final than the man whose early mishap had Liverpool in control of this tie for a time at Anfield.

It may have been comfortable in the end, but Courtois made four crucial saves in the first half when a goal might have invited tension.

Salah so disappointing

Mohamed Salah's woeful penalty at Bournemouth on Saturday consigned Liverpool to a Premier League defeat, yet at least that registered as an attempt. He did not have a single shot here.

Although Salah created a pair of chances for team-mates, he was also painfully wasteful in the final third, where he misplaced only four passes but seemed to kill momentum each time.

What's next?

It will be Madrid's turn to chase a result on Sunday when they go to Barcelona for the Clasico. Liverpool do not play again before the international break, which is followed by a daunting trip to Manchester City.

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, helping Luciano Spalletti's men to a 3-0 second-leg win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Osimhen netted either side of half-time in another talismanic display for the runaway Serie A leaders, who sealed a 5-0 aggregate triumph across a tie overshadowed by violent clashes between supporters.

Piotr Zielinski won and converted a penalty to make it 3-0 as Eintracht toiled without suspended forward Randal Kolo Muani at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

After swatting last season's Europa League winners aside, Napoli will be seen as a team to avoid when they join fellow Italian giants Milan and Inter in Friday's last-eight draw.

Napoli made a typically fast start as Matteo Politano tested Kevin Trapp with a low drive in the first minute, before the goalkeeper denied Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the end of slaloming run.

Oliver Glasner's well-drilled visitors kept Napoli at bay for much of the first half, though they were again indebted to Trapp for keeping out Kvaratskhelia's prodded attempt 40 minutes in.

Eintracht were unable to make it to half-time, however, with Osimhen hanging in the air to head Politano's cross into the top-right corner after a fine pass from Stanislav Lobotka.

Osimhen needed just eight minutes to grab his brace after the restart, stretching to divert Giovanni Di Lorenzo's low cross home from inside the six-yard box.

Trapp denied Kvaratskhelia for a third time when the Georgian attempted a curling shot on the hour mark, but he was unable to prevent Zielinski from making it 3-0 from 12 yards after the midfielder was clumsily tripped by Djibril Sow.