Arthur marked his return from injury by starting Liverpool Under-21s' Premier League 2 Division One clash with Leicester City on Saturday.

It was the Brazil international's first Reds appearance in any form since September, with a long-term thigh injury sidelining the Juventus loanee.

Arthur has played just 13 minutes of senior football since joining Liverpool from the Bianconeri, appearing as a late substitute in the Champions League defeat by Napoli, while he has also appeared twice for the under-21s side.

The 26-year-old started in the heart of midfield for the under-21s, who were aiming to end a run of three matches without a win.

Liverpool have the right to buy Arthur, who spent two years with Barcelona prior to joining Juventus in June 2020, with the option entailing a reported £32.3million (€37.5m) fee to be paid at the end of the season.

Liverpool reportedly view Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham as their ideal central midfield pairing of the future.

Liverpool's interest in 19-year-old Bellingham has been well-documented, and they are believed to be one of the front-runners to secure his services, along with Real Madrid.

Gravenberch, 20, arrived at Bayern prior to the season from Ajax for an €18.5million fee, but he has made only one start this Bundesliga campaign, along with 12 appearances as a substitute.

Liverpool are due for a midfield overhaul this off-season with 33-year-old Jordan Henderson and 32-year-old Thiago reaching their primes, and the club appear to be preparing for an injection of youth.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL ENVISION GRAVENBERCH AS KEY COG OF FUTURE MIDFIELD

According to Sport 1, Liverpool are "closely following" Gravenberch's situation in Munich, and have begun gathering background information about the young Netherlands international.

The report claims that Bayern are not looking to ship him off after just one season, but Gravenberch himself may indicate he wants out if his playing time situation does not start trending in the right direction.

With his contract tying him to the Bundesliga side until 2027, Gravenberch has no leverage to force his way to the Premier League, but that will not stop Liverpool from dreaming about potentially moving forward with Gravenberch, Bellingham and breakout talent Stefan Bajcetic all aged under 21.

ROUND-UP

– Planeta Real Madrid is reporting Paris Saint-Germain will look to secure Vinicius Junior if Kylian Mbappe leaves for the Spanish capital.

– According to The Mirror, Sergio Aguero claims Lionel Messi is strongly considering a move back to childhood club Newell's Old Boys.

– Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix would like to make his move to Chelsea permanent, per Fichajes.

– Marca is reporting Cristiano Ronaldo's team Al Nassr have been sounding out Sergio Ramos' interest in a move to Saudi Arabia.

– According to Fabrizio Romano, after rejecting an advance from Newcastle United, Flamengo have handed 18-year-old midfielder Matheus Franca a new contract that includes a €200m release clause.

Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool will have to make signings at the end of the season, but for now Reds fans must get behind the existing team.

In a difficult season at Anfield, Klopp has noted the strong reaction towards some of his long-standing stars.

Few of the players who have taken Liverpool to three Champions League finals have impressed this term, yet Klopp is asking supporters not to forget their past successes.

While the manager said Liverpool "have to be in the market definitely" before next season, his focus remains on the players at his disposal.

"The only reason I don't like to talk about that now is because there are still a lot of games to play," Klopp said.

"This team is the basis for all what we do and it was always the basis for all what we do.

"Even if people are now in the mood like, 'he can go, he should go', – my God, calm down, please. Go on YouTube and watch an old video and think: 'That's what he did, he threw his heart and soul on the pitch.'

"That doesn't mean we have to be thankful for the rest of his life, but that's still in there, so let's make a decision after the season. As long as we are together, let's support this group with all we have."

Klopp has previously bemoaned the spending power of clubs like Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea, but he is still confident Liverpool will be able to get what they need in the market.

"My job is to make 100 per cent clear what we need from a sports point of view, and then other people are responsible for giving us the resources or whatever," he said.

"I think we played five years in a row in the Champions League, which is massive money, and went to the final three times in that time, which is also massive from a money point of view.

"We built a stand, we built a training ground, and the club is in a really good place, but around us obviously a few people are speeding up a little bit and you cannot ignore that. We cannot ignore these kind of things.

"It is still about finding the right players, not about bringing in a lot, and thank God in the world of football there are a lot of right players.

"Not all of them are affordable or want to come, but there are a lot of really good players out there."

Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool have work to do in the transfer market, having foreseen their difficult season, but felt powerless to prevent it.

Having come so close to winning an unprecedented quadruple last year, claiming two cups and finishing as runners-up in both the Premier League and the Champions League, this campaign has been very different for Liverpool.

The Reds are down in eighth in the league, out of both domestic cups and on the brink of exiting Europe having lost 5-2 at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

It is anticipated the Merseyside club will be busy in the market at the end of the season, with Jude Bellingham reportedly a top target, and Klopp did not deny that as he detailed the ways in which his team must improve.

"I don't say everything around us is bad, is wrong, not at all, but most of the things are not right as well," he said. "That's how it is.

"We know we have to improve. We know we have to change things. We will. We have to do something in the summer, that's clear. For now, we just have to go through this and fight back."

Klopp was later quizzed on his mention of the need to "do something in the summer" and launched into a long answer explaining why this season has been so difficult for Liverpool, how they must work ahead of the transfer window and their plan to first "make the best out of this season".

Confirming the intention to do business in the window pre-dated this difficult stretch, Klopp said: "We are not that dumb that, 'today wasn't good, now we have to change'. It was clear, it was always clear.

"This team has a wonderful history, but the way this club is led is not by splashing the money or whatever, have a look if it works out or not. Our transfers always have to be on point.

"That makes it really tricky. We cannot make four transfers before we know who leaves the club, stuff like this.

"Last year, I knew it would be tricky. That was one of the main reasons why I signed a new contract, so people are not on top of all that and have to discuss 'then he leaves next year'.

"It's not because I'm that great – it would be the same situation with another coach, then it's 'bring Klopp back'. It's about the club and the stability.

"Last year was not the season for a big change. We played until the last moment, and if you want to change at this club, we cannot bring in players and then realise nobody wants to leave. It doesn't work like that.

"It was not possible to start it early, because we had final after final after final, played until the last moment of the Champions League final. Then we have a short break, then we have injuries, then the World Cup.

"So, with all the problems we knew we would have, this came on top.

"Now we are in it. I know it's too long, for me it's too long, because I have to face this press conference. Believe me, I don't like to talk about it all the time. I have to think it all the time – that's not as bad as to talk about it, to be honest, because I don't have to read it the next day.

"That's the situation. Now people are not happy. We try to fight through and make the best out of this season, that's the idea, and staying as good a person as you can.

"The better you behave in a moment like this, the better times will be after it and the more useful the bad times are.

"They have to be useful, because otherwise they are useless. Imagine that in all our lives if we had not learned from our failures or learned from when things didn't go well. We would not be the same people. We have to learn from this well, and we will.

"Now we are in this heated atmosphere, where we lose a game and it's 'everybody out', we win a game, 'give him a new contract'. I'm too old for that.

"We have to make our own plans, and that's what we do – but based on the way this club needs it. It's different to other clubs. That's how it is.

"It worked out so far, and we'll have to see if it will work still or we'll have to adapt. That's something for us in the offices, when we're not on the training pitch, and for my conversation with the owners."

Liverpool's Champions League collapse against Real Madrid was evidence to Jurgen Klopp his side are "not stable yet", even if back-to-back Premier League victories had hinted at a revival.

Klopp's men beat neighbours Everton and then fellow top-four hopefuls Newcastle United before hosting Madrid in the first leg of a last-16 tie.

But the defensive frailties that had been clear even in a 2-0 win at St James' Park – where Newcastle's 10 men generate more shots, expected goals and touches in the opposition box – came back to bite against Madrid.

After taking an early 2-0 lead, as Liverpool had at Newcastle, they lost 5-2 to all but end their hopes of a seventh European title.

Klopp acknowledged the focus must now shift to Champions League qualification through the league, but he is not ready to write off his team.

"What I saw in this game was a lot of things are back but not stable yet," he said, adding: "We have to work on that stability.

"The good things are really good and will be good forever, but we have to make sure we don't suffer from the few things that aren't working very well."

Consistency will be required if Liverpool are to close the seven-point gap to fourth-placed Tottenham, even with two games in hand.

"We cannot always go like this through a season," Klopp said ahead of playing Crystal Palace on Saturday. "We have to find some consistency in the way we play.

"Emotions are very important, but it cannot all be about emotions. 'Today I feel great, tomorrow not so well', stuff like this.

"We just have to start believing 100 per cent in ourselves again and bring our quality on the pitch."

But Klopp accepted it was to be accepted Liverpool would struggle to rediscover their best level after a difficult run, comparing their form to an accident with his car.

"Everything that happens in life has influence on confidence," Klopp said. "Recently, I scratched my car.

"Since then, I drive around corners like this [carefully]. For 37 years, I had a license, I think, and I never really had an accident, but everything has influence on confidence.

"After a few miles, you realise, 'oh, it was just unlucky', so I can just drive normal again."

One thing that has been consistent in recent seasons is Liverpool's record against Palace.

Following a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the reverse fixture, Palace are looking to avoid defeat in both Premier League meetings with Liverpool for the first time since 2014-15.

Josko Gvardiol is hot property around Europe and he boosted his stocks with the equaliser in RB Leipzig's 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old centre-back is contracted with Leipzig until 2027, although he reportedly has an exit clause in his deal, worth €110 million.

Leipzig head coach Marco Rose was adamant after Wednesday's game that Gvardiol will remain with the club next season.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL KEEN ON LEIPZIG STAR GVARDIOL

Liverpool will look to bolster their defensive options with a move for Gvardiol, claims Fabrizio Romano.

The Croatia international has been targetted by Chelsea and he only enhanced his reputation during the 2022 World Cup. He has also been linked with City and Real Madrid.

Gvardiol has previously indicated he would be love to join the Reds, potentially offering Jurgen Klopp's side an edge in the race to sign him. 

ROUND-UP

– Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all keeping tabs on Kylian Mbappe's situation at Paris Saint-Germain, claims Football Insider. Speculation continues to swirl that Mbappe, who is contracted through the end of the 2024-25 season, is unhappy at PSG.

– Chelsea are interested in a move for Dinamo Moscow 19-year-old midfielder Arsen Zakharyan, according to CaughtOffside.

– Fichajes say Juventus are considering a move to sign Real Betis forward Borja Iglesias amid worries Dusan Vlahovic could depart at the end of the season.

– Napoli will challenge PSG in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani, reports CalcioMercato.

– Manchester United are plotting a double swoop for Leicester City midfield duo James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, according to Football Transfers.

– Raphael Guerreiro is set to exit Borussia Dortmund at the end of this season as a free agent, reports Nicolo Schira.

Marco Rose suggested Josko Gvardiol will still be playing for RB Leipzig next season as the coach attempts to stave off Premier League interest in the centre-back.

Reported Chelsea target Gvardiol salvaged a 1-1 draw for Leipzig in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester City at Red Bull Arena.

The Croatia defender also previously named Liverpool as his "dream" destination after impressing at the World Cup alongside former Red Dejan Lovren.

But Rose insisted the 21-year-old will remain with Leipzig, despite a credible performance in a potential Premier League audition against Pep Guardiola's side.

"Josko Gvardiol will be an RB Leipzig player next season as well," he told TV 2 Sport after Leipzig's first-leg clash with City.

"I am the coach and I am asking for that. He is happy here. He said he wants to play in the Premier League, but he didn't say when."

Rose joked Gvardiol "should play basketball" after his towering headed equaliser in the 70th minute, though he was left unimpressed with Leipzig's first-half showing.

"We should start to play and fight. It was a really difficult first half, 26 per cent possession isn't enough," Rose told BT Sport.

"We were too passive in every situation. They moved the ball and they moved us. We had no power."

However, another impressive outing for Gvardiol against one of Europe's elite secured a share of the spoils and left it all to play for in the March 14 return leg at Etihad Stadium.

"The second half was totally different. Better late than never."

Virgil van Dijk acknowledged Liverpool were at fault for their mistakes in their Champions League loss to Real Madrid but argued they cannot expect to perform like "robots".

Liverpool blew a two-goal lead at Anfield, slumping to a 5-2 loss in the first leg of their last-16 tie against the holders.

Amid a difficult season for Jurgen Klopp's side, their collapse against Madrid made for a chastening rematch of last year's final, which finished 1-0 to Los Blancos in Paris.

Van Dijk did not dispute another off-colour performance yet the centre-back stressed errors are to be expected when players are only human.

"[Across] the whole of the Champions League, there are quality players all over teams," he told reporters. "They can punish you, and can punish the mistakes that you make.

"That's what they did in the second half, and it is pretty clear to see. [There were] mistakes that we shouldn't make, but it happens in football.

"We're not robots, sometimes mistakes happen. That is the case. The only thing we can do is learn from it and focus on the next one to ensure it doesn't happen [again]."

After goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had given them a two-goal cushion inside the opening 15 minutes, Liverpool seemed on course for a memorable Anfield triumph.

Yet their defensive frailties came to the fore as Vinicius Junior curled in a supreme finish before pouncing on Alisson's mistake to restore parity.

Eder Militao put Madrid ahead early in the second half before Karim Benzema's double left the hosts with a mountain to climb in the return leg next month.

Klopp was less than impressed with cheap concessions, but did feel his side's first-half performance was among the best they have delivered this campaign.

"We gave all five goals away," he said in his post-match press conference. 

"All five. We could have done better there [but] in our situation where we are, it is really important we that see positive steps.

"I think the first half, aside from the two goals we conceded, was the best we've played [across] the whole season.

"The second half obviously was the game Real Madrid wanted to play, and that's how we came to the result."

Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has reportedly caught the attention of LaLiga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Bajcetic, 18, scored his first Premier League goal in a short substitute appearance against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and after impressing in a pair of January FA Cup starts, he forced his way into the first team.

He has started their past four Premier League fixtures as well as Tuesday's Champions League Final rematch against Madrid, indicating a rapid rise in the eyes of Jurgen Klopp.

The Spaniard left Celta Vigo in 2020 to head to the Premier League, but his home country could soon come calling to bring him back.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL TEEN CAPTURES IMAGINATION OF EUROPE'S ELITE

According to Fichajes, both Barcelona and Madrid "have been closely following his evolution", and they believe Bajcetic possesses the qualities necessary to perform at the highest level.

Barcelona reportedly view him as "an ideal piece to form a future midfield with Pedri and Gavi", while Madrid would like him to be the successor to ageing veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

His contract ties him to Anfield until 2027, but the Spanish giants could try to test his transfer value as soon as this off-season.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail is reporting Aston Villa will listen to offers for 30-year-old goalkeeper and World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez after the season with the hope that a significant transfer fee could fund a mini-rebuild.

– Leicester City will look to sell James Maddison at the end of the season if they can not convince him to sign a new contract, with Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham named as interested parties, per Football Insider.

– According to The Telegraph, 31-year-old midfielder N'Golo Kante will sign a new contract to remain at Chelsea.

– Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting Inter will look to move on from wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Robin Gosens at the end of the season, with Dumfries a potential piece in a swap deal for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku.

– According to the Evening Standard, Saudi Arabian clubs – including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr – are circling 30-year-old Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha with the belief he would be open to a Middle East move for the right price.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Carlo Ancelotti thinks their Champions League last-16 tie is over after Real Madrid trounced the Reds 5-2 at Anfield in Tuesday's first leg.

The Reds blew an early two-goal lead after Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah's early strikes to suffer the heavy defeat, which leaves them with a mountain to climb in the second leg in Madrid on March 15.

The defeat was the first time the Reds have conceded four or more goals at home in a European game.

Ancelotti insisted the tie is still live after the game despite the deficit, while Klopp remained hopeful, but conceded it was going to be tough to turn it around.

"I think Carlo thinks the tie is over – and I think it as well in the moment," Klopp told reporters. "But in three weeks... the closer you get to the game the bigger our chances become and the less likely it is the tie is over.

"Tonight, with the 5-2, they are pretty good in counter-attacking and we have to score three goals there and take some risk, so that could be a bit tricky.

"We go there, I can say it now already and try to win the game. If that is possible or not, I don't know now but that's what we will try and from there we will see."

Liverpool became the first team in Champions League history to lose by a three-goal margin after being 2-0 up.

Klopp acknowledged Eder Militao's free header from a Luka Modric set-piece straight after half-time for 3-2 shifted the momentum.

"I really thought the 3-2 had a massive impact," he said. "The 2-1 and the 2-2 not so much… my personal feeling was, 'first goal, OK, bad defending but well done as well, the second was slapstick but get over it'.

"Then the third goal directly after half-time, we didn't deal particularly well with that. We don't want to concede goals but I think if we just think about the first half, everybody's impression was, 'Wow, that was a really good first half' even when we conceded two.

"I really thought our people saw it exactly like that, they were outstanding tonight in a difficult game. The first half it was not too difficult to be positive but in the second half when it was difficult to stay positive, they were positive and I am thankful for that."

Defender Joe Gomez was replaced in the 73rd minute with an apparent injury concern, although Klopp had no clear update on his status.

"He showed a little bit of a sign but then we just made a decision," Klopp said. "Now we will see and he will get checked tomorrow."

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti lauded Vinicius Junior as the "most decisive player in world football" after inspiring Tuesday's 5-2 Champions League win over Liverpool.

Madrid found themselves trailing 2-0 early on thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, the latter coming after a calamitous Thibaut Courtois error.

But Vinicius scored twice before half-time to level the score – his first a wonderful finish into the bottom-right corner, the second a fortuitous goal that involved him blocking Alisson's clearance into the net.

He then won the free-kick that yielded Madrid's third goal just after the break and got the assist when Karim Benzema made it 5-2.

Seven players from Europe's top five leagues have more than Vinicius' 27 goal involvements across all competitions this term, though Ancelotti would seemingly not swap any of them for the Brazilian.

"Today, in my personal opinion, he is the most decisive player in world football," Ancelotti told reporters of Vinicius, who became the youngest (22 years and 224 days old) away player to score twice against Liverpool at Anfield in major European competition since Johan Cruyff in December 1966 (19y 233d).

"He doesn't stop. He dribbles, assists, scores. Now he is the most decisive. Hopefully he can continue like this."

The match was a far cry from the two teams' previous meeting in last season's Champions League final, which Liverpool dominated before losing 1-0.

It was put to Ancelotti that Liverpool had changed a lot – regressed, even – since that game in Paris, but he was not so sure and looked to impress on his players that the tie is not over yet ahead of the return leg on March 15.

"I only know that we have taken advantage in these 90 minutes and we have to manage the 90 in Madrid well," Ancelotti added.

"Liverpool are a very competitive team, who have created many problems for us. Unfortunately, the tie has not ended.

"They are still a great team in my opinion. They play with intensity and a very high pace, it is difficult to see teams like that in Europe.

"They haven't changed, but we proposed a game plan that was different from the one in the final. Then we played with a low block, and this time our plan was very different."

Jordan Henderson knows Liverpool were their own worst enemies in a stunning 5-2 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid at Anfield.

The Reds made a dream start to the first leg of the round-of-16 tie on Tuesday, opening up a two-goal lead after only 14 minutes courtesy of a sublime Darwin Nunez flick and a Thibaut Courtois howler that enabled Mohamed Salah to become the club's record European scorer with 42.

That was as good as it got for Liverpool on Merseyside, as Vinicius Junior pulled one back with a sumptuous finish before Alisson's terrible attempted pass struck the Brazil winger and looped into the net.

An unmarked Eder Militao capitalised on abysmal Reds defending to head the holders in front early in the second and Karim Benzema's double put them in complete command.

Madrid beat Liverpool in the final last year and Carlo Ancelotti's side should seal their place in the last eight in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 15.

Reds captain Henderson feels the Premier League side only have themselves to blame after they conceded five goals at home for first time in Europe, with Madrid becoming the first team to win by a three-goal margin after being two down in the Champions League.

The midfielder told BT Sport: "It's Very difficult. For large parts of the first half we performed well and were unlucky to be level at half-time. We made too many mistakes. Real Madrid punished us every time tonight.

"A lot was [due to] their quality. We didn't help ourselves for sure. We didn't defend it [Militao's goal] well enough. The game went away from us at that point.

"The last two games we kept clean sheets. it's difficult to come here and speak. Yes, they have a lot of quality. When you're not 100 per cent defending they punish you. We caused ourselves problems at times. It's a tough one to take in the end.

"We still played a good first half. We were on top and created some good chances. There was a good chance at 2-0, a scuffle on the line. If that goes in it's a big moment.

"The second goal obviously is a mistake. The third we'll be disappointed with. That's when the game went away from us."

Henderson says Liverpool can ill afford to feel sorry for themselves as they look to climb from eighth in the Premier League and sneak a Champions League spot for next season, with their chances of qualifying as European champions looking so slim.

"It's [the second leg] still a few weeks away," he added. "We have to move on quickly. We have Premier League games before then, so we have to concentrate on that, and cross this bridge when we come to it."

Jurgen Klopp rued Liverpool's inability to maintain their momentum as they suffered a 5-2 comeback defeat to Real Madrid after a breathtaking start.

Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead at Anfield on Tuesday, seemingly putting themselves in a great position in their Champions League last-16 tie.

But Madrid had wiped out their lead by half-time and ultimately romped home to a stunning victory as they became the first team to put five past the Reds at Anfield in Europe.

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah got the Liverpool goals before Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema scored braces either side of Eder Militao's header – both teams' second goals came from glaring goalkeeping errors.

Klopp was noticeably dejected at full-time, but he did not appear especially angry.

Instead, he was keen to highlight how he felt Liverpool looked like their old selves again during the first half before being knocked off course.

"The beginning was outstanding," he told BT Sport. "It was us in a nutshell. It was perfect, exactly how we wanted to play, causing problems all over the place. A super intense start, 2-0 up. The whole first half was good beside the goals.

"After the first goal we became slightly passive higher up the pitch, we weren't chasing them, and we had to chase them because this is a team that when you get passive, you get punished. The second goal is slapstick. It shouldn't happen, can't happen, 2-2.

"The first situation pretty much [after half-time] they played a long ball to Vinicius. I'm not sure if it's a foul, but in the end [the referee] whistles it, and how we defend that is not OK. Then 3-2 and that doesn't help against a team who are outstandingly good on the counter-attack.

"We couldn't get back on track anymore. You need to play like the first half for the full 95 minutes. That's possible, but you need momentum back. After the 3-2 goal, it was exactly the opposite.

"They became more confident and scored great goals. One was deflected, I think. That's how it is. It's a strange one. We lost 5-2, we know that too, but there's a lot from me to take from it as well."

Liverpool go to Madrid for the second leg on March 15, knowing they require something akin to a miracle if they are to eliminate the reigning champions and secure their unlikely passage to the quarter-finals.

First, though, the Reds go to Crystal Palace on Saturday hoping to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League. Victory at Selhurst Park will move them to within three points of the top four.

Jamie Carragher hit out at former side Liverpool after a "shambolic" Champions League showing as a rampant Real Madrid fought back to "destroy" the Reds.

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, the latter capitalising on an inexplicable Thibaut Courtois error, fired Jurgen Klopp's side into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes at Anfield in the first leg of their last-16 clash.

But Carlo Ancelotti's defending European champions responded in ruthless fashion, with a Vinicius Junior first-half double restoring parity before Eder Militao nodded Madrid in front in the second period.

A Karim Benzema brace secured a 5-2 lead to defend at Santiago Bernabeu on March 15, with Liverpool the first team in Champions League history to take a 2-0 lead and lose by a three-goal margin.

It marked the first time in Europe that Liverpool have conceded five goals at home as well and Carragher was left in disbelief as he launched a scathing assessment.

The former Liverpool captain said on CBS Sports: "First of all what a performance by Real Madrid to come to Anfield and do that.

"I've never seen a team come to Anfield, on a European night that I can remember, and perform and destroy Liverpool like that.

"That was shambolic from Liverpool, embarrassing, we've made excuses for them all season. 

"We've said reasons why they're not doing as well as they have done in previous seasons, but that was a disgrace in that second half."

Klopp's charges, on the back of two straight wins, had the chance to salvage the tie with the game finely poised at 2-2 at half-time.

But Liverpool, who sit eighth in the Premier League after an otherwise poor start to 2023, crumbled under the pressure – much to the disgust of Carragher.

He added: "To not even have a chance, to show any real fight after the goals go in and to lose that second half 3-0, when you're attacking The Kop and it's 2-2 in the tie, absolutely shambolic from Liverpool.

"What I'm talking about in terms of shambolic, is defensively shambolic all season. 

"It was nonsense that Liverpool were back after the last two games, they played against an Everton team who produced one of the worst performances in a derby, they did nothing.

"At Newcastle, Newcastle had 10 men and created chances, if they had 11 they would have got back in the game I'm convinced.

"That is because Liverpool right now, all season in fact, have been an absolute shambles defensively. This team had a great defensive record last season.

"The midfield doesn't have the energy any more, the attacking players don't press or have the cohesion they had before.

"This Liverpool defence, who we've been told for years have the best players in the world, can't cope. For years, they've had a front six in front of them who worked harder and smarter than any other team in football, but now they're gone they've absolutely fallen apart."

Carragher was unable to mount any kind of defence for Liverpool or Klopp, with the Reds' performance against Madrid embodying a season of underperformance and failure.

He continued: "I keep making excuses, because as Liverpool fans we adore this manager and the team as they've done so much in the last few years, but they are eighth in the Premier League and just been battered 5-2, I know by Real Madrid.

"But these two teams were in the final last year, it's not acceptable to watch this season, we keep giving reasons and excuses, but it's nowhere near good enough.

"What makes me laugh is Virgil van Dijk said I wouldn't get in their back four a few months ago – I think I'd take his place at the moment."

Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were so optimistic. After the commendable – albeit imperfect – 2-0 win over Newcastle United at the weekend, Liverpool seemed confident their luck was changing.

Liverpool had endured several previous instances this season of winning games but then struggling to build momentum.

"This feels a little bit different," Van Dijk said. Alexander-Arnold struck a similarly defiant tone.

But Jurgen Klopp's men were brought crashing back to earth in brutal fashion on Tuesday, losing 5-2 to Real Madrid at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Let's not forget, Madrid were arguably fortuitous 1-0 victors over Liverpool in last season's final. But here, once Carlo Ancelotti's side were on the scoreboard, this was pretty much all Madrid.

It wasn't exactly plain sailing for Madrid, but they're built differently. They're a special case.

Eduardo Camavinga said it best in an interview with the Guardian earlier this week: "People think Madrid are dead, but Madrid are never, never dead."

So when Liverpool rather astonishingly found themselves 2-0 up against the European champions inside 15 minutes, surely even the most ardent Reds fans had a twinge of trepidation deep in their minds.

Madrid have made a habit of seemingly coming back from the dead. Their route to glory last season had them resembling the undead in virtually every tie, with frankly absurd comebacks seeing them past Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Lucky? Perhaps, but sometimes you create your own luck, whether that's with individual quality or benefiting from individual errors.

There was a lot of both going on at Anfield on Tuesday.

Darwin Nunez's opener was a delight. Making the run in behind the Madrid defence, he anticipated Mohamed Salah's precise low pass and met it with an impudent flick of the right heel, the connection perfect as Thibaut Courtois was left helpless.

That was the sublime. Then came the ridiculous.

Courtois controlled a bouncing pass in his own area, but with Salah bearing down, the goalkeeper panicked. An accidental touch off his knee caused him to lose all control of the situation, and the Liverpool attacker duly prodded home.

The ground refused to swallow him up, forcing Courtois to cope with the very public violation of his dignity.

But nothing about the opening 15 minutes suggested Liverpool could count on a clean sheet. There were slips, spills and errors galore, the slick pitch proving rather hazardous for both sets of players.

As such, it wasn't particularly surprising when Madrid did pull one back in the 21st minute with a moment of magic of their own.

After a quick interchange with Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior received the ball just inside the box. Seemingly surrounded, one drop of the shoulder opened up space and he somehow found the bottom-far corner.

While Liverpool chances continued to arrive, that incident felt like something of a turning point, and Alisson soon took some of the glare away from his goalkeeping counterpart.

Trying to play out from the back, his pass slammed straight against Vinicius' leg and ricocheted into the net. Klopp emitted a wry chuckle.

Suddenly it became a contest of who would respond better to such a setback. Madrid already showed their impressive hand – could Liverpool match them?

The answer was ultimately unequivocal.

Liverpool were again their own worst enemies at the start of the second half. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez failed to deal with Vinicius legally, the latter deemed to have fouled him on the left edge of the box.

Liverpool's defence lined up across the edge of the six-yard box. So bad was the defending here that Luka Modric didn't even try to put his delivery behind them, instead in front where Eder Militao – incredibly unmarked – was allowed to simply head home.

By now, the intensity Liverpool had shown during the first half was nowhere to be seen. At times Madrid looked like they'd struggle to give up possession even on purpose. The Reds were drained physically and emotionally – Los Blancos could smell blood.

The young Stefan Bajcetic was the next Liverpool player to commit a major error. Robbed of the ball in midfield, within seconds Madrid had the ball in the net again, the previously quiet Benzema seeing his rather tame left-footed effort deflect in off Joe Gomez.

But the fifth and final goal was all about Madrid's quality. Modric rolled back the years with a surging run before finding Vinicius, who showcased his ever-improving decision-making as he lured in the defender prior to slipping through to Benzema. He deceived three – including Alisson – with one swivel with the hips before effortlessly picking out the top-left corner.

Klopp referred to last season's Champions League final defeat to Madrid as "proper torture" – if that's an apt description, then it'll be intriguing to see how he labels this.

The Reds went from looking sensational to immensely fragile within about five minutes, and against Ancelotti's seasoned winners, that's never going to be a recipe for success.

This was the first time Liverpool have ever conceded five goals at home in Europe – it was simultaneously a harsh reality check and a grim reminder of how far they've fallen in less than a year.