The Reds are staring Champions League elimination in the face after they were put to the sword by the defending European champions
Liverpool threw away a two-goal advantage thanks to individual errors from Alisson and Joe Gomez as Real Madrid cruised to a comfortable 5-2 victory at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
An audacious Darwin Nunez flick and Mohamed Salah strike following Thibaut Courtois' error had given the home side a 2-0 lead early on.
But Alisson responded with a glaring mistake of his own as Madrid showed their European pedigree and turned the tide against a debilitated Liverpool side.
Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema each scored a brace while Eder Militao also grabbed a goal as Gomez in particular endured a night to forget.
The result was Liverpool's worst European defeat on home soil and leaves Jurgen Klopp's side a near impossible task when they travel to Santiago Bernabeu in three weeks' time.
After a rollercoaster night that went from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again, GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Alisson (4/10):
Could do nothing about four of the five goals, but was solely responsible for Vinicius' equaliser, arguably the turning point in the game.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (7/10):
The shining light in a dark, dark day for Liverpool's back line. Looked a constant threat going forward, but his sublime passes needed a finishing touch.
Joe Gomez (3/10):
A game to forget. Easily beaten for Madrid's first, sold Alisson short for their second, gave a needless free-kick away for the third and deflected home the fourth. Struggled all night.
Virgil van Dijk (5/10):
No glaring errors like his centre-back partner but still far from his dominant self. Ran ragged by Benzema for his two goals.
Andrew Robertson (6/10):
Started brightly and provided a match-saving clearance at 2-2, although that didn't count for much in the end.
AdvertisementMidfield
Jordan Henderson (5/10):
Outrun in midfield despite a dominant opening 20 minutes. Unable to deal with the brilliance of Modric and Valverde.
Fabinho (4/10):
See above. Always looked vulnerable in transition, gave the ball away for Madrid's fifth.
Stefan Bajcetic (5/10):
Offered something different to his midfield partners but give the ball away too many times. Maybe struggled with the big occasion.
Getty ImagesAttack
Mohamed Salah (7/10):
Pin-point assist for Nunez's opener and pounced on Courtois' glaring error, but faded as the game wore on.
Cody Gakpo (6/10):
Brimming with confidence at the beginning of the game but more or less disappeared after 20 minutes. Brought off for Firmino on 64 minutes.
Darwin Nunez (8/10):
Scored a brilliant goal and showed tenacity in defence and attack all game. Unfortunate not to have been awarded a penalty, even more so to be brought off early alongside Gakpo.
Subs & Manager
Roberto Firmino (4/10):
Replaced Gakpo but failed to offer much going forward. Should have scored from Alexander-Arnold's corner.
Diogo Jota (4/10):
Came on for the electric Nunez and weakened Liverpool's attack as a result.
Joel Matip (6/10):
Put Gomez out of his misery on 73 minutes. Only defender not to concede on the night.
James Milner (6/10):
Got a 20-minute run out alongside Matip. Nothing of note to report.
Harvey Elliot (N/A):
Only introduced for the final five minutes.
Jugen Klopp (5/10):
Saw his side completely capitulate from a position of control. Unable to do anything about the individual errors, but his subs weakened a Liverpool side who had all but given up by the end.