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…
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.
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Midfield
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.
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Attack
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.