It took a while for the frustration, anger and hurt to bubble to the surface. For about an hour on Tuesday night, Liverpool fans watched sadly and patiently as their team was skillfully dismantled by Real Madrid.
They cheered on JĆ¼rgen Kloppās players after they squandered a two-goal first-half lead. They supported them as Real Madrid made it 3-2, then 4-2 and finally 5-2, a defeat that became a humiliation. They remained stoic as they watched their season collapse, while enduring the most painful night in Anfieldās European history.
But then came the walk: the passes were the straw that broke the camelās back. As the game drew to a close, as the crowd began to thin out a little, Real Madrid decided to engage in a little game of keeping possession. They passed the ball between, beside and around their exhausted opponents. They offered them a glimpse of the ball and then took it with them at the last moment.
They held control for a minute or two, the Liverpool players wandering and lagging as they ran in a hopeless pursuit. It was a humiliation too far. It is one thing to be beaten, especially by Real Madrid, and quite another to be humiliated. The crowd began to whistle, and then to boo: at Real Madrid, at their own players, chasing shadows, at this whole long, cursed, miserable season.
That Real Madrid won at Anfield doesn't count as a surprise of any kind. This is Real Madrid, after all, and this is the Champions League. A thrilling recovery by Real Madrid is part of the deal. To a large extent, it's increasingly strange that anyone else bothers to enter the competition.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have mastered the comeback, turning it into an art, reducing it to its very essence. On the road to European glory last season, Real Madrid typically required the full length of a two-legged tie, including extra time in the second game, to pull off the miraculous comeback that has become their trademark.
The only change this season - according to the evidence - is that the process has been simplified to the point that it now takes no more than half an hour, with a break in between for a quick bite to eat.
What was far more shocking than Liverpoolās defeat on Tuesday was the way it happened. Somewhere deep within this Liverpool team is the muscle memory of what once was, and not so long ago. After all, it is only nine months since they played in their third Champions League final in five years, with Klopp confident enough to advise his teamās fans ā even in defeat ā to book their hotel rooms for this yearās final.
