Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that he was left "disappointed" but not "angry" with his side's Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
Needing to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg at Anfield three weeks ago, Liverpool bowed out at the last-16 stage courtesy of a 1-0 second-leg loss at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema's second-half winner sent Real Madrid through to the last eight 6-2 on aggregate, and Liverpool were indebted to Alisson Becker for keeping the scoreline respectable.
The Reds also survived a late handball shout against Kostas Tsimikas in the dying embers, but they could not produce the magnificent comeback necessary to keep their hopes of silverware for the 2022-23 season alive.
Speaking to the press after the game, Klopp admitted that his side did not produce a "special performance" when required to, and he could accept that Real Madrid were deserved winners over the two legs.
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"We came here with the backpack we had with the three goals difference. You need a special performance and we didn't show a special performance tonight," Klopp told reporters.
"It was, in moments, a good performance, but Real Madrid was, for the whole game, the team in control of the game. They had the better chances, Ali had to make two sensational saves to keep us in the game and that's the reason.
"Again, if you want to go through you need to be outstanding; if you want to win the game, you need to be really good. In the end, Madrid were the better team and that's why the right team went through to the next round.
"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."
Now only fighting for a top-four finish in the Premier League as the season reaches its business end, Liverpool return to domestic duties sitting six points adrift of a Champions League berth, having suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Bournemouth last weekend.
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The sixth-placed Reds do have a game in hand on Tottenham Hotspur, but Newcastle United are two points better off than Klopp's side having played a game fewer, and the Liverpool boss believes that the week following the international break - where they face Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in quick succession - will most likely define his side's season.
"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," Klopp added.
"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.
"Our job is to squeeze absolutely everything out of this season what is possible. There is again distance because other teams won their games... it is clear, we want to be top four, but if we can do that, we will decide on the pitch [and] not here in the press conference."
Liverpool's proposed clash with Fulham this weekend has been postponed due to the Cottagers' participation in the FA Cup quarter-finals, meaning that the Reds will not be back in action until a trip to the Etihad to face champions Man City on April 1 following the international break.
Ben Knapton
