Real Madrid left Liverpool needing another special European night at Anfield after Vinicius Junior's double helped them beat the Premier League champions 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final
After a sluggish start from Jurgen Klopp's team, Vinicius Junior capitalised to convert Toni Kroos' exquisite long pass to give Real Madrid a deserved 27th-minute lead
Liverpool's night got even worse when Trent Alexander-Arnold's poor header gifted Real Madrid a second, Marco Asensio lifting the ball over Alisson Becker and into the back of the net 11 minutes before the interval
Klopp reacted just before half-time, hauling off Naby Keita and bringing on Thiago Alcantara, and they started the second half in much better fashion
They were rewarded with a precious away goal though Mohamed Salah in the 51st minute, but Real had a response of their own as Vinicius (65) struck his second of the night to restore Real's two-goal advantage and leave Liverpool with plenty of work to do ahead of next week's second leg
Real Madrid came out of the blocks quickly and they dominated the early stages as the visitors struggled to find the rhythm that secured them a 3-0 victory at Arsenal at the weekend
They were caught napping at the back in the 27th minute as Zidane's team took a deserved lead
Kroos, with no pressure on the ball, lofted an inch-perfect 50-yard pass forward which Vinicius Junior controlled on his chest before calmly beating Alisson with his second
Real strengthened their dominance nine minutes later when a mistake from Alexander-Arnold gifted them a second
The right-back headed another long pass from Kroos straight into the path of Asensio, who lobbed the ball over Alisson before tapping into an empty net
Liverpool were stunned and Klopp reacted just before the break bringing on Thiago in place of Keita, but more work was needed from the German at half-time to get his side back into this contest
But they got the start - and the away goal - they needed early in the second half with Salah blasting the ball home via the arm of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and the underside of the crossbar after Diogo Jota had driven into the penalty area
Liverpool upped the tempo and looked most likely to score next, and but for a goal-saving challenge from Ferland Mendy with Sadio Mane ready to pounce, they would have had their second goal
However, it was Vinicius who swung the tie back in Real's favour with a sucker punch in the 65th minute
Luka Modric played the ball into the path of the Brazilian, who squeezed a shot through the legs of Nat Phillips, with Alisson only able to help the ball into the corner of the net, leaving Liverpool with plenty to do if they are to reach the semi-finals
"It was a thrilling game but Liverpool have come out on the wrong end of it
"The makeshift defence had been a little more sure of itself in recent weeks but this examination was rather more tough and Real Madrid had too much on the night
"Vinicius Junior was superb but the frustration is that individual errors also played their part - most notably Trent Alexander-Arnold's misdirected header for the second goal
"Mohamed Salah's away goal means that the tie is far from dead and the opportunity is still there for Liverpool to progress at Anfield but they are up against it now
"Real Madrid boss : "I am happy for Vinicius because what he is doing and what all the guys are doing is a great job, especially from a defensive point of view
 Maybe he was missing some goalscoring with the work he is contributing to the team so to score two goals is big to provide a lot of confidence and he deserves that
 I don't know if that was his best match but two goals in the quarter-finals is important for him and the team
"I am happy because of the football
 At the beginning of the second half we had a bit of difficulty but at the end of the day we are happy with 3-1 as it was a huge effort
 We have to enjoy what we did today
"Liverpool boss : "If you want to go to the semi-final, you have to earn the right to do so
 We didn't do that tonight, especially in the first half
 The only good thing I can say, apart from the goal, is it's only the first half of the tie
"We just didn't play good enough football to cause Real Madrid more problems
"We made it too easy for them
 These mistakes can happen
 We didn't deserve a lot more but that one goal and the second half was OK
 It gives us a lifeline
" "It's not a big story
 I don't like it
 He wasn't the only one
 It was tactical
 I could have done a few more changes in that moment
" "Intensity with the ball especially
 You cannot defend the speed of Real Madrid when you give them the ball at the wrong moments
 If you lose ball in the right moment it's OK
 We lost the ball, so many easy passes
 You have really quick and world-class players in one on ones
 We have to be better in possession
"What a night for the young Brazilian
He was fantastic and capitalised on Liverpool's defensive frailties as Alexander-Arnold and Phillips struggled to contain him
Vinicius Junior was also clinical in front of goal and now, only Kylian Mbappe (18 years 113 days vs Borussia Dortmund) has scored a Champions League double at the quarter-final stage (or later) at a younger age than Vinicius (20 years 268 days)
Klopp's side are back in action on Saturday when they host Aston Villa at Anfield, live on Sky Sports Premier League (kick-off 3pm) before the second leg next Wednesday against Real Madrid
 The Spanish side face a big La Liga clash before the second leg when they host Barcelona in El Clasico on Saturday; kick-off 8pm
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