Henderson: 'Real punished every mistake of Liverpool'
"For most of the first half, Liverpool played well," Henderson said after the reverse defeat at Anfield. "I think Liverpool were unlucky going into the break with a draw. We made too many mistakes and when that happens, Real punish you. They punish every mistake we made today. ".
Liverpool got off to the perfect start at Anfield. In turn, Darwin Nunez hit his heel and Mohamed Salah took advantage of the mistake of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, helping the host to lead 2-0 after only 14 minutes.
In the 21st minute, Vinicius coordinated with Karim Benzema and then decisively shot into the far corner to beat compatriot Alisson. At the end of the first half, the Brazilian goalkeeper passed the ball to Vinicius' foot and flew back into the net, causing Liverpool to lose the two-goal lead.
The visitors took the lead for the first time in the 47th minute, when Luka Modric took a free-kick to head midfielder Eder Militao in an unmarked position. Then, Benzema scored twice from shots in the box, helping to fix the upstream 5-2.
Henderson was disappointed with the result, and claimed that Liverpool had not fouled the free-kick for Real to score a third. The English midfielder admitted Liverpool did not defend well in this set-piece and this was the turning point. "The second goal was clearly a mistake. Conceding the third goal made Liverpool lose the game. This result is difficult to accept," Henderson added.
The Liverpool captain also regretted the missed opportunity in the 25th minute, when the host was leading 2-1. Trent Alexander-Arnold poked a hole to let Henderson slip down the right and then passed into the box. But both Salah and Nunez could not finish, and the ball was cleared by midfielder Eder Militao before the goal line.
Liverpool are the first team to lead 2-0 and then lose by a three-goal margin in Champions League history. They also experienced their first match conceding four and five goals at home in the European arena.
Henderson said Liverpool will focus on the next four matches in the Premier League, against Crystal Palace on February 25, Wolves on March 1, Man Utd on March 5, Bournemouth on March 11, before focusing on the second leg of the first round. /8 at Real Stadium on March 15.
