LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp believes his side have something to build on despite being on the wrong end of a 5-2 scoreline against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

The home side were impressive in the opening 20 minutes of this first-leg, last 16 tie, and will generally be pleased with their first-half performance as a whole, despite relinquishing a 2-0 lead by the time the half-time whistle was blown.

Darwin Nunez opened the scoring with an ingenious flicked finish from Mohamed Salah’s cross, before the latter pounced on an error from Thibaut Courtois. But it was to be Liverpool’s own errors and sloppy defending that would be their undoing as Real racked up five goals via two apiece from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, plus one from Eder Militao, to take complete control of the tie.

“We gave all five goals away, all five,” said Klopp. “But the start of the game, in our situation, where we are — it’s really important that we see the positive steps.

“I think the first half was pretty much, besides the two goals we conceded, the best we played for probably the whole season, so I like that a lot.

“At half time we were rather positive, to be honest, and then we started [the second half] by conceding the third goal, which is a horrible goal, and today it was pretty much a game changer.

“We lost the momentum in that moment and never really got it back.”

Liverpool have looked better in the league in recent games, recording impressive 2-0 wins against local rivals Everton and against a strong Newcastle team, but this defeat in European competition brought them straight back down to earth and showed improvements are still needed.

“Liverpool are still a fantastic team, in my opinion,” said Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.

“They play with an intensity that is difficult to find, especially when they play here at Anfield.”

The Italian said that he doesn’t believe the tie is over, but it will certainly be difficult, seemingly impossible given how they played here, for Liverpool to come back into it, never mind win it.

But it is those opening exchanges Klopp will hold onto, hoping his players learn not just from the mistakes they made for the goals they conceded, but also from remembering how good they were at times in the first half.

“The start of the game was outstanding, us in a nutshell and us how we want to be,” said the Liverpool boss.

“It was really difficult for Madrid to defend against us, much more than they probably wished for.

“It’s the way we used to play in the past.”

There was an air of disappointment to those final words, but rather than resigning that way of playing to the past, there have been signs Liverpool can still play like they used to.

They now face the task of qualifying for this tournament again next year, and those recent league victories have put them within seven points of fourth. It will still be a difficult task to finish in that final Champions League qualification spot, but it’s not looking as impossible as it did earlier in the season.