Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has been slammed by French newspaper L'Equipe for his performance in the 5-2 defeat against Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old, who started alongside Virgil van Dijk, was part of the defence that capitulated during the second half at Anfield as Karim Benzema, Vinicious Jr and Eder Militao inspired Real to a remarkable comeback, having fallen behind to early strikes from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.
Fingers were pointed at the England international for the first and fourth goals of the tie as he first afforded Vinicius Jr enough time and space to bend an effort past Alisson Becker into the far corner and halve the deficit after 21 minutes. Meanwhile, Benzema's first strike shortly after half-time deflected off Gomez and wrong-footed the Brazilian between the sticks.
PAUL GORST: What defiant Liverpool fans sang as Jurgen Klopp's Real Madrid prediction comes true
IAN DOYLE: Jurgen Klopp gets it right with defence as Liverpool change painfully apparent
Soon after the 14-time European Cup winners grabbed their fifth goal of the night, Gomez was replaced by Joel Matip and immediately headed straight down the tunnel while clutching his hamstring, with Jurgen Klopp telling reporters after the game that Gomez would be fully assessed at the AXA Training Centre on Wednesday.
And such a forgettable night at Anfield has seen the defender awarded a 2/10 rating by notorious French publication L'Equipe, who have established themselves a reputation as the continent's harshest graders in recent years and have only ever dished out a 10/10 rating to 14 different players since 1998.
However, there was no love lost for Gomez's team-mates either, with Alisson receiving a 3/10 rating, while Salah was the only member of Klopp's squad to be awarded a score of 6/10 or higher after proving to be a thorn in the side of David Alaba before the full-back was substituted midway through the first half.
YOUR SAY: Can Liverpool turn the tie around in the second leg? Answer this, and two more key questions from Tuesday's defeat, in our special poll:
Yet despite falling behind to two goals within 14 minutes, Carl Ancelotti's side were lauded for their efforts on Merseyside as four players achieved a 7/10 score or higher, with Vinicius Jr topping the charts with a deserved 9/10 score for his captivating display at Anfield on a night where he became the most prolific attacker Liverpool have ever faced in Europe.
The bullish showing from the La Liga champions means Klopp's men face an almost impossible challenge when they travel to the Santiago Bernabeu next month, with the Reds needing to achieve a four-goal winning margin over their Spanish counterparts in order to win the tie outright.
READ NEXT
- Liverpool player ratings as Joe Gomez and two others awful in Real Madrid humbling
- Real Madrid have just exposed Liverpool's greatest Champions League concern
- Karim Benzema reveals what Liverpool fans did to unleash the 'true Real Madrid'
- Jamie Carragher sends brutal Virgil van Dijk message after Liverpool 'disgrace'
- Steven Gerrard makes brutal Liverpool claim
