‘They could play proper football’

We don't know where our limit is when it comes to hanging in there and suffering, just like we did today. We all defended until the death and when a team all digs in like this, things like this happen. Scoring the goal that sent us through is a feeling that cannot be described.

Marcos Llorente

ATletico midfielder

There are no points in the Champions League for aesthetically pleasing or entertaining football but Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said something didn't feel right about his team's defeat by defence-minded Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Diego Simeone's side were outplayed for large parts of the match and looked destined to be overwhelmed by Liverpool when Roberto Firmino scored early in extra-time to give his side a 2-1 lead on aggregate after Georginio Wijnaldum's opener.

But Marcos Llorente, the great nephew of six-times European Cup winner Paco Gento, hauled Atletico back into the tie with two strikes from outside the box before Alvaro Morata added a third to stun Anfield.

Klopp, who guided his team to the final in the past two seasons, couldn't resist some barbed comments about his counterpart Diego Simeone's tactics.

"I don't understand with the quality they have, the football they play. They could play proper football but they stand deep and have counter attacks," Klopp told reporters.

"We accept it of course but it doesn't feel right tonight. I realise I am a really bad loser, especially when the boys put such an effort in against world class players on the other side who defend with two rows of four," he said.

It was hardly a surprise, though, that the Spanish side adopted such an approach -- a tight defence and compact midfield has been the hallmark of Atletico during Argentine Simeone's eight years in charge.

Simeone cannot call on the world-class playmakers and strikers available to La Liga rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid and compensates with organisation, work-rate and an ability to work out the best way to punish opponents.

"We came here to win, I respect his identity and with the quality we have, we try to exploit deficiencies in the opposition, that's what we do," said the Argentine when confronted with Klopp's criticism.

Simeone also claimed that the result was 'unjust' as Atletico had the advantage of extra time to find an away goal.

"What I have to say, and will be saying at the next UEFA coaches' meeting, is what I think is unfair," said Simeone. "Today was unjust because we had 30 minutes of extra time to score three away goals. Liverpool never had that. We had 30 more minutes to score an away goal and Liverpool didn't. That's not fair. The rule favoured us today but it might go against us in the future. Liverpool had 30 minutes fewer to score an away goal. That's wrong."

Klopp knows, however, that despite this disappointment, this is a memorable season for Liverpool who lead the Premier League by 25 points will surely be crowned English champions for the first time in 30 years.

So, he was not about to let his frustration turn into criticism of his strikers for the failure to convert chances into more goals.

"I loved the way we played in the 90 minutes, we played exceptionally well.  For two and a half years we have had an exceptional ride in the Champions. Tonight, the crowd exceptional and the boys fought hard," he said. "We know in the last two years we had some lucky moments in the Champions League, you have to, to reach two finals, but today it was like everything was against us in the decisive moments."