Jurgen Klopp was left frustrated with Liverpool's defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool

Despite entering their Champions League quarter-final as underdogs, the Reds would still have hoped to get more out of their trip to the Spanish capital than a convincing 3-1 defeat.

Toni Kroos paved the way for Los Blancos to take a first-half lead with an astonishing assist for Vinicius Junior, before Marco Asensio doubled the advantage from Trent Alexander-Arnold's error.

Mohamed Salah was able to save face after the break with a potentially vital away goal, but another Vinicius finish - aided by some tepid goalkeeping - ensured that Real are in full command of the tie.

Jurgen Klopp disappointed with the result

And Klopp was under no illusion that Liverpool deserved anything more than they received, telling BT Sport: "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. We just didn't play good enough football to cause Real Madrid more problems. We made it too easy for them. 

"The only good thing I can say, apart from the goal, is it's only the first half of the tie. We didn't deserve a lot more but that one goal and the second half was OK. It gives us a lifeline."

Jurgen Klopp's stadium excuse 

However, Klopp wasn't finished there as he bizarrely claimed that the game being held at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano made life more difficult for his Liverpool side.

The Liverpool coach had already lamented that the stadium, which is filling in for the under-construction Bernabeu, was a 'training pitch' when he first arrived, but went one step further during his post-match interviews.

According to the Daily Mail, the Liverpool boss explained after their European defeat: "It must be a really tricky task for Real Madrid at Anfield.

"This was strange tonight because it was really difficult with the stadium (at Madrid's training ground) but Anfield is at least a proper stadium and it will be good for us."

Ah, we've been here before, haven't we?

Klopp's penchant for bizarre excuses

It's something of an ongoing joke that Klopp likes to come up with wild excuses with everything from wind, snow, dry pitches and cold feet receiving the accusatory finger over the years. 

Now, don't get me wrong, Klopp wasn't exactly declaring that Liverpool's defeat was solely down to the stadium in which it was played, but clearly he thinks that it made a considerable impact.

As somebody who isn't a world-class footballer himself - shock horror - I can't proclaim to know exactly how it might have affected the players, but I think we can all agree that it felt like a bizarre setting for a Champions League quarter-final.

While, yes, it's about as good as training ground stadium could possibly get, I can't be alone in feeling as though it made a top European game actually resemble an FA Cup fourth-round tie.

Whether or not that gives Klopp a license to shovel some of the blame on not playing in a 'proper stadium' is something we'll let you decide, but it'll take pride of place on his burgeoning list of excuses regardless.

Where do Liverpool go from here?

However, one area where Klopp's comments really ring true is the declaration that Anfield is a 'proper stadium', which is certainly the case compared to Real's temporary home.

And while we don't doubt for a second that returning to Merseyside could make a major difference, though they have only scored once at Anfield in 2021, the absence of fans will still be a huge blow.

Klopp even went as far as saying that the iconic Barcelona comeback was 80% down to the Kopites present, clearly underlining the importance of not just playing at Anfield, but a full capacity Anfield.

I guess that means Liverpool will have to try and put another Spanish giant to the sword in the Champions League, but this time with only 20% of the strength. We can't wait to see it unfold.