"Liverpool were easier" - Carlo Ancelotti on beating Jurgen Klopp's side

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said that Liverpool were "easier" to play against compared to other sides they faced in the Champions League this season.

Ancelotti said, as quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, that the plan he came up with to beat Liverpool in the Champions League final at the Stade de France worked.

"Looking back, people said Paris Saint-Germain were unlucky, Chelsea were unlucky, Manchester City were unlucky," he said, as reported by Mirror Sport.

"This was practically the only game where people thought we were more or less on the same level.

"I think it helped that Liverpool were easier to decipher than the others, because they have a very clear identity and we could prepare the way that we did. We knew what strategy to take - don’t give them space behind the defence to run into.

"Perhaps our football wasn’t extraordinarily beautiful on an aesthetic level, but playing out from the back to incentivise their pressing wasn’t a great idea. We had a few more long balls, then we got to control the ball more, especially in the second half."

Anfield Watch Verdict

I can see where Ancelotti is coming from. Liverpool are less chaotic than the teams he named, but I definitely wouldn't say we were "easier".

Real Madrid got dominated during the game and they had to rely on Thibaut Courtois to pull off one of the best ever Champions League performances in goal.

If he wasn't playing, then Liverpool could've easily won that game by three or four goals.

Ancelotti's side had one big chance and they converted it. Did they deserve to win? Yes. Liverpool just couldn't find the back of the net on the night.

However, they were not the better team across 90 minutes. Klopp's side dominated the ball and looked very comfortable for 99% of the match.

Unfortunately, one tiny lapse of concentration from Liverpool allowed Real Madrid to score the only goal of the game.