"People here know" - Thibaut Courtois makes surprise claims about Liverpool fans after Real Madrid win at Anfield

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has praised the Liverpool fans at Anfield for applauding Karim Benzema and Luka Modric during the two sides' UEFA Champions League clash.

Los Blancos emerged as 5-2 winners in the first leg of the two teams' Round of 16 clash at Anfield despite going two goals down within 14 minutes.

Modric played a pivotal part in Real Madrid's comeback, assisting their third goal scored by Eder Militao. He also recorded a key pass, a tackle, an interception, six successful duels and three successful dribbles in an all-action display.

Meanwhile, Benzema got on the scoresheet twice to give his side a healthy three-goal lead going into the second leg. The Frenchman also laid out two key passes and assisted Vinicius Junior in the first half.

When the two players were taken off in the dying embers of the game, the Anfield crowd gave them a standing ovation, which caught Courtois' eye. The goalkeeper praised the Reds fans, highlighting how they know how to appreciate great players.

"It’s my first time playing Champions League football at Anfield when fans are in the stadium," Courtois said (via Metro).

He added:

"The fact that there was applause from Liverpool supporters for Luka and Karim just proves that people here know how to appreciate guys who are great players."

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah gave the home team a two-goal cushion, which was wiped out by Vinicius' twin strikes in the 21st and 36th minutes respectively. Both teams' second goals were the result of goalkeeping errors.

Explaining what went wrong when he mistakenly kicked the ball into Salah's path, the Belgium international said:

"That second Liverpool goal was slightly bad luck that I messed it up. I had the ball under control and I wanted to pass it immediately but I saw that Mohamed Salah had stopped so I changed my mind and tried to move it on to my right foot but it bounced off my knee."

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"We're never beaten" - Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on his team's comeback against Liverpool

Thibaut Courtois also pointed out how Vinicus Junior's twin strikes in the first half gave Real Madrid a lift and they rode on it to complete a stunning comeback. Eder Militao scored the third goal for Madrid in the 47th minute, while Karim Benzema scored twice to hand them a 5-2 win.

"Vinicius Jr’s goal gave us wind beneath our wings and then Alisson Becker had a moment like mine and everyone knows that, on the counter-attack, we’re strong," he said.

Courtois added:

"We’re never beaten, we always react. Those two quick goals did help us to do that. We were calm, mentally, and when we are on the rise we play well."

The second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie between Real Madrid and Liverpool is scheduled for March 15 at the Santiago Bernabeu.