Although the hours leading up to Liverpool's Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday evening were dominated by Brendan Rodgers' decision to rest numerous key players - Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli all started on the substitutes' bench- the starting eleven he chose did themselves proud. Many predicted that the European champions would destroy the Reds, with or without key players, but the 1-0 defeat was actually a very fine achievement. Of course you never want to lose a game of football, but the way in which Liverpool went about their business in Spain was admirable. There were outstanding individual performances from a number of fringe players, while other much-maligned stars produced the goods at one of the world's most daunting grounds. Despite the loss, qualification for the knockout stages is still in the Reds' hands, and this display should help kick their season into gear. Here is how Liverpool's starting eleven ranked on the night...
