Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez felt he needed to prove himself against Real Madrid, according to defender Fabio Aurelio.
Benitez spent 15 years as a player and coach at the Bernabeu before leaving to learn his managerial craft, famously winning the Primera Liga crown twice with Valencia.
And on Tuesday he masterminded one of Liverpool’s greatest European achievements with a 5-0 aggregate victory over Real Madrid to send them out of the Champions League, with the Anfield club reaching the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years.
The devastating 4-0 thrashing of Real at Anfield has shaken the Spanish champions – nine times European Cup winners – to the core and there could be far-reaching consequences, with the future of caretaker coach Juande Ramos now in serious doubt.
Brazilian full-back Aurelio, who played under Benitez at Valencia, said: “It was the performance that Rafa was looking for before the game, but it was even better maybe than any of us expected.
“The victory meant a lot to Rafa, too. He comes from Madrid, he worked and played for Real.
“So it was important for him to show that he has grown as a manager, he is as pleased about the result as all of us.
“He has achieved many fine results in the Champions League, but this was a fine, attacking victory. That, too, was important because of the things that Madrid had been saying about us before the game.
“That we were boring and defensive, that we only wanted a 0-0 in the Bernabeu and we were not interested in playing good football.”
He added: “We have shown that we can also be a strong, attacking team. In Gerrard and Torres we have fine players who can score goals. That is what made the result so beautiful for us, to play like that and score those goals. We can be an attacking team as well.
“It was a perfect result and a perfect performance. Perfect, just perfect.
“It was probably our best performance of the season, we passed the ball well, defended well and attacked well.”
Benitez, whose European record at Liverpool now stands at 42 wins from 69 matches, with only 13 defeats, said: “It was a special night and a special performance.
“The players were fantastic from the first minute to the last.
“I was very pleased with the positive performance right from the start.”
Benitez spent 15 years as a player and coach at the Bernabeu before leaving to learn his managerial craft, famously winning the Primera Liga crown twice with Valencia.
And on Tuesday he masterminded one of Liverpool’s greatest European achievements with a 5-0 aggregate victory over Real Madrid to send them out of the Champions League, with the Anfield club reaching the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years.
The devastating 4-0 thrashing of Real at Anfield has shaken the Spanish champions – nine times European Cup winners – to the core and there could be far-reaching consequences, with the future of caretaker coach Juande Ramos now in serious doubt.
Brazilian full-back Aurelio, who played under Benitez at Valencia, said: “It was the performance that Rafa was looking for before the game, but it was even better maybe than any of us expected.
“The victory meant a lot to Rafa, too. He comes from Madrid, he worked and played for Real.
“So it was important for him to show that he has grown as a manager, he is as pleased about the result as all of us.
“He has achieved many fine results in the Champions League, but this was a fine, attacking victory. That, too, was important because of the things that Madrid had been saying about us before the game.
“That we were boring and defensive, that we only wanted a 0-0 in the Bernabeu and we were not interested in playing good football.”
He added: “We have shown that we can also be a strong, attacking team. In Gerrard and Torres we have fine players who can score goals. That is what made the result so beautiful for us, to play like that and score those goals. We can be an attacking team as well.
“It was a perfect result and a perfect performance. Perfect, just perfect.
“It was probably our best performance of the season, we passed the ball well, defended well and attacked well.”
Benitez, whose European record at Liverpool now stands at 42 wins from 69 matches, with only 13 defeats, said: “It was a special night and a special performance.
“The players were fantastic from the first minute to the last.
“I was very pleased with the positive performance right from the start.”
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