The Reds have a small mountain to climb if they are to progress into the quarter-final stages of the Champions League after Saul's fourth minute goal allowed Diego Simeone's men to shut-up-shop and bring a 1-0 lead to Anfield in two weeks time.
Despite the loss, Jurgen Klopp's men will have full confidence in their ability to beat Madrid back on home turf, especially with their recent history of beating Spanish sides at home in the second-leg of a knockout fixture.
Tuesday was the first time in nearly 10 years that the two sides had faced off and the starting eleven and substitutes available for then-boss Rafa Benitez shows exactly how far Liverpool have progressed under both the ownership of Fenway Sports Group and Jurgen Klopp.
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Liverpool's starting team against Atletico on April 29 2010 was as following: Pepe Reina, Javier Mascherano, Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher, Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani, Steven Gerrard (c), Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel, Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt.
The substitutions made on the night saw Alberto Aquilani replaced by Nabil El Zhar, Philipp Degen brought on for Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun taken off for Dani Pacheco.
Compare the substitutions from the last night, which saw James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Divock Origi introduced, to the game 10 years ago, and that alone shows the progression.
In a game which saw central-midfielder Mascherano operate at right-back, former Watford boss Quique Flores in charge of Madrid and an extra time away goal, the Reds were condemned to defeat and knocked out of the Europa League at the semi-final stage.
Fast-forward 10 years and, despite being 1-0 down going into the second-leg tie against Atletico, Liverpool stand as current world champions and Premier League champions-elect.
An incredible transformation and one that Founder John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and all involved with FSG should take enormous credit for.
When Sadio Mane arrived at Anfield in 2016, his £37.5million price-tag raised eyebrows on a number of rival fans, but for supporters of the Reds, it was a show of intent that they were once again ready to fight it out with the 'big-boys'.
Since then, signings such as Alisson Becker, Mohammed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and more have propelled Liverpool to the top of the football mountain and far away from that disappointing night against Los Rojiblancos in 2010.
