Vinicius Jr. celebrates scoring Real Madrid's second goal during Tuesday's 5-2 Champions League victory at Liverpool.

Real Madrid made its name as the king of Europe who can never be written off, and it proved it once again at Anfield against a bewildered Liverpool on Tuesday night.

Despite falling two goals behind in the opening 14 minutes, Carlo Ancelotti's side came back to thrash the host and record a spectacular 5-2 Champions League last-16, first-leg victory.

Madrid won a record 14th European Cup last season by beating Jurgen Klopp's team 1-0 in the Paris final, but along the way it produced remarkable comebacks in topsy-turvy games against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Its performance on Merseyside was in this vein, with a sloppy start in defense covered up by an attacking onslaught in a chaotic and unforgettable clash.

Ancelotti's side sometimes only seems to click into gear after falling behind and the coach said he was not worried, despite Liverpool moving ahead through Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah.

"I thought about Manchester City and hoped the same thing would happen, and it did, and better still," Ancelotti told Movistar, recalling last season's semifinal first leg, where Madrid fell two goals behind against Pep Guardiola's side.

"We started scoring, creating danger and we improved in defense."

The second goal was particularly strange, with Thibaut Courtois failed to control the ball for Salah to fire home.

'Decisive' Vinicius

A key driver for Madrid's comeback was Vinicius Jr., who scored twice to pull the team back on level terms before halftime.

The Brazilian winger has struggled to break free of various problems in Spain, including racist abuse from the stands, and overly aggressive defenders, but shone again against Liverpool.

"Vinicius right now, in my opinion, is the most decisive player in world football," added Ancelotti.

"There is no player with this continuity of action. He doesn't stop and keeps going. I hope he can continue like this."

Vinicius has become arguably his team's most important player after crowning his breakout season by scoring the goal that won Madrid a record-extending 14th European Cup title with a 1-0 win over Liverpool last year.

He is the player with most goal attempts (28) and shots on target (15) in the Champions League this season and is the most fouled player in Europe's top five leagues (82).

Vinicius scored twice in three attempts against Liverpool on Tuesday and — at only 22 — is already the second highest scorer against the English team in the Champions League with five goals, one behind Karim Benzema, and ahead of Didier Drogba (four) and Frank Lampard (three).

After Liverpool went 2-0 ahead, Vinicius hit back with a sublime strike and doubled his tally with a fluke second after Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker hit the ball straight at him. "Vinicius was brilliant as always," Ancelotti said.

"It was a historic win, mostly because if you consider where we played and how we started the game, falling two goals behind.

"But we never backed down and kept our cool, did not panic and we turned around a very difficult game."

After scoring 22 goals with 20 assists last season, Vinicius has already scored 18 in all competitions this campaign and was named player of the tournament at the Club World Cup in January, helping Madrid to secure a record-extending fifth title.

Successful habit

Benzema also played a key role for Madrid with a second-half brace despite recent injury concerns.

Los Blancos' captain missed the trip to Osasuna over the weekend in order to be fully fit to face Liverpool, and Ancelotti's gamble paid off as Madrid won both games.

"After 15, 20 minutes, then we saw Real Madrid," Benzema told Movistar, urging his team not to start as slowly in the future.

However, Madrid has made it a habit, and somehow a successful one, dominating the competition over the past decade.

Under Ancelotti in 2014, Los Blancos won La Decima — the 10th — by coming from behind to beat rival Atletico Madrid in the final.

It has not looked back since, adding further trophies in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and then again last year, when it came back from the dead on multiple occasions.

This victory over Liverpool will go down with the most memorable of them.

Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde credited Ancelotti's words at halftime for helping the team romp to victory.

"It's important what he told us at the break, he has few words and (yet he) says a lot to you," Valverde told Movistar.

"He supported us at the right moments and it boosted our morale to mount the comeback."

Eder Militao headed Madrid in front and then Benzema scored twice to seal an emphatic triumph.

The Uruguayan said Ancelotti believed his side would complete another historic European turnaround — only Ajax in 1966 has put five past Liverpool in Europe.

"He was calm at the break and told us that we could win, that we had the team to do it," added Valverde.