Devotees of the 18 La Liga contenders that aren't Barcelona nor Real Madrid should watch games like Real's first UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Liverpool and feel offended by how unequal their league is.

Los Blancos have been a grim watch this year. Currently second in La Liga, they have bobbed along, relying on the individual quality of certain players to eventually win out against the lesser, significantly poorer competition.

At full strength and, more importantly, in Europe suddenly they turn on the style and play like the team their legend suggests they are. It shows that Real generally consider La Liga busywork and that they consider a team like Liverpool – even in their weakened state – to be real competition.

Real were pure magic up and down the left hand side. Set up in a 4-3-3 with an inverted triangle in the middle, the defensive back four were occasionally joined by Casemiro and would outnumber Liverpool's traditional attacking trifecta, scoop up the ball and deliver it to Toni Kroos, a player currently in fine form.

He was dropping balls on a sixpence no matter the distance so it wasn't a surprise when in the 26th minute he lobbed it a third of the pitch directly onto Vinicius Jr. The young Brazilian tapped it down with his shoulder and smashed it beyond Liverpool keeper Alisson; the move was so smooth that he split through defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nathaniel Phillips before they even noticed he was a genuine threat.

Liverpool's incredibly high line didn't change after the first goal and Madrid spent the next 10 minutes probing until Kroos floated another ball from the halfway line down towards Vinicius. Alexander-Arnold tried to intercept with a header and instead knocked it directly into the path of Marco Asensio who tapped it in to make it 2-0.

It was too easy. Though very different to the 2017/18 Champions League final, Real Madrid still managed to totally psyche out Liverpool. Even bringing on Thiago in an attempt to take control of the midfield did nothing.

Admittedly, Liverpool came out swinging in the second half. Real, already two-up, sat further down the field than before on the assumption the tie was basically over. This gave Liverpool space to play the way they like and only five minutes in Diogo Jota scrambled forwards with Mo Salah. Together, they forced their way into Real's territory. Right in front of goal, Jota got it to Salah's educated feet through a sea of white shirts, and Salah did the rest.

Real snapped to life and, in doing so, snuffed the life out of the game and reasserted their dominance. It came down to Kroos and Luka Modric. They snatched the ball out of Liverpool's active midfield and held it away from the Redmen, greatly slowing the tempo until the game resembled the first half again.

Held back, Liverpool became a step too slow and this time it was Modric that linked up with Vinicius. He cut in off a throw in from Karim Benzema and passed it short to Vinicius; in one sweeping move, he sliced the ball beyond Alisson and began celebrating almost before Alisson knew he'd conceded.

It became an equal game from there, but that doesn't matter when the scoreline is 3-1. Real did enough to ensure it ended that way – just like in their Champions League final. Liverpool will rue their early mistakes, particularly Asensio's goal which was entirely unforced.

Salah's away goal has given Liverpool a lifeline for the second leg, which takes place next week at Anfield. Were this a year or two ago, that would be a daunting prospect for Real; if they maintain their metronomic precision and score early, they should have no problems. Liverpool, on the other hand, need to get out of their heads and onto the pitch. They have been too successful to live in fear of Madrid.