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Daniele De Rossi admits shellshocked Roma are merely 'clinging' to hope after Liverpool's stunning 5-2 demolition in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

A red-hot Reds side dismantled their visitors to go 5-0 up before the Giallorossi netted twice in the final 10 minutes to give the Italian side a slither of belief for the return leg at Stadio Olimpico on May 2.

Roma also needed a three-goal turnaround in the quarter-final second leg against Barcelona earlier this month, and that experience gives De Rossi a morsel of comfort.

(Image: Getty Images)

However, the Roma captain accepted that Liverpool were far and away the superior side on yet another famous European night for Jurgen Klopp's Reds.

"We can cling to what we've already done in the quarter-final, which certainly tells us it's possible," De Rossi is quoted as telling Sport Mediaset.

"It's our duty to believe and to try, for us and above all for the people who love Roma.

"The only difference is that against Barcelona I saw a game that was unlucky, with many dubious incidents.

"Here we started strong, but then suffered under their pace and the ferocity of their attacks. We have to learn those lessons for the second leg.

"Not having seen the game back, it would be wrong for me to give a tactical view of what happened.

"Liverpool are strong, let's not forget, and they did very well, but we had 20-25 very good minutes at the start."

The veteran midfielder also said the Reds' cut-throat tactics were too much for a Roma side who struggled to keep pace with the hosts' jet-heeled frontline of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

He added: "They constantly went for the long ball, from any area of the pitch, and it's difficult to cover that space when there are players who are always faster than you."