Lautaro Martinez says Alexis Sanchez's red card against Liverpool was 'the difference' between Inter Milan reaching the quarter-final of the Champions League and crashing out of the competition.
Sanchez was sent off just two minutes after Martinez scored the only goal of the game on Tuesday evening. The Chilean international was given a second yellow for a foul on Thiago Alcantara.
As a result, Simone Inzaghi's side crashed out of the Champions League despite winning the second leg of their last 16 tie at Anfield.
Speaking to Sky Italia after the game, Martinez said: 'We did what we wanted to, we showed character, the desire to go through and when we took the lead in a difficult arena with so much enthusiasm.
'It's a pity to then go down to 10 men, because these are the things that can make the difference. We have to turn the page straight away and try to look forward.
'We are out of the Champions League, we have the Coppa Italia, we have Serie A and must try to do our best, learn from these mistakes and try to keep improving.'
Meanwhile, Inter boss Inzaghi said he was frustrated with the result but proud of his side's performance as they managed to beat one of 'the strongest teams in Europe'.
Inzaghi also said that he was more disappointed with Inter's result against Liverpool in the first leg at the San Siro.
Speaking after the game, the Inter boss said: 'I'm more bitter about the outcome in the San Siro than what happened tonight.
'We played against perhaps the strongest team in Europe at this time and we were their equals. We paid a high price for the red card.'
Liverpool's victory over Inter Milan has kept their hopes of winning the historic quadruple alive.
However, Mohamed Salah couldn't help but share his disappointment at his inability to find the back of the net.
Salah hit the post on two occasions during the last 16 tie. However, he did praise his team for 'performing well'.
Salah said: 'I hit the post a couple of times, maybe next game I'll score three. But the most important thing is that the team performed and we're through into the next round.'