Liverpool returned to their best form, dominating Real Madrid with a wonderful performance to clinch a key Champions League victory at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s Premier League champions stopped a run of six defeats in seven games with a victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, and their revival continued as Real were outclassed.
Liverpool’s triumph was considerably more emphatic than the scoreline shows, with Alexis MacAllister ultimately breaking the deadlock in the second half, while former Reds defender Trent Alexander-Arnold watched from the bench as his new team finished second best.
Only Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ brilliance kept Liverpool at bay, with a run of fantastic stops, including four from Dominik Szoboszlai and a brilliant reflex stop from Virgil van Dijk’s header.
Courtois was powerless to prevent Liverpool from finally scoring the goal they deserved after 61 minutes when Mac Allister snuck in to head home Szoboszlai’s free kick.
Alexander-Arnold came in late in the game, amidst a barrage of boos from Liverpool supporters who once idolized him, but he was unable to make a breakthrough as Real, with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe subdued, were unable to deny Slot’s team a critical three points.
Conor Bradley has long been seen as Alexander-Arnold’s natural successor, and the 22-year-old Northern Ireland defender demonstrated why with a standout performance.
Liverpool fans reveled in Bradley’s physical clash with Vinicius Jr., screaming his name into the ether while reserving their rage for the local boy who left Anfield behind.
Bradley’s progress has been hampered by injury, but he was the icon of a Liverpool performance that rediscovered the intensity and creativity that had eluded them during their losing streak.
Szoboszlai was brilliant in midfield, only thwarted by Courtois’ brilliance, and match-winner Mac Allister’s return to form in the last two games has changed a team that appeared lost earlier in the season.
Liverpool’s defense never gave in to Real at any point, and it was only when Courtois was at his defiant best that it appeared that the Reds might not get the win that would propel them up to sixth place in the table, a position that would earn them automatic passage into the last 16 without the need for a playoff.
Bellingham had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his talent following his recent exclusion from head coach Thomas Tuchel’s England side.
Bellingham had been in excellent form as Real Madrid leads La Liga, but he was fairly anonymous as Liverpool dominated the game for the most part, with the exception of one breakthrough in the first half when he forced goalie Giorgi Mamardashvili to save with his feet.
In the end, Bellingham, like the rest of his teammates, was unable to make a significant impact on the visitors’ poor performance.
Courtois demonstrated why he is regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world, alongside Liverpool’s Alisson, with a spectacular performance that threatened to give his team a point they did not deserve.
Bradley dominated Vinicius, while Mbappe struggled in an error-filled outing.
Alexander-Arnold’s return to Anfield was marred by a harsh greeting as he came on as a substitute, while Real coach and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was left frustrated as his team crumbled.
