Liverpool made it five wins in five in the Champions League to move to the top of the table with a shock 2-0 victory over Real Madrid at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister took the tempo of the match and gave the Reds the lead before substitute Cody Gakpo went home briefly in the 76th minute. Arne Slot’s team fully deserved their victory, but the score may have been very different, with Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah he also did not inflate his lines on the spot.
There were massive performances throughout the box for the hosts, and while Mac Allister was the choice of the group, Conor Bradley turned heads with a demo that showed Trent Alexander-Arnold that he can start to look over his er.
Here, Express Sport tells you how the Liverpool player behaved that night. . .
Caoimhin Kelleher: 8
He had nothing to do until Mbappé put the ball on the spot. He leapt brilliantly to his left to fend off the Frenchman and then made a couple of decent saves in a timely manner.
Conor Bradley: 8
A true coming-of-age functionality compared to a player like Mbappé. Anfield enjoyed its decisive showdown with the World Cup winner. He was competitive and gave a great hand to Mac Allister. Alexander-Arnold is coming to the end of his contract with Liverpool and Slot already has a replacement ready.
Ibrahima Konate: 7
A wall behind, Konaté made a very good block in the first half to prevent a cross from Luka Modric and avoid a damaging attack from Real.
Virgil van Dijk: 7
Got away with a sloppy pass which went straight to Arda Guler early on, but like the rest of his team-mates, grew in confidence as the match progressed. Van Dijk was purring by the end and his cross-field ball is a sight to behold.
Andres Robertson: 6
He put the result in danger with a clumsy shot by Lucas Vázquez in the second half. A penalty was awarded, but Kelleher saved it. Robertson made amends with a magnificent cross for Gakpo to head in Liverpool’s second goal.
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Ryan Gravenberch: 6 (reserved)
It was a consistent performance, but his midfield teammates did the most work.
Alexis Mac Allister: nine (reserved)
The best player on the pitch. He couldn’t miss with accurate balls into the box, one of which was headed just wide by Darwin Nunez and the other nodded on target by Bradley. Took his goal brilliantly and went toe-to-toe with Jude Bellingham. The booking means he will miss Liverpool’s trip to Girona next month.
Mohamed Salah: 7
The Egyptian was harassed by Real’s defenders, but he had a moment: this time it was to turn Ferland Mendy upside down and take a penalty. His score would have been higher if he hadn’t shattered it extensively.
Curtis Jones: 7 (Dominik Szoboszlai, 83)
Nothing particularly spectacular from Jones but it is evident that he is full of confidence and remains untouchable in Slot’s starting line-up.
Luis Díaz: 6
Strangely quiet afternoon for the Colombian. Liverpool was the biggest team, the midfielders and defenders were the ones who shone the most.
Darwin Nunez: 6 (booked) (Gakpo, 67)
A combination bag from Núñez, who combined stupid fouls and missed opportunities with ferocious defensive paints and non-stop runs.
SUBSCRIBERS
Cody Gakpo: 7
Mounted on top of the box to put the game on the bed. Create a wonderful opportunity for the defeated Diaz. Great effect from the submarine.
Dominik Szoboszlai: N/A
An overdue addition.
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