LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool maintained their excellent begin to the UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 win towards Actual Madrid on Wednesday that leaves the reigning European champions in peril of lacking out qualification for the knockout levels.
Second-half targets from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo at Anfield sealed Liverpool’s fifth successive Champions League victory and moved Arne Slot’s staff two factors clear on the high of the desk. It was the Reds’ first win towards Los Blancos within the Champions League since March 3, 2009, ending an eight-game winless streak towards the Spanish capital membership (a span that included seven losses).
However Actual, who received the Champions League for a document fifteenth time towards Borussia Dortmund at Wembley final season, have now misplaced three of 5 video games to this point and sit in twenty fourth place — the ultimate qualification spot for February’s playoff stage.
Kylian Mbappé had the possibility to equalise for Madrid when he had a penalty saved by Liverpool keeper Caoimhín Kelleher whereas the scoreline was 1-0 to the house facet. The penalty drama additionally affected Liverpool, with Mohamed Salah sending his spot kick huge on 70 minutes.
Actual now face a tricky journey to UEFA Europa League champions Atalanta on Matchday 6 subsequent month as they try to kick-start their hopes of qualifying for the subsequent stage of the competitors. — Mark Ogden
Mbappé and Salah each miss; Mbappé’s is expensive
No person may have been extra happy to see Salah skew his second-half penalty huge at Anfield than Mbappé, having seen his personal spot kick saved 9 minutes earlier. Salah’s miss took not less than a few of the highlight off Mbappé after a really disastrous night for the Madrid ahead.
This was the France worldwide’s greatest alternative but to impress in a Madrid shirt, after a shaky begin to life on the Bernabeú. As an alternative, it was his season to this point in microcosm. In 90 minutes, Mbappé had solely two pictures, one heading in the right direction, and that was the penalty. He tried simply 22 passes — solely Ferland Mendy had fewer — finishing 16.
Scoring the penalty may have modified his night time, and would have had Madrid proper again within the recreation at 1-1. As an alternative, Mbappé fluffed his strains. His efficiency will probably be scrutinised within the Madrid media on Thursday, and the followers’ endurance will not final endlessly.
Salah’s miss was less expensive — even when it was a worse effort — and may be forgotten quickly sufficient given Liverpool’s win. But it surely wasn’t what he wanted, both, within the week he admitted he is “extra out than in” at Anfield, having not acquired a brand new contract provide.
Salah is a Liverpool legend, although, and his staff is flying domestically and in Europe. Mbappé is simply beginning out at Madrid, and with three defeats out of 5, their Champions League marketing campaign is already spiraling uncontrolled. — Alex Kirkland
Kelleher lives as much as Klopp-given nickname
If Kelleher’s Liverpool profession so far may very well be summed up by a single second, then his very good penalty save to disclaim Mbappé may be it.
A bystander for a lot of the night towards Madrid, the person Jürgen Klopp as soon as dubbed the “greatest No. 2 on this planet” lived as much as his title as soon as once more, turning into the primary goalkeeper to disclaim the Frenchman from the spot within the Champions League and laying the foundations for Liverpool to safe a well-known win towards their European nemesis.
In reality, Kelleher can not be dubbed a “No. 2.” He has featured extra for Liverpool than Alisson Becker in 2024, owing to the Brazilian’s ongoing struggles with a hamstring drawback.
As soon as once more on Wednesday night time, he did not let Slot’s facet down, making a handful of late saves to protect the hosts’ clear sheet. Whereas the upcoming arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia absolutely means Kelleher’s long-term future lies away from Anfield, his enduring brilliance in Alisson’s absence implies that if, or when, he departs he’ll accomplish that as a cult hero. — Beth Lindop
Bradley offers Alexander-Arnold a glance into the long run
Trent Alexander-Arnold may need had an uncomfortable glimpse into the long run whereas sitting on the Liverpool substitutes’ bench as his teammates defeated Actual Madrid.
On the one hand, the Liverpool full-back may have seen Conor Bradley produce a shocking efficiency at right-back and present that he’s greater than able to holding Alexander-Arnold out of the staff now that he’s absolutely match. And with infinite hypothesis linking Alexander-Arnold with a free agent transfer to Actual subsequent summer time if he fails to signal a brand new deal at Anfield, the 26-year-old would possibly simply have discovered that the La Liga giants are a staff in decline solely six months after profitable the Champions League and {that a} transfer to the Santiago Bernabeú may not be the dream it as soon as appeared.
However this night time was actually all about Bradley, the spectacular 21-year-old who was excellent towards Actual.
The Northern Eire worldwide set the tone with a crunching sort out on Mbappé within the first half that introduced an enormous cheer from The Kop. Bradley went on to supply a rock-solid efficiency at full-back, in addition to providing a menace going ahead.
Bradley was denied a purpose solely when Thibaut Courtois produced a world-class save to maintain out his second-half header from shut vary.
If Liverpool are nervous about dropping Alexander-Arnold, they actually should not be. — Ogden
Bellingham feels Anfield’s wrath
Jude Bellingham delivered an outspoken information convention forward of this recreation when he spoke of being singled out as a “scapegoat” after England‘s failure to win Euro 2024. He additionally dismissed hypothesis that he nearly joined Liverpool earlier than signing with Actual Madrid in 2023 as a result of Actual have been on a “completely different degree.”
Bellingham’s feedback about Liverpool led to him being booed by the Anfield crowd every time he touched the ball. It appeared to have an effect on his efficiency as a result of the 21-year-old was poor towards Slot’s facet.
Liverpool midfielders Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch dominated Bellingham, each in bodily challenges and with the ball, and he spent nearly all of the sport struggling to make an affect.
In Bellingham’s defence, he was enjoying in a deeper function than he usually enjoys. Carlo Ancelotti deployed him on the left of midfield behind a entrance three of Mbappé, Brahim Díaz and Arda Güler.
Simply as with England at Euro 2024, although, when the sport passes Bellingham by, he affords little and his frustration turns into evident. This recreation was one other instance, and it could not have been extra badly timed contemplating Bellingham had complained about his remedy after the Euros.
When a participant talks about being misjudged or harshly handled, one of the best ways to show some extent is normally by doing it on the pitch. At Anfield, he ended up being outshone by two of the gamers Liverpool recruited after pulling out of the race to signal him 18 months in the past. — Ogden
