English heavyweights Liverpool extended their perfect record in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night (November 27), beating Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield Stadium. The statement victory — the Reds’ first over the Whites in 16 years — left the home side at the top of the Champions League rankings with 15 points. The reigning European champions, meanwhile, tumbled down to 24th place with just six points from four matches.
A Commanding Win for Liverpool at Anfield
Arne Slot has enjoyed a blistering start at Liverpool, turning them into a force to be reckoned with in England and Europe. Slot’s in-form men, who sit at the top of the Premier League standings, added another glorious chapter to their budding bestseller on Wednesday, claiming a comfortable victory over the most illustrious team in Europe. Liverpool dictated the tempo right from the beginning, looking after the ball and trying to exploit the spaces left behind Carlo Ancelotti’s makeshift XI.
Five minutes into the game, a quick one-two between Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah sent the former through on goal. The Uruguayan hit it low and true, but Thibaut Courtois made a superb stop to keep the game goalless. The breakthrough finally came in the 52nd minute, courtesy of a fine strike from Alexis Mac Allister. Following a one-two with Conor Bradley, Mac Allister barged into the box, took a touch to steady himself, and sent the ball toward the bottom-left corner.
In the 70th minute, Ferland Mendy brought Mohamed Salah down inside the area, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Anfield rose to its feet, expecting the Egyptian to double Liverpool’s advantage. However, much to the dismay of the home fans, Salah failed to keep his thumping effort on target. Six minutes later, Cody Gakpo sealed the win for Liverpool, rising over Luka Modric and steering Andrew Robertson’s corner into the back of the net.
Kylian Mbappe Fails to Lead Real Madrid in Vinicius Jr.’s Absence
While Liverpool looked like a well-oiled machine on Wednesday night, Real Madrid were hesitant and clueless for most of the 90. The attack was arguably the most ineffective unit on Champions League Matchday 5, despite the presence of one of the finest players of this generation, Kylian Mbappe. With Vinicius Jr. out injured, the Frenchman had the rare opportunity to take up his preferred position on the left flank. Unfortunately, that did not do him any good, as Bradley thwarted his advances all night long. Throughout the night, he only had nine touches inside the opposition box, lost seven ground duels, and was dispossessed three times.
Mbappe also missed a golden opportunity to put Real Madrid back into the contest, failing to convert from the spot in the 61st minute. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner tried to find the right side of the Liverpool goal with his penalty kick, but his shot lacked power and was at a great height for Caoimhin Kelleher, who comfortably palmed it away to keep it 1-0 for the Reds. He took just one more shot throughout the game, which fizzled out long before reaching the target.
With Vinicius Jr. unlikely to return until mid-December, Real Madrid needs Mbappe to recapture his confidence and help the team out. It will be interesting to see how the Frenchman responds when Real Madrid returns to La Liga action against Getafe on December 1.
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