Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s header as Trent Alexander-Arnold endured a difficult return to Anfield in the Champions League.
Thibaut Courtois, Madrid’s best player, produced a trio of first-half saves to deny Dominik Szoboszlai, before tipping over headers for Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitike after the break, the luckless Florian Wirtz fashioning the best of those chances on his recall.
Madrid also escaped a debatable penalty decision in the first half but Liverpool could not be kept out forever, Mac Allister heading in Szoboszlai’s cross from point-blank range. Xabi Alonso’s team, top of LaLiga, never really came close to finding an equaliser.
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Clinton Morrison reacts to Liverpool’s penalty call against Real Madrid
Alexander-Arnold, his mural having been defaced on the eve of the game, was booed onto the pitch for the warm-up, when his name was read out by the announcer before kick-off, and finally, most loudly, when he was introduced as a late substitute.
His replacement as Liverpool’s right-back, Conor Bradley, faced a tough test against Vinicius Junior but had his name chanted regularly by the Anfield crowd as he faced up well to the challenge, even getting the Brazilian booked as he raced forward himself.
Overall, it was a cathartic performance by Liverpool, Arne Slot’s new-look side building on their much-improved showing against Aston Villa on Saturday evening as they look to rediscover their best form following that alarming run of recent defeats.
The points lift them into the top eight places in the Champions League table, level on points with Madrid, whose own perfect record comes to an end. The teams may yet meet again in the spring, when Alexander-Arnold will be hoping to have more of a say.
Bradley’s game to remember
Conor Bradley hugs Arne Slot after Liverpool’s win
One of the final moments of the match summed up the night. Alexander-Arnold, his every touch being booed, overhit his cross into the box and Bradley was there at the back post to shepherd the ball out of play, dumping Vinicius Junior on his backside.
The Anfield crowd enjoyed that, the homegrown replacement for the full-back who walked away from the Premier League champions to join Real Madrid, outshining him. It was tough night for Alexander-Arnold but for Bradley this was a game to remember.
Not for the first time against Madrid. There was that tackle on Kylian Mbappe last season. This performance was probably more complete, shutting out Vinicius Junior time and time again. It was the sort of display to confirm his status as an elite full-back.
There were signs against Aston Villa, but this was another box ticked for Bradley. Slot has had to use Szoboszlai at right-back this season, but with the Northern Ireland international fit again he looks more than capable of cementing that place as his own.
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Sky Sports’ Vinny O’Connor and Adam Bate report on Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Slot’s praise for Bradley
“Conor was outstanding, it was very nice,” said Slot. “Last season he was outstanding against Real Madrid, but he had to go off after 80 minutes. When he played 90 minutes against Villa, he again played 90 minutes with incredible intensity against Vinicius.”
Have Liverpool turned the corner? “Let’s be clear, we had a very bad run of form in terms of results, no excuse in the world can make up for us losing so many games. But we had to play a lot of games in a small amount of time, there was hardly any rest.
“Tonight we played against a team that played on Saturday as well, so both of us had two days’ rest. It’s helpful to play a home game, because from the last eight I think we played six away from home. The balance can give you just a bit of an edge.”
Did Trent coming on help Liverpool?
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Slot speaks on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to Anfield
Asked whether Alexander-Arnold’s introduction helped Liverpool because the atmosphere became even more hostile for Madrid, Slot simply said that the atmosphere was good throughout the game. He revealed that he did speak to the player afterwards.
“I gave him a hug, I don’t even exactly know what I said,” responded the Liverpool head coach. “Every time I will meet him, I will either give him a hug or talk to him, because he’s been very special to me as a player and a human being.”
Alonso also shut down the suggestion that Alexander-Arnold coming on was a hindrance to his side. “We needed his quality,” said the Madrid coach. “We needed his threat from the wing. It could be expected. Professional, mature, he was ready for that.”
