Heading into tonight’s game, Liverpool had lost seven of their last eight games against Real Madrid, a 0-0 draw at Anfield back in 2021 the only non-defeat in that run, and despite the Spaniards struggling with injuries and poor form in the Champions League, it was difficult to be entirely rational about the Reds’ chances of ending their run.
Arne Slot’s Reds care not abut those kinds of fixations, fortunately, and put a comprehensive beating on a Madrid side that should count themselves fortunate to only lose by two in the end.
Certainly, Kylian Mbappé failed to convert a penalty — more on that a little later — but other than that, the visitors produced next to nothing, generating the lowest non-penalty expected goals any team has managed against Liverpool so far this season.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Liverpool scored twice, courtesy of a tasty first-time finish from Alexis Mac Allister and a towering header from Cody Gakpo, but Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and Conor Bradley all wasted big chances, while Mohamed Salah missed a penalty of his own, smacking a low effort off the outside of Thibault Courtois’ post.
With all that said, then, we provide a quick word on the winners and losers on the night.
Winners
Castlederg’s Greatest Son: Trent Alexander-Arnold is back in training and was back on the bench for Liverpool tonight, but — unless a late hamstring injury turns proves more troublesome than it appeared initially — there does not appear to be much of a rush to push the Scouser back into the starting XI.
The reason, of course, is that Conor Bradley is looking outstanding at the moment. The 21-year old faced up with world champion and highest paid footballer on the planet, Kylian Mbappé, and finished the game with four successful tackles — second to none on the night — and an assist, as a second-half tactical tweak saw Arne Slot push the young Northern Irishman into the half space of Real Madrid’s box, where he consistently caused havoc for visitors who couldn’t seem to pick him up.
There is of course an expectation that Alexander-Arnold will reclaim the starting spot now that he is once again fit, and the 25-year old possess abilities that are perhaps unique in the world of right-backs, but from a team performance perspective, Conor Bradley has ensured that he hasn’t been missed much.
Fighting Irish: After parrying a penalty straight back to Adam Armstrong and conceding from the rebound at the weekend, Caoimhin Kelleher proved that he had learned something tonight, as Kylian Mbappé’s penalty was perfunctorily dismissed and dispatched well out of harm’s way.
In Kelleher’s case, the manager has made a public point of confirming that the man for whom he is currently deputising will be the club’s starter as soon as he is fit enough to play, and there can be little doubt that Alisson Becker is one of the three best goalkeepers in world football, but like Bradley, Big Kweev has performed to such a level in recent weeks — the 25-year old made his tenth start of the season tonight — that absence of the Brazilian stopper has not been felt to any particular extent.
Losers
Robbo: Before the season, a suggestion was made by writers on this site that procuring a new starting left-back was in fact the club’s most pressing transfer issue. 19 games into the season, that notion feels stronger than ever, as Andy Robertson, club legend, has undoubtedly lost a step, and while he provided the assist for Cody Gakpo’s breakaway goal on the night, he also gave away his second penalty in two games.
Never short on effort, Robbo simply doesn’t get there in time often enough anymore, and while he has admirably developed his game to suit the demands of Slot’s left-back position, it does feel like the time may be right to move on to the next one.
Endrick’s Impact: Having replaced Luka Modric with ten minutes to go in regulation, young Brazilian Endrick finished the match with a booking, two fouls committed, one offside, one loss of possession, and a single pass attempted. He also threw himself to the ground four minutes into injury time, falling onto Ibrahima Konaté’s leg in the process, and seemingly injuring the French centre-back, who was pictured on the ground in tears as the final whistle was blown.
Absolutely fuck that kid.
What Happens Next
An injured beast comes to Anfield on Sunday, as a Manchester City side who have lost five and drawn one in their last six, including embarrassingly coughing up a three-goal lead at home to Feyenoord yesterday. Of course, Pep Guardiola’s position is such that he simply cannot be relieved of his duties even if his side gets absolutely tonked to the tune of a cricket score at Anfield by their greatest rivals and knocked out of the title race in the process.
Unless???