Arne Slot expressed his relief at Liverpool finally overcoming the "pain in the a**" that Real Madrid has been for the Reds following a significant 2-0 victory on Wednesday night.
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo netted for the Reds, while both Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe failed to convert from the spot. This triumph puts Liverpool at the top of their Champions League group with an impeccable record of five wins in five matches this season – but also marking their first win over Real Madrid after six unsuccessful attempts.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had a tough time against the Spanish club, including two Champions League final losses. And Slot praised his squad for breaking this difficult streak.
Post-match, the Dutch coach reflected: "You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times. They were a pain in the a** for Liverpool for many years too. It is a big week, and it is pleasing to see.
"I didn't have schedule in terms of amount of points I wanted. You want to implement the playing style as soon as possible. That is not difficult because it wasn't that different to Jurgen's. It is great to see not only the starters but the players coming on are doing as we expect."
"If before the season I had counted points for this point in the season I wouldn't have done as much as we have now. Every time Real Madrid threatened us was from us. I think we can play with more intensity and better with the ball."
Up next for Liverpool is a heavyweight bout with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, where victory could stretch Liverpool’s lead at the summit of the Premier League to new heights.