Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid (C) plays against Curtis Jones of Liverpool (L) during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield on November 27, 2024
Jones puts Bellingham in shade
It was a moment that encapsulated not only another superb night for Curtis Jones, but also how Liverpool’s refashioned midfield is proving the key to success under Arne Slot.
With the Reds having gone ahead and the Anfield crowd whipped up into a frenzy, Jones received possession inside his own half, turned away from Jude Bellingham, evaded a challenge from Luka Modric and then ran away from Eduardo Camavinga to prompt an attack that eventually ended with Alexis Mac Allister firing narrowly wide.
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Jones is in the form of his life, now with England caps and an international goal under his belt. And the Champions League has always suited his natural game, as his stellar performance in the 5-1 win at Porto three years ago best demonstrated.
Well, until this visit of Real Madrid. In the second half in particular, the ability of Jones to maintain possession and break forward with pace – allied to accurate passing and an increasing defensive awareness – made him the centrepiece of Liverpool’s engine room.
Not that the energetic Ryan Gravenberch or silky Mac Allister were found wanting, the trio dominating the middle of the field to leave Bellingham in particular on the periphery. Liverpool, to paraphrase the England man, were on a different level.
Salah the ideal distraction
There weren’t even five minutes on the clock when Mohamed Salah underlined that, if he was going to be a distraction, it was for Real Madrid.
The Liverpool forward’s surprise public assessment of his ongoing contract impasse after scoring twice in Sunday’s win at Southampton had prompted suggestions in some quarters the Egyptian was in danger of overshadowing another big week for the Reds.
Salah, though, has long shown there was never any chance of that happening. Instead, it was Kylian Mbappe who was caught standing on ceremony, Salah nicking the ball off the dawdling Frenchman to spark an early move that ended with Raul Asencio almost putting Darwin Nunez’s shot into his own net.
There is obvious history between Salah and Real Madrid, both in terms of his negative experiences in games against the Spaniards and their one-time interest in signing him.
And he was important in helping maintain the high tempo in the second half which was eventually too much for the visiting defence.
Indeed, Salah had the opportunity to cap his display with a goal but, after tormenting Ferland Mendy into conceding a spot kick, he slammed his effort against the outside of the post.
No goal contribution this time. But this performance was a further example of why the Egyptian international remains such an important player for Liverpool.
Kelleher keeps asking question
What is it about Caoimhin Kelleher and penalties? Already an expert in shoot-outs, now the Liverpool goalkeeper has shown an appetite for spot kicks in regulation time.
For the fourth game in a row, Kelleher was tasked with stopping a free shot from 12 yards. And, as for the Republic of Ireland against Finland and at Southampton at the weekend, he proved equal to the task.
Unlike on the South Coast, though, this time fortune favoured Kelleher with his superb save to keep out Kylian Mbappe’s effort being hacked clear. Cue the keeper being engulfed by his appreciative team-mates, receiving a solid chest bump from Darwin Nunez in the process. Watching on the sidelines, Alisson Becker was all smiles.
Since taking the place of the hamstrung Brazilian, Kelleher has kept three successive clean sheets in the Premier League, aided here by another impressive showing from centre-back pairing Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.
The injury to Konate in the final action of the game, caught heavily by Real Madrid substitute Endrick, will be a concern. Liverpool will want to show no mercy to a hurting Manchester City on Sunday.