Liverpool sent out a statement to the rest of Europe on Wednesday by beating Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The Reds have started the season phenomenally well in continental competition, sweeping to five wins out of five.
And Wednesday’s victory at Anfield was by far their most eye-catching yet. Liverpool didn’t just beat the reigning champions, they held them at arms length for much of the game, too.
Part of the reason the Reds were able to nullify Madrid was by effectively shutting down the midfield.
Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones put in a shift and each showed their individual quality and class on the ball.
After getting his goal and dictating much of the evening, though, Rafa Benitez picked out Mac Allister as the game’s star performer.
Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool FC competes for the ball with Endrick of Real Madrid CF during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 ...
Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images
Rafa Benitez hails Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister has been linked with Real Madrid in the past. For South Americans such as Liverpool’s No.10, Los Blancos are often seen as being the pinnacle of the game.
As a result, there may just have been a slight extra incentive for him to do well against them on Wednesday.
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Whatever the reason for it, Mac Allister went up a level against Real after struggling a little with other performances in November.
At Anfield for the night and acting as a UEFA match observer, former Liverpool manager Benitez was part of the team who selected the £55m man as the man of the match.
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And speaking via UEFA.com, the Spanish coach gave some justification to his decision.
“The main difference were their [Liverpool’s] runs in behind, the penetrating passes, and the positions they took behind the Real Madrid midfielders,” said Benitez.
“He [Mac Allister] was great at finding spaces with his movement and also with his penetrating passes, particularly in the second half.”
Benitez picks out two more Reds for praise
Mac Allister was obviously not alone in standing out for Liverpool against Real.
Conor Bradley shackled Kylian Mbappe impressively, while Caoimhin Kelleher’s penalty save from the Frenchman was perhaps the highlight of the whole night.
But continuing his analysis for UEFA, Benitez focused on the Liverpool midfield, praising Mac Allister’s partners in crime, Gravenberch and Jones.
“He took up good positions and made runs in behind,” the 64-year-old commented on Jones.
Benitez also concluded that Gravenberch was ‘difficult for Real Madrid to control’ as the Reds won the midfield battle.
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