A draw would not be a bad result in the grand scheme of things, but the Reds cannot pass up the chance to heap more misery on Pep Guardiola
Arne Slot is not messing about. With a massive Premier League game to come against Manchester City on Sunday, the Liverpool boss would have been forgiven for resting some star players for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Real Madrid. But he resisted that temptation.
Slot, though, saw an opportunity to not only maintain the momentum his side have built up over the past few months, but also heap more misery on a team responsible for some of Liverpool's most devastating defeats in recent years - and he took it.
There was simply no let up from the relentless Reds. In fact, they only increased their intensity after a goalless first half. At a time when Slot could have been considering making some changes with one eye on the City showdown, the Dutchman sent his side back out for the second half with even more aggression in their game.
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The net result was a stirring 2-0 victory over the reigning European champions that has dealt a serious blow to their hopes of a top-eight finish in this season's league phase. Indeed, as it stands, Madrid are 24th and occupying the final play-off berth ahead of an intimidating trip to Bergamo to face Atalanta.
Of course, that's of little relevance to Liverpool. The only thing that matters to the club and its followers right now is Slot's Reds showcasing the same ruthless streak against City on Sunday by delivering an even bigger blow, a potentially fatal one in fact, to their other great rivals...