Ian Doyle with the talking points from Anfield after Liverpool earned an impressive Champions League win over Real Madrid on Tuesday evening
Florian Wirtz of Liverpool and Jude Bellingham during the Champions League match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at AnfieldView Image
Anyone wanting to know how Florian Wirtz is faring at Liverpool need only witness what happened shortly before the half-hour mark here. After Real Madrid coughed up the ball inside their own half to free Wirtz into space down the right, the pinpoint cross from the Reds man invited Dominik Szoboszlai to score only for visiting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to produce the best of his many saves on the evening.
That has been the story so often for Florian Wirtz. While the first to admit he isn’t quite reaching the levels he achieved when with Real boss Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, the perception could have been much different had his team-mates put away just a smattering of the many opportunities he has been serving up this campaign.
Wirtz, though, was undeterred. Recalled on the left wing – and sticking more to the position than during the wayward 45 minutes at Crystal Palace on the flank back in September – the 22-year-old put in a monumental shift.
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No player covered more ground while his ability to regain possession helped Liverpool ultimately press Real Madrid into submission.
It may be a position where Wirtz is more likely to feature in the coming weeks given the outstanding form of Szoboszlai in the number 10 role.
And the ovation the Germany international received on his substitution two minutes from the end of normal time highlights his efforts were appreciated by those inside Anfield.
Mac Allister recovery continues
It perhaps wasn’t the most obvious sign Alexis Mac Allister has returned to form. But his angry response after being unwittingly blocked by hapless referee Istvan Kovacs when running on to a dangerous pass first half was a sign of the fire having returned to the belly of the Argentina international.
There’s little doubt Liverpool have missed an on-form Mac Allister this season, the midfielder hampered by a lack of proper pre-season as he nursed a long-term injury complaint.
And having been much improved in Saturday’s win over Aston Villa, this was another step in the right direction for the Argentine, his bite and appetite in midfield adding to the Real Madrid engine room rarely being allowed to move through the gears.
Then, for the second season in succession in this fixture, he was on hand to break the deadlock, losing his marker to meet Szoboszlai’s superb free-kick delivery with a header that finally ended the resistance of Courtois.
With Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson again impressive, this, as on Saturday, was a win forged on the foundations of established squad members.
And Liverpool will be glad to have the old Mac Allister finally back up and running.
Defence stands firm
Ibrahima Konate, not for the first time during the evening, turned to the Anfield crowd and whirled his arms manically. The Liverpool supporters duly responded by raising the volume once more.
The game was deep in its closing stages when Konate produced his latest intervention to snuff out the lingering threat of a Real Madrid attack that ultimately was more potential than end product.
For the first time this season, the Spanish side failed to score while this was only the third occasion in 18 appearances for club and country this term that Kylian Mbappe had failed to find the net, this his third successive loss at Anfield.
For Liverpool it was only a fourth shut-out of the campaign albeit, more importantly, the second in succession at a pivotal moment of the term when even Slot’s future was being questioned by some.
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The Reds remain a fine team. They just needed this last week to remind themselves of the fact. With a trip to Manchester City up next, it couldn’t have been more timely.