The Northern Ireland right-back has been praised for his performance that saw him come up against Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in the 1-0 win at Anfield.
Conor Bradley celebrates with Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot
Arne Slot has praised Conor Bradley for his performance vs Real Madrid(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has praised Conor Bradley for his 'outstanding' performance in his side's win vs Real Madrid. The Reds ran out as 1-0 winners over Xabi Alonso's men in their Champions League clash at Anfield.
One sub-plot of the meeting was the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold for the first time since he left Liverpool for Madrid this summer. The full-back came on as a second half substitute, where he was roundly booed and jeered as he entered the pitch.
But it was fellow academy graduate Bradley, who has stepped up to replace Alexander-Arnold this season, who caught the eye with his display. The right-back was tasked with helping keep both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr quiet - something he was successful in doing.
During a conversation with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher after the game on CBS Sports, Slot has outlined how keeping the duo quiet was key to getting the result. He picked out Bradley in particular, for his role in that.
"I told them before the game, they have scored 26 goals in La Liga - 24 goal contributions from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius. So If you want to have any chance of winning this game, you need to control those two and I think we did this outstanding," he said.
"Talking about individual performances, Connor Bradley was outstanding today, I think against Vinicius."
Arne Slot speaking to Jamie Carragher
Arne Slot picked out Conor Bradley following Liverpool's win over Real Madrid
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Bradley's performance was also hailed by Liverpool fans at Anfield who serenaded him with chants of; 'He's one of our own'. The chants may have also been a pointed message to Alexander-Arnold upon his return to Anfield.
Liverpool had success with their high-press against Madrid. Slot has revealed that it was one of two ways that the team could have set up vs Alonso's side.
"The thing we said was we either press them really high and aggressive or we go to a complete low block, because if you're in between playing against Vinicius and Mbappe - probably one of the players with the best deep runs and incredible pace - it's so hard to control that," he said.
"So ideally we press them very high but never, ever give up space in behind the last line as, if you do, three or four times, make sure you run back, not forward."
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