[Liverpool](https://walkon.com/) picked up another statement win over Real Madrid, and perhaps their 1-0 victory over the La Liga leaders will serve as the launching pad for them to spring out of a recent crisis of defeats.
Reds attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz had himself a ballgame against Madrid, showing out in a battle with his former manager Xabi Alonso, who just might regret not actually trying to sign him last summer.
In addition to the five key passes he put together to lead all players on the pitch, Wirtz outran everyone, too, and Liverpool fans will be happy to see his workhorse playmaking teammate Dominik Szoboszlai – another former target Madrid never signed – giving the German gem some high praise.
Szoboszlai said of his younger former Bundesliga teammate after the game, “Let me mention Florian Wirtz. What a game! He just kept on running, kept on winning the balls, running back, having his chances and giving me almost an assist too so sorry from me as well!”
Everyone knows about Wirtz’s playmaking and dribbling skills, but his work rate and ability to cover ground were amazing at Bayer Leverkusen and have gone underrated.
Joe Soriano is the editor of _The Trivela Effect_ and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like _The Real Champs_ (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage _NFL Spin Zone_ and _Daily DDT,_ covering the NFL and pro wrestling.