Champions League Postmortem: Liverpool’s 2-0 Triumph Over Real Madrid | OneFootball

Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid – Champions League Postmortem

The atmosphere at Anfield before kick-off was electric as two of the biggest clubs in the world clashed under the iconic Merseyside lights. Arne Slot had never faced Real Madrid, and it was clear from his starting eleven that he was eager to make a statement of intent.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

The Starting Eleven

GK – Caoimhin Kelleher

RB – Conor Bradley

RCB – Ibrahima Konaté

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Andy Robertson

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

ACM – Curtis Jones

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Darwin Núñez

LF – Luis Díaz

Subs

Cody Gakpo – Darwin Núñez (66 mins)

Dominik Szoboszlai – Curtis Jones (83 mins)

Joe Gomez – Conor Bradley (87 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

Liverpool 1 – 0 Real Madrid

Alexis Mac Allister (Conor Bradley) – 52 mins

Liverpool 2 – 0 Real Madrid

Cody Gakpo (Andy Robertson) – 76 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession

Liverpool 63% – 37% Real Madrid

Total Shots

Liverpool 17 – 8 Real Madrid

Corner Kicks

Liverpool 8 – 5 Real Madrid

Off Sides

Liverpool 1 – 3 Real Madrid

Fouls

Liverpool 10 – 10 Real Madrid

Goalkeeper Saves

Liverpool 3 – 5 Real Madrid

The First Half

The opening period of this game was a cagey affair between two sides unwilling to give up on-pitch control, as promising moments rose and faltered between an array of elite-level battles. It would be the infectious Uruguayan, Darwin Núñez, who was able to benefit first from some superb recovery work in the middle of the pitch. Mohamed Salah was able to steal the ball from his fellow world-class attacker, Kylian Mbappé, before combining with his central striker as part of a ferocious counterattack. The Egyptian King delivered the perfect through ball to Darwin, who was able to drive a superbly struck shot across the giant frame of Thibaut Courtois, which the Belgium stopper managed to deflect into his nearby centre-back, Raúl Asencio. As an own goal seemed inevitable, the impressive young Spaniard was able to clear off the line and keep the score goalless.

Following some good build-up from the left flank and into the edge of the Madrid box, the Reds no.9 was once more able to get a shot away, one which was smothered by the 6ft 7inch Madrid keeper. To complete an early trio of missed opportunities, the energetic striker then rose expertly to head a fine effort around the post of the world-class keeper.

Within that exciting half of football, Conor Bradley was able to shackle the France international striker, Kylian Mbappé, producing one emphatic piece of defending which left the 25-year-old sprawling along the turf. Both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté were dominating in their work, whereas Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister battled diligently against an elite middle-ground adversary.

The half ended with the scores locked at 0-0 and all to play for.

The Second Half

On resumption of the second half, no changes were made by the home side, as the Liverpool head coach sent out the same eleven men who had started the first half.

After some tactical instruction at halftime, the Reds reemerged onto the Anfield pitch with a desire to overwhelm the Spanish visitors. The tenacity and determination of the Liverpool midfield raised itself exponentially, as the game was played almost exclusively in the Madrid half until the deadlock was broken. Conor Bradley was unlucky with a brilliantly saved header, however, it would be only moments later that the young fullback would combine expertly with the Argentina World Cup winner, Alexis Mac Allister, who shot low into the far corner to finally (and deservedly) open the scoring.

Unfortunately for the Scotland skipper, Andy Robertson, his good performance was undermined by a poor piece of defending (in his penalty area), which led to a penalty for the away side. Kylian Mbappé was the man to take the resulting spot kick, however, the 25-year-old saw his shot saved by an inspired Caoimhin Kelleher, to the delight of the majority in the crowd. On this occasion (unlike the weekend save against Saints) the Irish keeper was able to push the ball away from goal and allow his side to retain their advantage.

As the game continued to flow, a smart counterattack ended with Mohamed Salah being brought down in the opposition box, thus allowing another world-class attacker the chance to score from the spot. Uncharacteristically, the record-breaking Egyptian appeared to scuff the floor just before making contact with the stationary ball, which caused the ball to miss the target and veer wide off the outside of the post.

As the changes start to bed into the game, a smart corner by the veteran fullback, Robbo, was knocked short and immediately delivered into the heart of the Real penalty area upon its return. Cody Gakpo was able to use his 6ft 4inch frame to tower over any markers in white and power home the second goal of the evening.

The game ended with Liverpool finally victorious over their great European rivals, allowing Arne Slot to overcome yet another major test.

What Are My Final Thoughts?

This was a contest that was more about making a statement than anything else. It would appear that momentum and confidence are key factors in this new era, which can now be carried into the weekend contest against Liverpool’s closest Premier League rivals, Manchester City.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid