Liverpool ended a 15-year wait for a victory over Real Madrid as goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo put them on the brink of securing a place in the last 16 with a fifth successive win.
They say revenge is a dish best served cold, and on a chilly night on Merseyside, Liverpool finally triumphed over their European nemesis for the first time since 2009, also at Anfield, with a well-deserved 2-0 victory.
They could even afford the rare sight of Mohamed Salah missing a penalty, moments after Caoimhin Kelleher added another highlight to an already impressive reel for a second-choice goalkeeper by saving Kylian Mbappé’s spot-kick.
Victory over the 15-time European champions has felt especially long in coming, with seven defeats and a draw in the last eight meetings, not to mention two heartbreaking final losses in 2018 and 2022. However, this win extended their perfect record, maintaining top spot and providing a huge morale boost ahead of Sunday’s visit from Manchester City. While the result cannot erase the hurt from past losses, it’s a step in the right direction.
This injury-ravaged Madrid side still contains two of the best players of their generation in Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, but they are currently not the force they once were, although you wouldn’t rule them out of being contenders in Munich next May, given their pedigree in the competition.
For now, the Arne Slot-led bandwagon continues with an impressive 17th win in 19 matches.
For a while, it appeared Darwin Núñez, who has been somewhat off-form this season, would take center stage, as he looked ready for the challenge in his third consecutive start. However, despite his intent, he lacked luck. In only the fourth minute, his shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois, and the ball was only just cleared off the line by Raúl Asencio after bouncing off the defender. This chance had been created deep in Liverpool’s half, where Salah, to Anfield’s delight, robbed Mbappé and sparked a counter-attack. Núñez then found Courtois, the man of the match in Madrid’s 2022 final victory over Liverpool, in the way of his close-range shot.
In between these moments, Núñez went down in the penalty area after Asencio raised his hands to the Uruguayan’s throat, and then he won one of the loudest cheers of the night by beating Bellingham with a Cruyff turn just outside the Madrid box.
Another huge cheer rang out for 21-year-old Conor Bradley, whose perfectly timed tackle dispossessed Mbappé on a solo counter-attack at the edge of the Liverpool penalty area. Liverpool continued to press for the opener, with Núñez’s header across goal just out of reach for Luis Díaz, whose header from Mac Allister’s chip was palmed away by Courtois. This momentum carried into the second half, as Liverpool sensed Real were vulnerable.
The breakthrough came in the 52nd minute when Mac Allister collected a pass from Bradley, who had been instructed to play further forward, and clipped an angled shot through the crowd and past Courtois. Moments later, the Argentina international had more time to pick his spot from the edge of the area but placed his shot wide.
The pivotal moment came in the 61st minute when Andy Robertson needlessly left his trailing leg in the way for Lucas Vázquez to trip over, and referee François Letexier wasted no time in pointing to the spot. However, Kelleher guessed correctly to deny Mbappé, and Anfield exploded with joy. To be fair to the French referee, who had frustrated Liverpool with some of his decisions throughout the night, he was just as quick to award Salah a penalty when Ferland Mendy tripped him. Many in the crowd were already celebrating as the ball left the Egyptian’s foot, but for once, his aim was off, and the ground fell into a brief moment of stunned silence.
That silence was short-lived, however, as Gakpo rose highest to power home Robertson’s cross, and Anfield could finally enjoy long-awaited payback.
The only concern ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City were late injuries to Bradley and centre-back Ibrahima Konaté.
