Liverpool player ratings vs Real Madrid: Bring on Man City! Alexis Mac Allister & Conor Bradley shine as Arne Slot’s winning machine steamrollers Kylian Mbappe & Co. despite Mohamed Salah’s penalty miss

The relentless Reds sent a message to their Premier League title rivals by taking the European champions apart at Anfield

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Caoimhin Kelleher (8/10):

  The best No.2 in the world is a great goalkeeper in his own right. The penalty save from Mbappe was classic Kelleher, who always seems to rise to the occasion in the absence of Allison.

  Conor Bradley (8/10):

  No Trent Alexander-Arnold, no problem at all. The Irishman had a terrific match on the right flank. He teed up Mac Allister for the opener and also put in a cracking challenge on Mbappe that summed up his evening perfectly.

  Ibrahima Konate (7.5/10):

  When he plays like this, the Konate looks like one of the best defenders in the world. So strong, so dominant and so comfortable all evening – and that only made the sight of the Frenchman hobbling off at the end all the more worrying.

  Virgil van Dijk (7.5/10):

  The Dutchman is 33 now but games of this calibre still look so easy for him. Wasn’t troubled at all by Mbappe & Co.

  Andy Robertson (6.5/10):

  A mixed bag for Robertson, who offered Madrid a way back into the game out of nowhere with a terrible clumsy foul on Lucas Vazquez, but he also whipped over the brilliant ball that Gakpo headed home to seal the win.

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    Midfield

    Ryan Gravenberch (7.5/10):

    The question was whether he could deliver as a No.6 against a world-class midfield – he answered it emphatically. Excellent on the ball and put his esteemed opponents under constant pressure.

    Curtis Jones (7.5/10):

    Really has come into his own in the past few weeks. This was another dynamic display from Jones, who was involved in Liverpool’s crucial opener and once again showed off his dribbling skills.

    Alexis Mac Allister (8/10):

    The Argentine has been a bit up and down this season, but he was given the nod ahead of Dominik Szoboszlai here and he fully justified his inclusion with an excellent performance that was capped by a well-taken goal.

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      Attack

      Mohamed Salah (7/10):

      He deserved to score after winning a penalty by completely bamboozling Mendy but he struck the ball horribly and thus wasted a glorious chance to send another message to his employers. His work-rate was typically fantastic, though, and he created a couple of great openings for Nunez.

      Darwin Nunez (6/10):

      No end product, as per usual, but he worked tirelessly up top and was a constant menace to the Madrid defenders before being hauled off midway through the second half.

      Luis Diaz (7.5/10):

      As usual, a constant source of positive energy with his mix of directness and wonderful dribbling skills. Unlucky not to score late on.

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      Subs & Manager

      Cody Gakpo (7/5):

      What a player to bring off the bench! The Dutchman once again proved his worth by heading home the killer second goal.

      Dominik Szoboszlai (N/A):

      Barely saw 10 minutes of action.

      Joe Gomez (N/A):

      Came on for Bradley in the dying minutes.

      Arne Slot (8/10):

      Took a risk by playing his first-choice line-up four days before a far more important meeting with Manchester City and he’ll be sweating over the fitness of Konate. But this was another demonstration of the strength of Slot’s side – perhaps their most impressive to date, in fact.

       

Source people.com