Can anyone stop Arne Slot’s Liverpool? Real Madrid had a go at Anfield on Wednesday night but they were ultimately overwhelmed by the rampant Reds, who maintained their 100% record in this season’s Champions League with a rousing 2-0 win over the titleholders.
The hosts have suffered their fair share of pain against Los Blancos in recent years but they looked a cut above Carlo Ancelotti’s side from start to finish and the only surprise was that it took them so long to break the deadlock, with Alexis Mac Allister sweeping home in the 52nd minute after a terrific one-two with Conor Bradley.
A horribly out of sorts Kylian Mbappe squandered the opportunity to undeservedly draw Madrid level after Andy Robertson brought down Lucas Vazquez in the area, with Caoimhin Kelleher saving the Frenchman’s poor penalty, before Mohamed Salah squandered a spot-kick that he had earned with a Lionel Messi-like run that left Ferland Mendy looking like poor Jerome Boateng at Camp Nou all the way back in 2015.
However, Liverpool finally bagged the second goal their dominance so richly deserved when substitute Cody Gakpo powered home Robertson’s cross to all-but seal a top-eight finish in the league phase, meaning Slot’s side should progress directly to the last 16.
Below, GOAL rates all of the Reds on show as they sent an ominous warning to struggling Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s massive Premier League match at Anfield…
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Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & 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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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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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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GettySubs & 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.
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Source people.com
