Liverpool confirmed they have broken out of their rut by defeating Real Madrid last night with their best 90-minute performance in months. On a memorable Champions League night at Anfield, Thibaut Courtois was the only one who stopped Liverpool from achieving a big win against Los Blancos. I was present on the occasion and there were some important topics…
Dominik Szoboszlai
On the pitch alongside Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Choameny and Eduardo Camavinga, Dominik Szoboszlai was very comfortable being the best midfielder on the pitch. Is it a surprise? In its current form, no. But still, few would have put Szoboszlai on the same level just three weeks ago.
The Hungarian is in incredible form at the moment. It’s not just his sneaky engine off the ball, it’s his quality on the ball. A lot of what Liverpool are good at in possession is now being penetrated by him, but he adds to that by pressing relentlessly and making it exhausting to watch. He’s running for two players, but Florian Wirtz has to be recognized for his incredible effort off the ball last night as well.
In an era where statistics matter most, Szoboszlai has two goals and five assists this season, despite spending a few games as a right-back. He is a strong candidate to become the next captain whenever Virgil van Dijk leaves the club. Things went pretty well for Liverpool last time the all-action midfielder, who wears number 8, captained the team…
real madrid big gun
Very disappointing for Real Madrid, especially Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vini Junior, who had little say in the game. Barring a moment in the first half when he forced a fine save after beating Ibrahima Konate, Bellingham were outclassed by the entire Liverpool trio of Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenbirch.
It was the English player who gave the foul that led to the only goal of the match. And Liverpool’s backline, namely Andy Robertson and Conor Bradley, ensured that Mbappe and Vini Junior could do little.
The Brazilian spent more time acting than doing anything to influence the result. The only two visiting players to make any mark were the sublime Courtois, who made four or five great saves, and Eder Militao, who was very solid as a centre-back. Lots of very underwhelming performances by an otherwise star-studded team.
Trent is coming
Everyone inside Anfield was in disbelief as they watched Trent Alexander-Arnold prepare to play. We all knew what the reception would be like – and rightly so. Regardless of what he did for Liverpool and whether you think it should be cheered rather than heckled, remember that he also turned down a very high salary to remain at Liverpool and the chance to win a big trophy as captain of his boyhood club.
It always ends up hurting the local population. This is a slap in the face to those who would have given anything to replace Trent and who defended him fervently against the criticism he received from outside Merseyside regarding the full-back’s defending.
It was surprising to see Xabi Alonso, who knows the Liverpool crowd well, subject Alexander-Arnold to the inevitable boos with so little time remaining. It only helped elevate Anfield further and lead the team to victory.
VAR reversal
It is arguably the first time in history that the referee, who ended up awarding a free kick to Real Madrid despite already having awarded one to Liverpool, went to the VAR screen to consider a possible penalty.
While there is ongoing debate on social media, the decision not to impose a penalty is probably the right one on reflection. When Aurelien Choameny blocked Dominik Szoboszlai’s shot, his hand was close to his torso.
But certainly in the Champions League we have seen fairly similar incidents leading to penalties. Regardless of whether it was the correct decision or not, what I experienced from inside the stadium was truly bizarre, and it took me an absolute age to reach the final decision.
