Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid: Alexis Mac Allister’s header gives Liverpool their first consecutive win of September and suggests the crisis is over
For an hour, it was a familiar story of a man who stopped the red tide and a goalkeeper who enjoyed this classic game. But Thibaut Courtois could not deny Liverpool an irresistible side, even in the form that prevented them from reaching the 2022 Champions League final.
crisis? What crisis? Although the victory was close, the performance was excellent. A clean sheet against Aston Villa and a clean sheet against Real Madrid would mean that the fuss over Arne Slott’s poor form can be put to rest.
It also proved that Liverpool could be just as effective without Trent Alexander-Arnold, although he was booed when he came on as a substitute. Inevitably, the whole Trent thing took on a decidedly pantomime feel – which was actually kind of funny.
It wasn’t good for him to hear the jeers, but it could have been worse. He was playing as a right-back for Liverpool and could have had his head turned and his blood twisted by Vinicius Junior. However, Connor Bradley did his job admirably, earning harsh praise from Kopp at every opportunity.
Still, the sight of Vinicius in full flight was a sight to behold, with Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham giving him attractive options. So it was all noteworthy that the first caution of the contest was given to Vinicius for a trackback foul on Bradley.
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It was a half-hearted defense from Vinicius Junior, typical of Real Madrid’s clearly lazy approach, and one that Slott’s team should have been comfortable controlling. Unsurprisingly, given his experience against the Reds, it was Courtois who stopped Liverpool from doing just that. It’s his effort to deny the sensational example of why Dominik Szoboszlai remains the best keeper in the world.
Courtois was spared the task of saving Mohamed Salah’s penalty (or free-kick) when VAR intervened for a rather farcical handball on the edge of the area, but the Belgian was soon back at full strength to trouble Szoboszlai once again. By contrast, Giorgi Mamadashvili’s first real game didn’t come until just before half-time, when he blocked a deft shot from Bellingham with his ankle.
It was one man’s fault that Liverpool were given no significant reward for their first-half dominance, and Courtois’ show duly resumed after the interval with close-range saves from headers from Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitike. Real’s keeper’s struggles were a sign of Liverpool’s superiority against surprisingly few opponents.
Is Liverpool back? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Xabi Alonso’s team are strangely pedestrian, which is quite unacceptable considering their pace in the standings. Bellingham was one of the few players to show some urgency, but was caught up shortly after and was forced to commit a foul on Ryan Gravenbirch, which proved costly.
The free-kick was taken by the excellent Szoboszlai, who ultimately took advantage of Real’s poor set-piece defending to set up Alexis Mac Allister’s header.
And although Real Madrid briefly came under late pressure after Alexander-Arnold’s arrival, they never looked like forcing an equalizer, allowing the Cops to enjoy a memorable performance… and letting Alexander-Arnold know exactly how he still feels about his defection.
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