Liverpool reclaimed top spot in the Champions League table and secured their first win over Real Madrid in 15 years with a commanding 2-0 victory on Wednesday, courtesy of goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.
The Reds’ dominance was so complete that even a rare penalty miss from Mohamed Salah couldn’t dampen their performance. The win, Liverpool’s fifth in as many games, puts them two points clear at the summit of the newly structured competition.
For Real Madrid, it was a night to forget. Now 24th in the 36-team standings, the Spanish side struggled throughout. Kylian Mbappe was well-contained and missed a penalty in the second half that could have leveled the score against the run of play.
Liverpool controlled possession and created numerous chances against the defending Champions League holders. Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, following a slick one-two with Conor Bradley in front of a raucous Kop end at Anfield. Gakpo then sealed the victory in the 76th minute with a header past Thibaut Courtois from an Andy Robertson cross.
“When you play against teams like Real Madrid, it’s always nice to score, but the most important thing is that we won it, and I think we did it in a really good way,” Mac Allister said. “We dominated the game, and we deserved this.”
History
Liverpool’s triumph marked their first win over Real Madrid since 2009, ending a painful eight-match winless run, including two Champions League final defeats.
“It’s a big result, a massive game for us. Obviously, they’ve had the better of us in recent years in the Champions League, so we really wanted to come out and put on a performance,” said goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, whose second-half penalty save against a dejected Mbappe was met with one of the loudest roars of the night. “I don’t focus too much on the player; I was confident and thankfully went the right way again.”
Under manager Slot, Liverpool have exceeded expectations, transitioning smoothly from Juergen Klopp’s tenure. Slot has brought a sense of calm and control to the team’s play while maintaining their trademark high press and attacking flair.
Liverpool could have put the game to bed in the first half, with Darwin Nunez missing three excellent chances, all thwarted by a stellar Courtois. The biggest cheer before the break came when right-back Conor Bradley made a sensational tackle to thwart Mbappe’s dangerous run toward goal.
In the second half, Kelleher’s penalty save from Mbappe was followed by Salah’s miss, as he sent his own spot kick wide of the post, to the gasps of the crowd.
Real Madrid’s struggles in the Champions League continue under Carlo Ancelotti, with the team now having lost three of their five group-stage games. “To be totally honest, it was a fair result,” Ancelotti admitted. “Liverpool deserved to win. They have a really good dynamic at the moment.”
The top eight teams in the group will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the next 16 will enter a two-legged playoff to secure their place in the last 16.
