Liverpool maintained their perfect start to this season’s Champions League with a dramatic but deserved 2-0 win over reigning champions Real Madrid at Anfield.
Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo reflected the Reds’ dominance with Caoimhin Kelleher’s penalty save from Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah’s spot-kick miss providing the drama in between.
It was a miserable night for Mbappe and a magical one for Conor Bradley who not only marshalled him well but even provided the assist for Mac Allister’s opener.
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Paul Merson reacts to Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool’s Mo Salah’s missed penalties in the Champions League
The result leaves Carlo Ancelotti’s side precariously placed having lost three of their five games so far in the competition.
No such concerns for Slot’s Liverpool. Clear at the top of the table with 17 wins from 19 games in all competitions under the Dutchman.
It is they who are the real deal.
Bradley’s big night
It was the 32nd minute of the match when Mbappe finally freed himself and was running at Liverpool’s goal. Enter Bradley.
The young full-back’s perfectly-timed tackle in front of the Kop brought the whole stadium to its feet with a guttural roar to follow.
Liverpool’s Conor Bradley tackles Mbappe
This had been identified beforehand as the game’s key battle. Vinicius Junior’s injury ensured Mbappe would start on the left. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fitness issues confined Liverpool’s first-choice right-back to the bench.
Bradley won the contest – Mbappe eventually moving to the middle away from him – and Anfield just adored that. The fans chanted his name in the aftermath of the tackle, the momentum of the match shifting accordingly.
He might have scored himself but was denied a headed goal by Thibaut Courtois, while the assist for Mac Allister was neat. There was even another tackle on Mbappe in the build-up to Salah winning his penalty.
But it was the first tackle that sparked it all. It was a special moment, one that may have already cemented its place in the Bradley story. He will be hoping it could help cement his place in this team too.
Analysis: Liverpool keep passing the tests
During the early part of the season, Slot himself had preached the need for caution regarding Liverpool’s positive start let alone the more sceptical observers.
The fixture list had been kind until mid-October. There were bigger tests to come, it was said.
Well, Liverpool beat Chelsea. They went to Arsenal and avoided defeat. In Europe, there was the 4-0 dismantling of Bayer Leverkusen and now holders Real Madrid have been sent packing too.
Another test passed. Another to come. But what an opportunity it is for Slot’s side against Pep Guardiola’s misfiring Manchester City this Sunday.
Two points clear at the top of the Champions League table. Eleven points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table if they win at the weekend.
They look the best team in England. On this evidence, they might be the best team in Europe too.
Story of the match in stats…
What’s coming up in the Champions League?