Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid. Work to do in Europe. Here is my reaction to the loss. Also on the way: Player ratings, quotes and the a ManagingMadrid podcast.
There was a lot of talk about the heavily depleted squad going into the Liverpool clash at Anfield, and the line-up did look on the skinny side. Raúl Asencio had to start at centre-back, but had impressed recently for the first team. Fede Valverde joined him in defence as a right-back, with Luka Modrić entering the midfield. No Rodrygo Goes or Vinícius Júnior meant that Arda Güler was given an opportunity that many had been shouting for over the past few months. Luka Modrić captained the team in Europe.
Liverpool went on the front foot very early on in the game, and Thibaut Courtois was required to make a great low save to deny Darwin Núñez an opener. Real Madrid didn’t look out of their depth, but the second chance also fell to the home side, when Courtois again denied Darwin from a rebound. Arda Güler hit a couple of spontaneous efforts well off target, but Madrid could not muster up much more than that. Half-time, 0-0.
And yes, Mbappe standing still like his feet have been planted rather than making even a basic run to stretch the defence is not a good thing
— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) November 27, 2024
The second half is where things turned sour. Thibaut Courtois did his best with a great save to deny a Conor Bradley header – but Alexis Mac Allister managed to find the bottom corner during the next sequence to break the deadlock. Real Madrid were gifted a lifeline when substitute Lucas Vázquez was brought down in the area – but Kylian Mbappé stepped up to miss the penalty. Liverpool then had a chance from the spot as Ferland Mendy did the same to Mo Salah, but the Egyptian somehow smashed the ball the wrong side of the post to keep it at 1-0. This wouldn’t last long though, as Cody Gakpo eventually made it 2-0 with a strong header. Mbappé came close with a deflected strike after a good run from Fran García late on, but Liverpool had the last chance when Luis Díaz couldn’t beat Courtois for a third. A 2-0 defeat for Madrid – and it was a pretty accurate scoreline given the performances. What did you think about this defeat?
