Photo: Collected
Liverpool broke an eight-match winless streak against Real Madrid with a dominant 2-0 triumph at Anfield, retaining their place at the top of the UEFA Champions League league phase standings.
Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo ensured Liverpool's perfect European record this season, with five wins from five matches. However, the result could have been very different without Caoimhín Kelleher's crucial penalty save against Kylian Mbappé, just nine minutes after the opener.
Liverpool had been knocking on the door before Mac Allister's breakthrough in the 52nd minute. Thibaut Courtois, often the Reds' tormentor in this competition, produced a string of excellent saves to frustrate the hosts in the first half.
But there was little he could do to deny Mac Allister's precise low strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. It was the Argentine's second goal in the Champions League this season, both coming at Anfield, with his first also opening the scoring against Bologna.
An injury-hit Real Madrid side struggled to find their rhythm and failed to register a shot on target until the 61st minute when they were awarded a penalty. Andy Robertson fouled Lucas Vázquez – his second penalty concession in just four days – but Kelleher rose to the occasion. The Irish goalkeeper denied Mbappé his 50th Champions League goal, diving to his left to keep Liverpool ahead.
Remarkably, Kelleher has now saved three of the four penalties he has faced in a Liverpool shirt, excluding shootouts.
Liverpool had an opportunity to double their lead in the 70th minute when they earned a penalty of their own. Mohamed Salah, however, clipped the outside of the post and missed the chance to add to his European tally.
Six minutes later, Liverpool secured the win through Gakpo. Left unmarked at a corner, the Dutch forward headed past Courtois to seal the victory. Impressively, all six of Gakpo's goals for Liverpool in European competition have come at Anfield, each scored in his last six home matches.
This win marks another milestone for Liverpool under Arne Slot, who has guided the team to 17 victories in his first 19 matches as manager. Despite initial doubts about replacing Jürgen Klopp, Slot has already achieved what his predecessor could not in six attempts – beating Real Madrid.
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