Madrid could not pass the Anfield test and its path in the Champions League becomes a little more complicated by adding its third defeat that leaves it with little margin for error. Liverpool had been waiting for more than a decade to get their revenge and they finally got it against a Madrid with many casualties who had a big game against one of the teams that seems to be the most fit in Europe, if not the most fit.
The whites missed Vinícius a lot and Mbappé was the protagonist but negative. To his bad game we must add that he missed a penalty at the hour mark that would have meant a momentary tie. How little could Madrid fans imagine in the summer when they were so happy with the signing of the Frenchman that at this point the performance of the French star was so far from expectations.
This time little can be blamed on Ancelotti, who put together a team with the resources he had. The only doubt was whether Ceballos or Arda Güler was going to play and the coach opted for the Turk, who contributed little.
Liverpool
The fittest team in Europe
Arne Slot’s Liverpool is a version practically equal to that of Jürgen Klopp’s best, a very aggressive team with quick transitions supported by an imposing physical display. He is the outstanding leader of the Premier and the only one who has won all five of his games in the Champions League. Madrid stood back and tried to calm the game, which they achieved very little in the entire first half.
Madrid’s problem was that their midfielders were dedicated almost exclusively to defending and Camavinga had a tremendous game until he broke down in the second half. Bellingham wasn’t bad either while Modric was the weakest.
Liverpool’s dominance was not as pronounced as City’s at the Etihad in last season’s quarter-finals, but at times they did push Madrid back into their area based on pressure. Ancelotti’s men did not have Vinícius to give a way out of the game up front and the attempts to find Mbappé did not work because the Frenchman was very well marked by the young youth squad Bradley, replacement for the limping Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The first part
Madrid did not shoot on goal
The whites did not have a shot on goal even once in the entire first half and Liverpool had a handful of chances to score. The first was a loss of the ball by Mbappé in the rival area that triggered a counterattack and a shot by Darwin Núñez that Courtois deflected and that Raúl Asencio saved on the line.
Asencio got his doctorate against Núñez, a big and aggressive Uruguayan number nine in the line of Luis Suárez, who also passed through Anfield years ago. In the duel between the two, sparks flew and Asencio could have been sent off because after a slap from Núñez, the Uruguayan hit him back in the referee’s face and fell to the ground. The Frenchman Letexier resolved with a yellow card for both.
After a foul that Güler threw high came two other chances for the Reds, a shot by Núñez against Courtois that the Belgian blocked with his chest and another header from the Uruguayan that went wide.
Two penalties
Mbappé failed for Madrid and Salah for Liverpool
The second half started without changes but Liverpool still gave a twist to their game and pushed and pushed until they scored. Before, Courtois made a save from Bradley’s header, but he couldn’t do anything about a tight shot from the Argentine McAllister, who was able to score the second almost immediately.
To make matters worse for Madrid, Camavinga was injured and Ancelotti withdrew the Frenchman and Güler and released Ceballos and Lucas Vázquez. Within a minute the Galician full-back was tripped in the area by Robertson. The penalty was taken quite poorly by Mbappé and was stopped by Kelleher, Alisson’s substitute, who has a very high percentage in maximum penalty shots. Compensation came very shortly after because Mendy committed another very clear penalty on Salah. The Egyptian threw him and he did even worse than Mbappé because he threw him directly out.
One could think of a reaction from Madrid, which tried to go up, but with little faith, as if it had already burned its ships with the missed penalty. The finishing touch for the whites came in the 75th minute on a corner kick that Gapkpo headed into the net with no one to bother him.
Madrid pushed at the end but Liverpool posed more danger on the counterattack. Courtois avoided an even greater punishment. Madrid has three games left to wake up in a season that is not looking good.
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