Alexis Mac Allister sinks Real Madrid to ruin Trent Alexander-Arnold’s return to Liverpool

Champions League: Real Madrid 0, Liverpool 1 (Mac Allister 61)

In the end, what was back at Anfield was more important than who was. The solution was the Liverpool of Arne Slot’s championship-winning rookie campaign, and Real Madrid did not have one of their own for the second consecutive November.

The reunion of the European heavyweights was settled when Alexis Mac Allister opened the score in last season’s 2-0 victory over the Spanish giants (though giant is an inaccurate description of their most recent performance on Merseyside). Liverpool, with their controlled aggression and clear intent, ignited their Champions League campaign and possibly their season.

On a boisterous and reassuring night at Anfield, Slot was even more satisfied with another clean sheet and set-piece goal. Throughout the entire evening, Xabi Alonso’s team was a clear second. To a chorus of jeers, Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose mural outside Anfield had been vandalized earlier in the day, entered in the 81st minute.

After defeating the Spanish powerhouses in the Champions League a year ago, Liverpool’s confidence skyrocketed. Four days later, they defeated Sunday’s opponent, Manchester City, in the Premier League, and won their 20th league championship.

Due to Real Madrid’s lengthy injury list that evening and the ensuing personnel changes at both clubs, Slot was hesitant to make comparisons with the 2-0 triumph from the previous season.

At his pre-match press conference, he did not mention another distinction. Liverpool had 13 victories from a 14-game winning streak going into that match. This time, it was eight games with two wins and six losses. Here, the degree of the comeback against Aston Villa on Saturday was put to the test. Slot was immediately encouraged by the signs.

 

Liverpool began with a ferocity and confidence that thrilled the Anfield crowd, and Real did not leave their half for the opening five minutes. After being called up to the starting lineup, Florian Wirtz was in the forefront and provided the first opportunity for an exciting match by disposing of Dean Huijsen close to the corner flag. To his evident dismay, Alexis Mac Allister sidefooted over that time, but the tone had already been established.

Additionally, Conor Bradley made a significant contribution to his personal conflict with Vinícius Júnior. As was the case in November of last year, their clash was captivating from the first, and the Northern Ireland international flourished against the legendary names from Madrid. He thrilled the Anfield fans last season by loudly challenging Kylian Mbappé. He now had an ongoing conflict with Vinícius, which occasionally distracted the Brazilian.

The Real forward made a pitiful dive inside the Liverpool area after being unintentionally and lightly touched in the face by the full back. The Real forward was booked for hauling down Bradley as he stormed into the visiting half, displaying good control of the ball as he did so.

Though obviously for more reasons than the young defender’s best performance of the year, “One Conor Bradley” echoed around the stadium. Another fascinating undercurrent for the evening was his predecessor’s return to Anfield after a contentious summer departure.

During the warm-up, Alexander-Arnold was jeered three times: once while returning to the field he once called home, once at hearing his name called among the Real replacements, and once upon returning down the tunnel. The reception wasn’t particularly frightening. Before putting pleasantries aside, the erstwhile favorite made time to chuckle with Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo.

If it weren’t for Thibaut Courtois, their ghost from the 2022 Champions League final, tormenting them once more like he did in Paris, Liverpool would have taken the lead. When Dominik Szoboszlai arrived unmarked in the area, Wirtz took advantage of a sloppy touch by Huijsen to burst free down the right and squared nicely for him. Szoboszlai made a clean connection, but Courtois expertly spread himself to make a leg stop at close range.

 

When Szoboszlai next aimed at the Real goal, Liverpool’s incredulity gave way to disgust. Aurěen Tchouaméni jumped in to block the midfielder’s drive from 22 yards away, but it hit his hand. The France international was obviously inside when he made touch with the ball, but referee Istvan Kovacs initially gave him a free kick on the outskirts of the box. When the video assistant referee directed Kovacs to the pitchside monitor, it looked like a spot-kick was about to happen, but he rejected the penalty allegation and overturned the free-kick. It appeared that Tchouaméni’s arms were in a natural position. Anfield was understandably furious in response.

Slot’s team gained more confidence from the dispute than the leaders of the Spanish league. Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham were both quickly saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili, but Courtois was still by far the busier goalie.

Before halftime, Real Madrid’s top player twice denied Szoboszlai, Mac Allister was also stopped, and Courtois’ one-man show against Liverpool persisted after the restart. When Virgil van Dijk’s close-range header from a Wirtz corner was overturned, all he could do was giggle. After Szoboszlai’s corner was headed goalwards by Hugo Ekitiké, Courtois repeated the drill.

However, Bellingham’s foul on Ryan Gravenberch, which resulted in a free kick and a booking, ultimately broke Courtois’ resistance. Mac Allister burst free in a packed area to blast a header through the goalkeeper’s guard, and Szoboszlai swept over a strong set-piece from the right that Alexander-Arnold might have taken had he stayed. To investigate a possible offside against the goal scorer, VAR stepped in once more. This time, Anfield would not be furious. The Guardian