Liverpool triumphed in a UEFA Champions League clash between two heavyweights, defeating Real Madrid 2-0 – just the second time in their last eight meetings that the Reds have avoided defeat against Los Blancos.
Raúl Asencio was thrust into the spotlight on his UCL debut and handled the pressure well. Darwin Núñez charged forward and unleashed a shot that Thibaut Courtois deflected onto Asencio, who cleared the ball off the line. Though goal-scoring opportunities were sparse in the first 20 minutes, the match was far from lacking intensity, with Asencio and Núñez both receiving yellow cards after a tussle in the box, followed by Virgil van Dijk making his mark with a powerful shoulder challenge on Kylian Mbappé.
Núñez remained involved, seizing on a loose ball in the box but was thwarted by the quick-reacting Courtois. Conor Bradley then answered questions about how he would cope against Mbappé, delivering a fantastic tackle just before Núñez’s header narrowly missed the target. A short while later, Luis Díaz had his header saved by Courtois, and Curtis Jones fired over the bar as Liverpool kept pressing, though Alexis Mac Allister was booked for cynically stopping an Arda Güler counterattack, meaning he will miss the next match.
Liverpool remained dominant after the break, with Eduardo Camavinga deflecting Jones’ shot wide and Courtois producing a superb save to deny Bradley’s header. The breakthrough came soon after, as Mac Allister exchanged passes with Bradley before slotting his shot just beyond Courtois’ reach.
With no shots on target for Real Madrid up to that point, Liverpool earned a penalty in the 61st minute when Lucas Vázquez went down under pressure from Andy Robertson, and Caoimhín Kelleher expertly outwitted Mbappé to save the spot-kick. Mohamed Salah also had his penalty attempt go astray, smashing his shot wide after a dazzling dribble past Ferland Mendy.
Unshaken, Liverpool struck again six minutes later, with Cody Gakpo rising highest to head home Robertson’s cross, securing the Reds’ perfect UCL record this season and keeping them at the top of the standings. The result also handed Real Madrid their third consecutive European defeat, leaving them in 24th place, the last play-off spot.
