Alexis Mac Allister's second-half header secured a 1-0 victory for Liverpool over Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday. The hard-fought win, assisted by a free kick from Dominik Szoboszlai, marked the La Liga leader's first Champions League defeat this season. Arne Slot’s men, fresh off halting a dreadful four-game Premier League losing streak, climbed to sixth in the table with nine points after four league stage games, level on points with Real Madrid, who remain one place above them on goal difference.
The scoreline remained respectable largely thanks to the performance of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian international, who famously denied Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final, made eight crucial saves throughout the night. Courtois stopped a close-range shot from Szoboszlai in the first half and impressively denied powerful second-half headers from both Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitiké. His resistance was finally broken in the 61st minute when Mac Allister's header flashed past him.
The first half was not without its drama. Liverpool briefly thought they had a penalty when Szoboszlai’s shot struck Aurélien Tchouaméni's arm inside the box. However, after a VAR review, the referee Istvan Kovacs overturned his initial decision, deeming the French international’s arms to be in a "natural position," a call that drew wrath from the Anfield crowd.
Real Madrid's attack, featuring star names like Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, failed to create sufficient threat. Mbappé, who had been in scintillating form, squandered one of the visitors' best second-half opportunities when he fired wide, while Bellingham’s shot before the break was saved by Liverpool keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili's foot.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who left for Real Madrid in the close season, had his mural near Anfield vandalised earlier in the day, and was met with merciless booing every time he touched the ball after being introduced as a late substitute in the 81st minute. Conversely, his successor at right back, Conor Bradley, delivered his finest display of the season, marshalling Vinícius Júnior and earning fervent chants of “One Conor Bradley” from the Kop.
This is the second victory after the one at Villa Park, for Slot's Liverpool after a rough patch of six defeats in seven games. For Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid, however, the defeat raises questions about their big-game mentality, as they failed to make a dent.
Mac Allister, who also opened the scoring in a victory against Real last season, remains cautiously optimistic about the win’s impact: “It is an important win, but we know it doesn’t mean anything as we finished first in the first phase of the Champions League last season, and after that, we were out quite early. So we need to keep on going.”