Arne Slot makes Klopp admission after banishing Liverpool's 'pain in the a**'

Arne Slot was relieved to finally get one over Liverpool’s “pain in the a**” Real Madrid as he exorcised Jurgen Klopp’s demons.

The Reds secured a memorable 2-0 win against the Spanish giants on Wednesday evening. Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored the goals for the hosts, while Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe also missed penalties.

The win leaves Liverpool top of the Champions League table with five wins from as many games. It was also the Reds’ first win against Real Madrid in their last seven meetings.

Ex-Liverpool boss Klopp never managed to beat the Spanish side during his time at Anfield, a run that includes two Champions League final defeats. And Slot hailed his side for finally ending that tricky run.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, the Dutchman said: "You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times. They were a pain in the a** for Liverpool for many years too. It is a big week, and it is pleasing to see.

"I didn't have schedule in terms of amount of points I wanted. You want to implement the playing style as soon as possible. That is not difficult because it wasn't that different to Jurgen's. It is great to see not only the starters but the players coming on are doing as we expect.

“If before the season I had counted points for this point in the season I wouldn't have done as much as we have now. Every time Real Madrid threatened us was from us. I think we can play with more intensity and better with the ball."

Away from Slot’s verdict, goalscorer Mac Allister was also left delighted. He hailed his teammates for their displays in what was a tricky game against the Spanish giants.

The midfielder said: "When you play against teams like Real Madrid, it is always nice to score – but the most important thing is that we won it – and I think in a really good way. We dominated the game. We needed a couple of times this guy (Caoimhin Kelleher) but thank God that he was there and he really deserved it.

"When we say in the dressing room, we know players that come in are important to finish the games, and you know if you want to win trophies, you need them. Everyone does the best for the team."

Liverpool face another difficult game this weekend as they come up against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. The Reds could potentially extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 11 points with a win.