Liverpool got an important victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday, continuing their bounce back from a significant early-season wobble.
The Reds saw out a 1-0 win against Madrid, thanks to a second half header from Alexis Mac Allister. Liverpool were the dominant force throughout the game but they failed to get the second goal that would have given them a little breathing room.
What they did do, however, was ensure that they kept the defense tight against a Real Madrid side featuring some of the most talented attacking players on the planet. Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Junior were closely marshaled throughout.
Speaking after the game, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot revealed that they had focused on the one-on-one battles.
“Today, we had a lot of intensity. Against Vinícius, Conor Bradley and the other players were very involved. You have to win those battles, Conor defended magnificently against Vinícius today.”
“I told the players I didn’t want them to press too high because with Vinícius and Mbappé, the attack has an extra level. I told them we couldn’t leave them any space behind us.”
“You can’t control these two players, neither Mbappé nor Vinícius. Their best chance was when Vinícius passed to Bellingham. They have very good players across the pitch and it’s very difficult to completely contain them. We did the best we could with players like Mbappé and Vinícius.”
With Tuesday’s win Liverpool move onto nine points from their four Champions League games, level with Real Madrid. Both are currently within the top eight automatic qualifying spots for the knockout rounds of the Champions League but there is still a long way to go in their year’s competition.