Anfield erupted. It really was. It was the performance that Arne Slott’s Liverpool had been looking for this season, as they beat Real Madrid in the Champions League thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half header.
Real Madrid were overwhelmed, lethargic and reduced to minced meat, much like in their victory over the La Liga giants last season. For Europe’s biggest batsman, the margin could have been wider and more solemn had it not been for a strong performance from Thiabaud Courtois between the posts.
Last weekend’s win over Aston Villa in the Premier League stopped the rot and halted a run of four consecutive defeats, but it was a sign of a different nature, with the Reds going from strength to strength and reminding Europe of what they are capable of.
There have been many issues and imbalances within Slott’s squad this season, but this was an emphatic performance that stood out from any department, both in possession and against the ball.
The main figurehead of this little revival on Merseyside was, of course, Conor Bradley.
Bradley proved too much for Real (again)
It’s not the first time this past year that Bradley has been a trump card against Real Madrid’s devastating front line, this time setting his sights on Vinicius Junior, who was helpless all night against the Northern Ireland star.
Content creator George Skaife said he had “the best game of my life” against Los Blancos, winning all three tackles, winning eight duels and recovering the ball in the most numbers.
With Jeremy Frimpong sidelined through injury, the 22-year-old has had doubts and been a little unfit at times after a shaky start to the season, but now he has a golden opportunity to start and secure a place in the starting XI.
There were times when Bradley’s place in the Liverpool side was questioned, but in the long term he is capable of replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who failed to return to Anfield on Tuesday.
However, there is another star who has become a mainstay for them, although his place in the starting lineup was in question after a wasteful summer.
Liverpool star is on his way to becoming one of the world’s best stars
There’s no question that Liverpool have been in a dire slump this season, but Dominik Szoboszlai has been a pillar of strength throughout the opening months.
Effortlessly excellent as an all-action midfielder and tenacious and hard-working as a makeshift right-back, Szoboszlai’s energy and aggressiveness on the ball is second to none, with one prominent Reds fan hailing him as “our most important player” and admitting he was “one of the players left out of the XI” after the wasteful summer that signed Florian Wirtz. Record fee of £116m.
But the Hungarian captain was nothing short of sensational, once again being the star of the show as he opened the scoring for Real Madrid and assisted the winner with a delightful set-piece shot.
Szoboszlai’s performance against Real Madrid | |
|---|---|
match statistics | # |
Play time (minutes) | 90 minutes |
the goal | 0 |
assist | 1 |
touch | 54 |
Number of shots (on target) | 5(4) |
exact path | 30/39 (77%) |
An opportunity has arisen | 3 |
cross | 3/3 |
intercept | 1 |
collect | 6 |
won a duel | 2/9 |
Data via Sofascore | |
The Liverpool Echo said the 24-year-old showed great creativity, going into extra time to dominate the Spanish midfield, and deserved to give him a 9/10 rating, ahead of Mac Allister who scored the goal.
While the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk continue to pride themselves as leaders of the team in the slot, there is little doubt that Szoboszlai has outshined many this term, and as the Reds shift into gear and raise the level of the team as a whole, Szoboszlai could achieve incredible individual heights.
