Alexis McAllister’s second-half header capped a dominant performance as Liverpool ended Real Madrid’s 100 per cent Champions League record with a 1-0 win to inflict more pain on the returning Trent Alexander-Arnold.
On a night when £100m signing Florian Wirtz finally shone, it was the diminutive Argentina international who finally broke down goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ resistance in the 61st minute.
Consecutive wins for the first time since late September pushed Liverpool up to sixth in the table. They are now level on points with Real Madrid, who failed to score in a match for the first time this season.
Saturday’s win over Aston Villa may have been hailed as significant after a run of six defeats in seven games, but this was the real deal in terms of performance and attitude.
Liverpool beat a depleted Real Madrid 2-0 at Anfield a year ago, but former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso’s side was at full strength and dominated by a side missing British record signing Alexander Isak, first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker and £40m full-back Jeremy Frimpong.
Aside from Courtois’s challenge, the game appeared to hinge on a first-half free-kick taken by Aurélien Chouamini and a handball that was in fact inside the box but VAR reported was not in fact a handball at all.
Liverpool responded by doubling their efforts, which were rewarded when McAllister rose unmarked to head home Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick.
Alexander-Arnold’s name was booed throughout, but his arrival in the 81st minute led to a cacophony of jeers, which continued with every touch.
Singing the name of Steven Gerrard, sitting in the directors’ box, was a sharp dig at the former academy graduate who has decided not to stay with his boyhood club.
Earlier in the day, white paint was thrown over the England international’s mural on the side of a house in nearby Sibel Road, labeled “Not Welcome”, and spray-painted with “Rat” and “Adios el Rata”, prompting a clean-up operation before kick-off.
But his return was just a sideshow to the main event with his replacement at right-back by Connor Bradley, whose tackle on Kylian Mbappe in this game last year went viral, getting under Vinicius Junior’s skin to the point that the winger brought him down and threatened to charge into the box.
For all Real Madrid’s attacking resources, it was the familiar enemy between the posts who played the key role in the first half.
Courtois, whose solo performance in the 2022 final ended Liverpool’s hopes of achieving a seventh title, blocked two decisive attempts from Szoboszlai, one of them brilliantly with his foot from close range.
Aside from Andy Robertson’s tepid penalty on Arda Guler, Real Madrid posed little threat until Giorgi Mamardashvili’s feet denied Jude Bellingham – becoming the youngest player to make 50 Champions League appearances at 22 years and 128 days.
Mbappé, who has scored in all but two of his 17 appearances for club and country, missed his only effort.
At the beginning of the second half, Courtois blocked headers from Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Equitiki from successive corner kicks, while the French team passed the ball wide of the goal in the third minute.
The goalkeeper then blocked a Szoboszlai free-kick, but was unable to stop the 5ft 7in McAllister, as he curled a powerful free-kick into his arms.
Mbappé fired a shot wide as the visitors, now backed by Rodrygo, looked to equalize but it was Courtois, who blocked a shot from substitute Cody Jacpo, who continued to play more active.
Information from the Palestinian Authority was used in this report.
