Liverpool continued to play perfectly in this year's Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid. For Los Blancos, this defeat will directly affect their chances of advancing to the group stage.
The second-half goals of Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo sealed Liverpool's fifth consecutive victory in the Champions League. Coach Arne Slot's team continues to consolidate their position at the top of the table with 2 points more than the team behind.
This was the Reds' first win over Los Blancos in the Champions League since 3 March 2009, ending an eight-match winless streak against the Spanish capital club.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid - the 15-time Champions League champions, have now lost three of their five matches in the competition this season. They have dropped to 24th in the rankings - the last place to qualify for the play-off round in February.
Kylian Mbappe had a chance to equalize for Real Madrid but could not beat goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher on the 11m mark. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool also missed a penalty in the 70th minute but in the end, the home team still won.
Mbappe must have been the happiest person to see Salah miss a penalty. The Egyptian striker's miss at least took Mbappe's spotlight after a disastrous match.
This was Mbappe's best chance to impress for Madrid, after a shaky start to life at the Bernabeu. Instead, his performance against Liverpool summed up the French striker's form.
Mbappe had just two shots in 90 minutes, one on target, and that was a penalty. Mbappe made 22 passes, only more than his teammate Ferland Mendy.
If Mbappe had converted the penalty, Real Madrid would have equalized the score to 1-1 and the match could have been different. Instead, Mbappe wasted a chance of ten. Obviously, the patience of Los Blancos fans is limited and Mbappe's performance at Anfield will be "sliced" a lot.
Salah's missed move could soon be forgotten as Liverpool win. Even in the context of uncertainty about his future at Anfield, the Egyptian striker does not need to worry too much.
Moreover, Salah is a Liverpool legend and the "Red Brigade" is still flying high in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Mbappe, on the other hand, has just started his time in Madrid and things are getting out of hand.
"We are back to the way we want to play, but the injury problem is still affecting us. Mbappe has fought and the whole team is behind him," Carlo Ancelotti said when asked about Mbappe's form.
