LONDON: Liverpool manager Arne Slot warned he would not be carried away just because Liverpool had finally beaten Real Madrid for the first time in 15 years after failing six times under predecessor Jurgen Klopp.

Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo gave the Reds a deserved win in a dominant performance against the Champions League holders whom they last beat in 2009.

Slot 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 for Liverpool for many years too. I think it’s always good to win a game, and especially a big game like this, because you face so many quality players. We are only five games in in the new format, we are happy where we are, but we’re not getting carried away.”

With his team top of both the Champions League and the Premier League, Slot has made an astonishing start since replacing Klopp, adding more solidity at the back and control in midfield without sacrificing attacking threat.

He said: “I didn’t have a schedule in terms of the 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 Juergen’s.”

Slot was full of praise for 21-year-old Conor Bradley, who brought the Anfield crowd to their feet with a fantastic first-half tackle against Kylian Mbappe, and of Caoimhin Kelleher who saved a second-half penalty from the Real striker.

Goalscorer Mac Allister echoed his boss’ caution against getting over-confident, downplaying talk of Liverpool now being favourites to win the Champions League.

“It is nice but at the same time it means nothing because it is just the first phase,” he said, referring to the new 36-team league format before knockout games begin.

“We are happy with our performances, that’s the most important thing and we will keep going.”

Next up for Liverpool are Manchester City on Sunday in the Premier League and a chance to open up an 11-point gap with their main domestic rivals.

“Man City have not been on the best run at the moment, but what a team,” said Kelleher. “So we’re going to expect a really tough test again and it’s important we keep winning in the (domestic) league as well to keep that gap.”

Villa held

Aston Villa had to settle for a 0-0 draw against depleted Juventus after a last-gasp effort by Morgan Rogers was chalked off for a foul on Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio.

Villa thought they had won it at the death when Di Gregorio failed to catch a free kick, but Diego Carlos fouled the Juventus keeper as Rogers was lashing the ball into the net, and boos poured out from the home fans after the final whistle.

“It was the interpretation of the referee, only the interpretation,” Villa manager Unai Emery told reporters. “For me, of course (the call was harsh), here in England, I know usually not fault because it was very soft contact. And in Europe, could be fault.”

The match was far from a classic, with Juventus seemingly content to keep possession, and both sides squandered chances, with Villa’s best coming from Lucas Digne who hammered a free kick off the crossbar seconds before halftime.

Midway through the second half, Francisco Conceicao’s short-range header from a corner looked destined for the back of Villa’s net but their World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez dived to get his fingertips to the ball. Television replays showed a mere sliver of the ball failed to cross the goalline.

Villa captain John McGinn almost gave the home side the lead when he latched on to a pass from Leon Bailey in the 70th minute, but the Scotland international’s shot was blocked by Manuel Locatelli.

“We were closer than them to winning the match,” Emery said. “They’re very difficult to beat but we created a plan. There weren’t many clear chances for either team.”

Emery’s team, who started their Champions League campaign with three victories and three clean sheets, are ninth in the table after five games.

Victory would have been a big confidence boost for the home side, who have not won since their 2-0 Champions League victory over Bologna on Oct. 22 and have slipped to eighth in the Premier League table with one win in their last five games.

Their Italian visitors, who are unbeaten in Serie A this season but had only 14 outfield players available on Wednesday, are 19th in the 36-team table. The top eight after eight matches qualify automatically for the last 16, with the next 16 sides entering a two-leg playoff to try to join them.

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