CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Liverpool have to thank Mac Allister for ending Madrid’s unbeaten run
LIVERPOOL Alexis Mac Allister headed a second-half winner as the hosts earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in a battle between European giants, handing the LaLiga leaders their first defeat in the Champions League this season.
Arne Slot’s men climbed to sixth in the table with nine points after four games of the league stage, one place below Real who are level on points but lead on goal difference.
Liverpool, who three days earlier halted a dreadful four-game Premier League losing streak, battled from the start and kept Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on his toes before Mac Allister finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute.
Dominik Szoboszlai, who was outstanding all night, sent in a beautiful free kick and the Argentine rose the highest to head home and send Anfield into raptures.
Liverpool briefly celebrated what they thought was a penalty in the first half when Szoboszlai blasted the ball off the arm of Aurelien Tchouameni, but the referee decided there had been no handball after a VAR review.
Szoboszlai had several terrific chances on the night. Courtois stopped what might have been a simple tap-in off Florian Wirtz’s cross when he threw up a leg to stop Szoboszlai’s shot in the first half. The Hungarian forced a couple more diving saves from Courtois before halftime. Real’s best chance before the break was Jude Bellingham’s shot from a tight angle that lunging Liverpool keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili got a foot on.
Kylian Mbappe squandered a great chance for Real in the second half when he fired wide of the far post.
Liverpool looked sure to go 2-0 up in the dying minutes when Mohamed Salah found Cody Gakpo in front of goal but Courtois made another brilliant save and Salah’s follow-up was blocked.
Long-time Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold, who departed for Real in the close season, was a late substitute and was booed mercilessly whenever he touched the ball. Hours earlier, a commemorative mural of Alexander-Arnold, who played 354 games for Liverpool and won seven major trophies, was vandalised.
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