Liverpool claim first win over Real Madrid in 15 years
Liverpool FC pulled off a historic 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, their first against the Spanish giants in 15 years. Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo struck for the Reds, who now are now atop the Champions League table. This is Liverpool's fifth consecutive win in this tournament, putting them two points ahead in the new league format.
Liverpool overshadows Madrid's performance
Liverpool's dominance in the match was apparent, even though Mohamed Salah missed a penalty. Real Madrid, who currently sit 24th in the 36-team competition, also missed a penalty opportunity through Kylian Mbappe. Mac Allister opened the scoring for Liverpool (52nd minute) after a skillful exchange with Conor Bradley. Gakpo later sealed their victory with a header that went past Thibaut Courtois from an Andy Robertson cross in the 76th minute.
Mac Allister reflects on Liverpool's victory
After the match, Mac Allister was pleased with the team's display. "When you play against teams like Real Madrid, it's always nice to score, but the most important thing is that we won it, and I think in a really good way," he said. "We dominated the game; we deserved this." The win extends manager Arne Slot's dream start at Liverpool and their perfect Champions League record.
Liverpool's goalkeeper Kelleher shares his thoughts
Liverpool's goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher also weighed in on the match. "It's a big result, it was a massive game for us. Obviously, they got the better of us the last few times in the Champions League so we wanted to come out here tonight and put on a performance," he said. His penalty save against Mbappe was one of the night's highlights, drawing one of the biggest cheers from fans.
Slot's leadership continues to impress at Liverpool
Slot has been successful in his transition from his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, keeping Liverpool's high press and aggressive attacking style intact. Despite several missed opportunities in the first half, Liverpool stayed dominant throughout the match. The victory over Madrid is a huge achievement for Slot, his 17th win in his first 19 games as manager of Liverpool FC.
Liverpool attain these feats
As per ESPN, Liverpool won their first match against Real Madrid in 15 years. According to Opta, Liverpool have become just the fifth side to win their opening five games of the Champions League campaign and concede less than two goals in the process, after Milan (1992-93), Juventus (2004-05), Atlético Madrid (2016-17), and PSG (2017-18).
Three saves for Kelleher
As per Opta, Kelleher has now saved three of the four penalties he has faced for Liverpool across competitions apart from shootouts. Notably, this was also only the second penalty Mbappe failed to convert in the Champions League.
