When reigning European champions Real Madrid are the visitors, it’s not meant to be this easy. Not that Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Carlo Ancelotti’s side was ‘easy’ per se, but in the context of facing the record 15-times winners, with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, it was.
Liverpool dominated proceedings and the 2-0 scoreline actually flattered their opponents. Ancelotti called it a fair result in his post-match press conference, saying: “Liverpool deserved to win. They have a real good dynamic at the moment, they’re in great form.”
Great form they certainly are. Top of the Champions League league (is that how we’re supposed to say it?!) and top of the Premier League. The Reds have won all five European matches, conceding just one goal - they’ve already secured their place in at least the play-off for the knockout stages.
Liverpool 'not getting carried away' just yet
For Arne Slot, it continued his impressive start to life in charge at Anfield, but the Dutchman continued his pragmatic and calm approach post-match. “We are not getting carried away by only winning a group stage game,” he told reporters.
Liverpool could have been a goal or two ahead by half-time, but in the second half they increased their control of the game. “They (Liverpool) were great in the second half,” admitted Ancelotti.
Slot provided a deeper analysis, explaining half-time messages to “‘try to be even more patient, let the gaps open up instead of forcing them’.
“Then it helps if, the first seven minutes after half-time I think we had total dominance, they didn’t even come across the halfway line.”
The goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo were the least Liverpool deserved in the end and the 2-0 win. No wonder Slot said he “liked a lot what I saw.”
When the fixtures originally put this Real Madrid visit just four days before Manchester City arrive at Anfield, it was billed as a huge week but not one where any Liverpool supporter could have imagined going into both games as favourites. But that’s the position Slot has them in now, albeit also due to both their elite opponents struggling with their respective form and injuries.
The Champions League format is working for Liverpool – but there's no jeopardy in the competition for the Reds
With the lack of jeopardy around the new Champions League group stage format, most Liverpool fans would certainly have viewed the Premier League tie with Pep Guardiola’s side - and a chance to go 11 points clear at the top of the table - as the priority.
The Real match, then, up against elite individuals who have incredible ability to find ways to win even when not remotely dominating a match, provided a rehearsal for Liverpool ahead of Sunday. It’s entirely plausible that, should Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate brush off knocks they received late in the game, that Slot starts the same side again against City.
Liverpool displayed the characteristics that Slot seeks, with the patient approach being rewarded, and the control and dominance he wants his side to focus on. In previous encounters with Real - whom Liverpool had failed to beat in the last eight meetings - the Reds were far more open and erratic.
The prime example of this was last time Real Madrid were at Anfield, 21 months ago, when an early 2-0 lead for Jurgen Klopp’s side was wiped out with five goals from the Spaniards to hand Liverpool their heaviest home European defeat. No such performance or result will arrive under Slot’s tutelage.
The Dutchman’s side enjoyed 63 per cent possession and had over twice as many shots and shots on target as their opponent. Such a performance on Sunday would move the title expectations up a notch.
As for the outcome of the Real match, as Slot says, that may be more telling later in the campaign, with the possibility of a re-match in the knockout stages very real. “For me, it would even mean more if we go into the later stages of the tournament,” assessed Slot.
