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Mbappe 3, Bellingham 5 | Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid: Player Ratings
Real Madrid’s trip to Anfield was as challenging, if not significantly more difficult than initially hyped, and rightfully so, given the run of form the Merseyside club have been in recent times.
Los Blancos were dealt a significant blow in the run-up to the game in the form of Vinicius Jr’s injury and it is no surprise that they were simply not good enough for the Reds last night.
Liverpool dominated Carlo Ancelotti’s side through and through to record their first win over Real Madrid since 2009 and recorded a historic result that could not be more deserved.
Alexis MacAllister opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 52nd minute after a cagey first half before Cody Gakpo doubled the lead from a set-piece 24 minutes later.
Madrid Universal brings you the player ratings from Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid.
Thibaut Courtois: 7.5
The Belgian shot-stopper has made a habit of stepping up against Liverpool and once again raised his game at Anfield last night, outright denying the hosts any advantage to show for their possession.
Courtois made three saves from inside the box in the first half alone and was a big reason Los Blancos did not stare a deficit at half-time.
Ferland Mendy: 6
Up against Mohammed Salah, Mendy was forced deep into defensive duties on the night and struggled to control the Egyptian winger.
Did not involve much in the buildup and was relatively isolated on the left.
Conceded a penalty that Liverpool failed to convert.
Antonio Rudiger: 7
Rudiger was Real Madrid’s leader at the back at Anfield and celebrated every duel won like a goal scored.
The German was thoroughly alert and did not offer the Reds any space in the box, effectively marking out any presence in the box.
Did lose his focus at moments in the second period.
Raul Asencio: 6.5
The academy star made his UEFA Champions League debut last night and was solid at the back. His pace was a handy tool for the team to effectively put brakes on Liverpool’s counterattacks but an early yellow card forced him to err on the side of caution for most of the game.
Was poor in the opening goal conceded as he should have got to the ball first.
Federico Valverde: 7
The Uruguayan star started at right-back and did a fine job defensively, holding his ground and keeping Luis Diaz out of the equation.
Shifted to midfield after Camavinga’s injury and immediately sank into the role, asserting himself in the position.
Eduardo Camavinga: 7.5
The Frenchman was all over the field, winning balls in midfield and aiding in transitioning the play from defence to attack.
Was a solid cog operating in the defensive midfield but did not hesitate in pushing forward and finding the likes of Guler or Mbappe on the break.
Left the field injured before the hour mark in what is a worrying update for Los Blancos.
Luka Modric: 6.5
The Croatian was the only player in white looking to control the game and maintain possession and succeeding with the idea.
However, he too was far from his accurate best as he misplayed crosses and failed to play as creatively as the situation demanded.
Jude Bellingham: 5
The Englishman was far from his best in his home country as he neither looked like a solid presence in midfield or the box in the opening 45 minutes.
Did not participate in the buildup as much as he would have liked and did not make attacking runs into the box.
Arda Guler: 7.5
The Turkish phenom looked to be the only Real Madrid player determined to make a push in attack as he regularly accelerated the pace of the buildup and looked for vertical passing options.
Guler showed why he deserves to be a starter as he regularly tried to open up the hosts’ backline but unfortunately received little support.
Kylian Mbappe: 3
Gifted a golden chance to prove his worth with Vinicius Jr out injured, Kylian Mbappe started and had the left flank to himself last night.
Yet, the star signing was abysmal, uninspiring and never really looked up for the job.
Mbappe’s struggles for confidence only continued as he lacked any cutting edge on the ball and had nothing to offer off it.
Missed a penalty to cap off a horrific night and a lot of questions must be asked of his regular disappointments now.
Brahim Diaz: 4
Starting as a forward, Diaz did not offer much at Anfield as the ball was barely ever played into Real Madrid’s attacking half.
Did not get into many threatening positions and often found himself dropping deeper to try and control the midfield.
Lucas Vasquez: 6.5
Came on and immediately won a penalty for Real Madrid, but the team failed to convert it.
The derby weekend is here as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are set to lock horns on Sunday afternoon at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
After an eventful transfer window and a stuttering start, Atletico Madrid reaffirmed their position as genuine title contenders and have done decently well so far this season.
With four wins, a draw and a defeat to their name, they sit on 13 points after six games.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have only had one defeat and are on 15 points after as many games, only behind Barcelona who sit on a perfect record.
Diego Simeone’s men had a shaky start to the season, but have picked up steam in recent weeks with seven goals scored and none conceded in their last two games.
Given their strong record against Real Madrid at home, they will look to take all three points tomorrow.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid.
A test away from home
It is no secret that Real Madrid’s form on the road this season has been poor, not necessarily for the results themselves but how the team have conducted themselves in away grounds.
For the first time in years, there appears to be a sense of uncertainty around Los Blancos’ ability to produce results away from home.
For long periods in the game, they appear willing to hand over the momentum, and the resultant pressure has seen them collapse.
A last-gasp winner from Carlos Espi handed them the win against Espanyol away from home, and they went on to lose against Real Betis in their second away fixture of the season.
Most recently, they bottled a 2-0 lead against Elche and again required a stoppage-time winner from Espi to take the three points.
Tomorrow’s game, in that sense, is extremely challenging, for it is not only away from home but against an opposition of high quality.
Playing Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano is as challenging as games get, and Real Madrid have an extremely poor record at the venue.
Since 2017, Real Madrid have only won twice at the Metropolitano with three defeats and three draws. Last season, they suffered a 5-2 defeat and the game went on to break the team’s momentum.
Heading into such a tricky clash with an ongoing crisis away from home makes Sunday’s clash very complicated for the Merengues.
Arda Guler has to return
After a long time, Jose Mourinho took the Yan Diomande experiment to the next level and handed the player back-to-back starts for Real Madrid.
Clearly, the new signing still has a long way to go in terms of his adaptation, but he has been promising as an attacking outlet in his few appearances.
Diomande started both against Rayo Vallecano and Elche, but there is a strong case to drop him for the Madrid derby and play Arda Guler instead.
The Turkish international was on the bench against Rayo Vallecano and played as a No. 10 against Elche, with Jude Bellingham rested. Now, with the Englishman set to return, the manager has a decision to make.
Mourinho has made it clear that he wishes to ease Diomande into Real Madrid’s dynamics to reduce the pressure on his shoulders. Fielding him from the start in a derby would contradict that idea.
Beyond that, however, Guler has shown far more utility and promise as an attacking and creative outlet than Diomande, making the right-wing decision quite clear for the manager.
Real Madrid with and without Guler have been two completely different stories this season, and the team will require every last bit of creative inspiration that he has in him to get past Atletico Madrid tomorrow afternoon.
There is also a case for Brahim Diaz to be brought in, and the Moroccan star is also probably ahead of Diomande on the pecking order. Guler, however, stands out as a top option even ahead of Brahim.
Eyes on Vinicius Jr.
For years, Vinicius Jr. has always utilised the big stages to make his statements, for he has been a player to speak through performances and not words.
For instance, he scored a stunning solo goal last season against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup at a time when he was least expected to do so. At that point, he had not scored in 16 straight games, but the big moment called out to him.
It is clear that the Brazilian is not going through his best moment right now once again. The past few weeks have been hard on him, especially after he did well at the World Cup and returned to Madrid with higher expectations on him.
So far this season, Vinicius has only scored one goal in seven games. Beyond the goals, however, he has not looked like his usual threatening self on the flank and has not created half as many chances as he usually would.
Such is the player’s situation that his place in the team is being called into doubt for the first time in years. After all, Yan Diomande can play on the left and showed glimpses of his ability in the previous game.
All eyes, thus, will be on Vinicius on Sunday to see if he can step up to the occasion and make his presence felt when it really matters. He has always been one for the big stage, and tomorrow’s stage is the biggest yet this season.
Hala_Madrid
November 28, 2024 at 11:54 am
Ancelotti should start Endrick as the only true striker as Madrid is now in desperation mode. I still don’t know why Ancelotti loves Mendy and what he sees in Mendy’s play because the guy is horrible. Fran Garcia should be the starter moving forward. Madrid also needs to challenge both Rudiger and Vazquez with the academy players. And last, Guler should have more playing time. Bad decisions were made for years in not signing defensive reinforcements, striker, and a right winger, but Ancelotti should be held accountable for the way Madrid is playing. The team, squad selection and way of playing are so predictable. There are no ideas and tactics on the pitch.