For the first time since 2009, Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the Champions League and declared themselves the team to beat in Europe.

For the ninth time this decade, Liverpool and Real Madrid met in the Champions League. The Reds went into the game with four wins in their last four UCL games and are at the top of the table with a perfect record. Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already suffered two European defeats and traveled to England without the injured Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

The first half started with the hosts taking a strong lead. A terrible attack from Kylian Mbappé left Liverpool storming forward in the opening minutes of the game. Darwin Núñez delivered a hard shot that required both a save from Thibaut Courtois and a goal-line clearance from Raúl Asencio to maintain the score.

Despite having the majority of possession and the better chances in the first 45 minutes, Liverpool failed to score their first goal of the game. Real Madrid, on the other hand, retreated to the dressing room without a shot on goal.

Liverpool stormed out of the tunnel and pinned the visitors in their own half right at the start of the second half. In the 52nd minute, Alexis Mac Allister finally made the breakthrough after a nice one-two with Conor Bradley. Just nine minutes later, Real Madrid had the chance to equalize with a penalty, but Mbappé’s attempt was parried.

Mohamed Salah was the next man to try his luck from the penalty spot, but he too failed to convert. Cody Gakpo finally scored the second goal of the game in the 76th minute, sealing Liverpool’s 2-0 win.

Here are three things we learned from the UCL clash.

All eyes were on Mbappé at Anfield. With Vinícius Júnior injured, the Frenchman was able to start on the left wing, his preferred position, and was given free rein to lead Real Madrid’s attack. However, his two highlights of the night were a telltale result that almost resulted in a goal and a missed penalty.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Mbappé has been a shell of his former self since arriving in Madrid. An adjustment period is normal, especially when he moves from the Ligue 1 competition to clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool in his first few months with Los Blancos. However, Real Madrid cannot afford to wait for one of the world’s top goalscorers to find his form.

If Mbappé continues to underperform, Real Madrid will have a mountain to climb in both La Liga and the Champions League. In fact, Los Blancos are already in trouble with six points out of a possible 15 in the UCL.

Liverpool continue to shine under Arne Slot. Even when things don’t go the way the Reds want, they still manage to get a result that seemed inevitable. Núñez, Salah and Luis Díaz failed to score against Real Madrid? Enter Mac Allister and Gakpo. Andy Robertson concedes a penalty? Caoimhin Kelleher parries.

Then there’s the consistency of Slot’s defense. Liverpool have now kept four games in a row without conceding a goal in the Champions League. Christian Pulisic was the last player to score in Europe against the Reds in September. When players like Bradley can fill in for players like Trent Alexander-Arnold without missing a beat, a defensive line and therefore a team is on the road to success.

With every new victory, Liverpool proves that it is a real title contender, both in Europe and in the Premier League. While it’s still early days in both competitions, there is only a very short list of teams that currently appear capable of defeating Slot’s team. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are the next team to try their luck in the Premier League this weekend.

With Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez injured, Fede Valverde was Ancelotti’s emergency right-back. The Uruguayan impressed on the right against Osasuna and Leganes, but is not a long-term solution for Los Blancos’ backline. In fact, his presence in midfield was sorely missed against Liverpool.

When Valverde is in the middle of the park, he is the one who switches pitches, wins the ball back and makes bold attempts that end up in the net more often than in the net. Without him in midfield, Jude Bellingham is forced to retreat and intervene defensively, leaving no one left to link up with Mbappé and, in this case, Brahim Díaz.

Vázquez may be a liability defensively, but Ancelotti will be keen to move the Spaniard back to the right wing so that one of his best midfielders can return to his natural position, especially if Eduardo Camavinga’s injury keeps him off the pitch for an extended period .

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