Nobody personified that hunger better than 21-year-old right-back Conor Bradley, who put in the kind of display that suggested Liverpool might have a perfect replacement in waiting should Trent Alexander-Arnold, as has been speculated, go down the road. . to the Bernabéu in summer.
Bradley has excelled before, but this was his best performance yet given the occasion and the caliber of the opposition. It is to be hoped that a late injury will not be serious.
The Northern Irish defender found Mbappé starting on his flank. To say he gave the big striker a tough time is an understatement.
Mbappé endured a nightmare night, even missing a penalty in the second half that would have undeservedly leveled Real Madrid, but one moment from his personal battle stands out above all the others.
The forward attacked the Kop with danger in the air in the 31st minute, until he was stopped by a thunderous tackle, completely legal, that cleared the ball and Mbappé.
Liverpool fans rose to their feet to celebrate the tackle, Bradley’s name echoing through Anfield as Mbappe struggled to regain his dignity.
It was not the only time Bradley was praised in song, joining Alexis Mac Allister for the goal that finally gave Liverpool their deserved after 52 minutes. He was even a goal threat, although he could have done better with a header that he directed directly at Thibaut Courtois.
When he limped off three minutes from time, replaced by Joe Gomez, the Liverpool fans rose from their seats once again to a standing ovation.
Alexander-Arnold will have watched with admiration from the substitutes’ bench. Liverpool would not want to lose such a stellar homegrown talent, but Bradley’s presence suggests the blow may be softened if this happens.
Liverpool can now turn their attention to Manchester City, which is currently suffering a serious crisis. Slot’s team could not be in worse health, as the coach calmly guides them.
City have not found much joy at Anfield in the past, not even in Pep Guardiola’s era of glory. In their current state, they will not relish the prospect of facing this rampaging faction.
Even Slot admitted to being somewhat surprised by his record so far, saying: “I didn’t have a schedule in terms of points that I wanted. You want to implement the style of play as soon as possible. That’s not difficult because it was not that different from Jurgen’s. .
“It’s fantastic that not only the starters, but also the upcoming players, are doing what we expected. If before the start of the season I had counted the points for this moment in the season, I wouldn’t have counted as many as now.” “.
Based on this growing body of evidence, Manchester City may fear encountering a perfect storm in Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as the slot machine continues to find new gears.
