Slot delighted as Liverpool beat ‘pain in the ass’ Real Madrid
Arne Slot was delighted after Liverpool maintained their perfect record in the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid.
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo were on target for Liverpool as the Reds beat the European champions at Anfield.
Liverpool were well worth the three points against the injury-hit hosts, with the result moving the Merseysiders back to the top of the Champions League standings. Slot’s side are the only team with a 100% record after five games.
Both sides missed penalties in the clash, with Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher denying Kylian Mbappe an equaliser from the spot at 1-0, before Mohamed Salah uncharacteristically blazed a penalty wide for the home side.
Liverpool’s win was their first against Real Madrid for almost 15 years and first in nine attempts, a run that had included defeats in the 2018 and 2022 Champions League finals.
Slot praised the performance of his team after victory over a side who have been ‘a pain in the ass for Liverpool for many years’.
“You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times. They were a pain in the ass for Liverpool for many years too. It is a big week and it is pleasing to see,” Slot said to TNT Sports.
“I didn’t have schedule in terms of amount of points I wanted. You want to implement the playing style as soon as possible. That is not difficult because it wasn’t that different to Jurgen’s.
“It is great to see not only the starters but the players coming on are doing as we expect. If before the season I had counted points for this point in the season I wouldn’t have done as much as we have now.
“Every time Real Madrid threatened us was from us. I think we can play with more intensity and better with the ball.”
Read – Kelleher ‘confident’ he would stop Mbappe penalty
See more – Five of the best games between Liverpool and Real Madrid