The Good, Bad and Ugly: Liverpool got off to a perfect start against Real Madrid through Darwin Núñez, but two Éder Militão moments changed everything.
Liverpool all but ended its Champions League campaign for the season with an abysmal capitulation against Real Madrid. Having been handed the perfect start by Darwin Núñez, a two-goal lead evaporated, ultimately becoming a three-goal deficit ahead of the away leg.
An inspired Vinícius Júnior performance helped turn the tide in favor of Real Madrid, but Éder Militão made two decisive contributions as well. As for Liverpool, it was far too often the architect of its own downfall.
The goal from Núñez highlighted the belated arrival of the attacking unpredictability Liverpool was lacking in last season’s final, but the defense and midfield that took to the Anfield turf this evening was unrecognizable to the one that stepped out in Paris. Jürgen Klopp needs to nail the foundations before his new-look attack can bring any success.
The Good
If the responses on Twitter to my mentioning the fact there were ‘some positives’ tonight is anything to go by, it’s too soon for most to reflect on the good parts of this performance, and that’s absolutely fair enough. It was a gutting night, and one that looks almost certain to end Liverpool’s last hope of achieving real glory this season.
But the fact remains that Liverpool went 2-0 up against the European champions, and threatened to blow them away. What came after that clearly cannot be brushed under the carpet, and it is the first 15 minutes of the match that will be forgotten with time. However, it is hard to imagine Klopp’s side producing that even just a couple of weeks ago.
The fear is that this result will completely crush the momentum. But the scorer of the first goal, Darwin Núñez, is the key to restoring an upward trajectory. Anfield was delirious when his audacious flick flew beyond Thibaut Courtois, and it felt like the real arrival of a world-class striker.
That arrival has been somewhat delayed, but not through any fault of the Uruguayan. There will be games in future where his brilliance makes him the hero. Instead, it ended up as a footnote here — but it is a footnote worth reading.
The Bad
Well, take your pick. Liverpool had a number of especially bad moments, but the most unforgivable was the third goal.
Say what you want about the first half. Clearly, Liverpool conceded two goals which they should have kept out. But for the most part, Klopp’s side did well. It was the second period where the tie was thrown away.
Coming out again after having been pegged back, the onus was on Liverpool to set the tone and reestablish dominance. It was behind after two minutes.
All Luka Modrić had to do was hammer in a free kick, and Éder Militão was in glorious isolation to bullet it beyond Alisson. Set pieces have been a weakness lately, but this might have been a new low, and the context of it was especially damning.
For all the encouragement, it is hard to see how Liverpool can sustain any momentum until this problem is fixed. One stupid moment led to Real Madrid owning the second half.
The Ugly
Prior to the game, MARCA noted how the ‘game script’ against Newcastle could have gone very differently, seeking to discredit Liverpool’s resurgence. It noted the fine early save from Alisson which prevented the hosts from going in front.
Let’s see if the Spanish press has as much to say about the fine margins in this game. Real Madrid looked shell-shocked at 2-0 down, and in truth it was more or less one-way traffic before a bolt from the blue for Vinícius Júnior.
Then, only an almighty goal-mouth scramble stopped Liverpool from going up the other end and restoring its two-goal advantage. Éder Militão somehow got himself in the way, and by sheer luck it hit his foot rather than his hand. That could have been 3-1 and a red card. Not long later, Alisson’s misplaced pass was bouncing off Vinícius and into the net for 2-2.
Liverpool won’t complain too vociferously about this — that’s football. It’s why it is so captivating. But even in a game of such high attacking quality, it repeatedly swung on ugly moments like these. It goes to show that perhaps the steps to get back to the top are not as big as feared, but also that a collapse like this is never too far away.
