The moment not only summed up another great night for Curtis Jones, but how Liverpool’s revamped midfield has proven to be key to their success under Arne Slott.
Kylian Mbappé gets the Neymar treatment as Liverpool’s man makes headlines at Anfieldliverpoolecho
Jones is in the form of his life, now with England caps and an international goal under his belt. And the Champions League has always suited his natural game, further evidenced by his superb performance in the 5-1 win at Porto three years ago.
Well, until this visit from Real Madrid. In the second half in particular, Jones’ ability to keep the ball and penetrate quickly – combined with precise passing and a growing defensive awareness – made him the centre of Liverpool’s engine. The energetic Ryan Gravenberch or the silky Mac Allister were nowhere to be found, the trio dominating the midfield, leaving Bellingham largely on the fringes. Liverpool, to paraphrase the Englishman, were on another level.
There were barely five minutes on the clock when Mohamed Salah said that if he was going to be a distraction, it would be for Real Madrid.
The Liverpool forward’s surprise assessment of his contract being blocked after scoring twice in Sunday’s win at Southampton had prompted suggestions in some quarters that the Egyptian risked overshadowing another great week for the Reds.
Salah, however, has long shown that there is no chance of that happening. Instead, it was Kylian Mbappé who was caught celebrating, with Salah taking the ball from the Frenchman who followed to ignite the initial drive that ended with Darwin Nunez’s shot almost curling into his own net by Raul Asencio.
There is a clear history between Salah and Real Madrid, both in terms of their negative experiences in matches against the Spaniards and their unique interest in him.
And he was instrumental in helping to keep the tempo high in a second half that ended up being too much for the visitors’ defence.
Indeed, Salah had the chance to cap his performance with a goal, but, after tripping Ferland Mendi for conceding a penalty, he hit the outside of the post.
No contribution to the goal this time. But this performance is another example of why the Egyptian remains such an important player for Liverpool.
And Caoimhin Kelleher and penalties? Already an expert on penalties, the Liverpool goalkeeper has already shown an appetite for penalties in normal time.
For the fourth game in a row, Kelleher was tasked with stopping a 12-yard free kick. And, in both the games against Finland and at Southampton this weekend, he was up to the task.
