Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid: Mac Allister and Gakpo send Reds through

Alexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo were on target as Liverpool qualified for the Champions League knockout stages with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid.

The result saw Liverpool earn their first win against Madrid at the ninth attempt, and Arne Slot's side became the first side to go through in the 36-team group stage after a memorable outing at Anfield.

Slot's hosts started strongly and almost found themselves ahead in the fifth minute when Darwin Nunez’s strike was saved by Thibaut Courtois, with Raul on hand to clear the ball off the line.

Nunez continued to be Liverpool’s main threat in the first half, seeing a close-range effort repelled by Courtois before sending a header narrowly wide of the far-left post with a deft header after being picked out by Mac Allister’s delicately floated pickout.

The Reds would, however, take a deserved lead seven minutes after the restart when neat interplay between Conor Bradley and Mac Allister resulted in the latter picking out the bottom-left corner to send Anfield into raptures.

Liverpool’s good work looked to have been undone when Andrew Robertson’s clumsy challenge on Lucas Vazquez inside the box offered Kylian Mbappe the opportunity to level the contest from 12 yards, but the Frenchman saw his effort brilliantly saved by Caoimhin Kelleher. 

Mohamed Salah was then tripped at the other end by Ferland Mendy nine minutes later, offering the chance for the Reds to close out the contest, but he scuffed his spot-kick against the post.

However, a quick short-corner routine saw Robertson play a short one-two with Curtis Jones before the full-back delivered onto the head of Gakpo to finish and earn their fifth win in as many European games.

Data Debrief: Ruthless Reds march on

After suffering heartache against Madrid in their recent Champions League encounters, Liverpool produced arguably their most accomplished display against Los Blancos. 

The Reds were deserving of their victory on Wednesday, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.53 to Madrid's 1.24. 

Liverpool have now scored in their last five games in the Champions League, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of seven between September 2022 and February 2023.

They are just the fifth side to win their opening five games of a Champions League campaign and concede no more than one goal in the process, after Milan (1992-93), Juventus (2004-05), Atletico Madrid (2016-17) and Paris Saint-Germain (2017-18).