Champions League reaction: Liverpool beat Real as Arsenal & Spurs win

Courtois as best ever 'is a stretch' - James

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James acknowledged the role Real Madrid Thibaut Courtois played in keeping the score at Anfield to only 1-0 in the Reds favour.

But he said Guillem Balague's assertion that the Belgian stopper was the "best goalkeeper in the world, probably the best ever" as a "stretch".

"A tremendous performance [from Liverpool] - I don't think 1-0 did it justice," James told 5 Live Breakfast.

"The performance from Courtois for Real Madrid was exceptional and it took an exceptional delivery by another exceptional player in Dominik Szoboszlai to set up MacAlister for the goal.

"It was a very, very good performance. To say that he is the best in the world I think is still a stretch, but he definitely kept Liverpool at bay.

"A lot of the shots were ones you would expect him to save

"But I think it was the dominance of Liverpool's performance in the end that was the highlight."

Mbappe threat nullified

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

While Conor Bradley was able to do a job on Vinicius Jr over on the right, Liverpool's central pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate dealt with Kylian Mbappe brilliantly.

Aside from a difficult half-volley on the edge of the box, Mbappe struggled to get involved in areas that could hurt the Reds.

He had 46 touches on the night and just five of those came in the Liverpool box.

The France forward's touch map highlights just how deep he had to drop in order to get involved in the game.

He had double the amount of touches (10) in his own half than he had in the Liverpool 18-yard box.

Not where you want your standout centre-forward to be...

Are Liverpool back after nightmare run?

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

After starting the campaign with seven straight wins, Liverpool's season took a nasty turn with six defeats in their next seven - including four in a row in the Premier League.

But having stopped the rot with victory over Aston Villa at the weekend, Arne Slot's side kicked it up a notch on Tuesday by beating Real Madrid in a highly impressive performance at Anfield.

So have the Reds really turned the corner as they try to get their season back on track?

If so, the answer to their problems seems to have been pretty simple... go back to last season's winning formula.

Andy Robertson has come back in at left-back, the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister has been reunited and suddenly things are clicking again.

It helps that players like Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah are starting to find form, too, of course.

Manchester City away on Sunday is the next big test but perhaps what will be most telling is how they fare when next faced with a team that does target them with long balls and set pieces aplenty.

For now, though, things are looking up for Liverpool. Do you think their recent woes are behind them? Use the thumbs below to let us know...

Wirtz impresses on the left

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

On a night full of positives for Liverpool, the performance of big-money summer signing Florian Wirtz was another.

Starting on the left, the Germany international impressed both with and without the ball.

Wirtz created five chances from open play for the second time in a Liverpool shirt (also vs Atletico Madrid) and is the only Premier League player to do so in more than one game across all competitions this season.

But for a brilliant save from Thibaut Courtois to deny Dominik Szoboszlai, he would have had another assist.

He also won possession six times, including three times in the final third.

Wirtz's long-term future may well be through the middle in a number 10 role, but might playing from the left be a way to get him into Arne Slot's XI while he gets up to speed?

'It was over the top' - Van Dijk and Rooney's awkward on-air exchange

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

Virgil van Dijk called out Wayne Rooney's "over the top" criticism of him live on air after Liverpool's 1-0 win against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

The Liverpool captain spoke to match broadcasters Amazon Prime after the match, taking questions from pundits, including Rooney.

Last month on the Wayne Rooney Show, the former Manchester United striker criticised the body language of Van Dijk and Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah after a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats.

Van Dijk responded by accusing Rooney of "lazy criticism", before Rooney then doubled down on his comments.

On Tuesday they came face-to-face for the first time since the comments, resulting in slightly awkward encounter.

Here's how it unfolded:

Van Dijk: "If you lose four or five games in a row as a Liverpool player then it is a fair criticism, that is absolutely normal in that sense. But I think it is over the top at times as well at that point, but that is because we live in a world with so many platforms and so many people can say stuff, it will be picked up and made bigger. I think it is good that ex-players who played at the highest level who dealt with difficult moments as well puts a lot in perspective (said with a smile as Rooney laughs)."

Rooney: "I am not saying anything any more because I think I spurred them on and put them on a winning streak!

"I think what I've said was fair when you win the Premier League and then go on a run where you lose three or four games in a row, which you don't expect from Liverpool over the last few years.

"As Virgil is captain I think that is your opportunity to go and lead the players and that is what I was saying. That happens in football and I think the response has been great from Virgil and the team."

Van Dijk: "I think if you watched games then I would definitely take responsibility. I think the comment that I signed my new deal and then it was like 'that is it' and I let it slide, I think that was a bit... but that's my personal opinion and we move on."

'Trent is fair game for a bit of booing... I am all for that'

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

David James

Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

I thought that it was going to be more sort of half and half, but it seemed that there were a lot more fans not happy with him going on the field.

He had to expect it and for Liverpool fans I don't think it was abusive, even if he was emotional.

With Trent, in his prime, he has left the club and yes fans are entitled to feel emotional about it. They commit everything - their whole life, their bedrooms and living rooms - to the football club and expect players to stay there.

As long as it wasn't abusive, I think it's fair game for a bit of booing. It didn't affect Trent, not that he was on the pitch long enough to really have an impactful performance, but I am all for that.

Trent 'will deal with it - he is a mature man'

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

Former Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed by large sections of the Anfield crowd after being sent on in the final 10 minutes of the game by Xabi Alonso.

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague did not have a problem with the Real Madrid manager's decision to open him up to abuse from the Reds supporters and believes he was effectively telling him to "deal with it".

"He was just basically a player that was needed at that point," Balague told 5 Live Breakfast. "He has just come back from an injury. He has been on the bench a couple of times, he needs to get minutes.

"Obviously it was at Anfield, there is going to be noise as well. 'OK - deal with it' is basically what he [Alonso] was saying to Trent.

"Before the game he was smiling, obviously he felt tense, it didn't feel natural, perhaps, to be playing in a white shirt. But he has taken the decision to move that way. Many people don't like it and you can argue about that, but he will deal with it. He is a mature man."

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