AS evidence that Liverpool are back, this was pretty damned compelling.
Here was a dominant victory over the 15-time champions of European which would have earned a more emphatic scoreline were it not for a bloody great Belgian octopus.
Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois – who must surely have more limbs than other men – had broken Liverpool’s hearts with an extraordinary display in the 2022 final in Paris.
And he was threatening a repeat performance with a succession of saves before Liverpool’s world-champion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister finally broke his resolve with a second-half header.
A shocking run of six defeats in seven games for Arne Slot’s side had been halted by victory over in-form Aston Villa at the weekend.
But gaining a deserved victory over Real is always a seriously impressive feat – however much this monstrosity of a Champions League group stage can mean that even the grandest fixtures can lack jeopardy and context.
Anfield howled and jeered at the 81st-minute arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold as a substitute after the Liverpudlian had the temerity to leave in favour of the once club on the planet which is unquestionably bigger than the English champions.
The England right-back, whose mural had been defaced by Reds fans earlier in the day, replaced Arda Guler late on – and was left in doubt as to the enduring distaste for his move among his fellow Scousers, as his every touch was booed.
With a couple of gentle home fixtures to come, as well as visits to Inter Milan and Marseille, Liverpool now have high hopes of finishing in the top eight and heading straight into the last 16 without the need of a play-off.
Here was a clash between two great footballing dynasties, which boast 21 European Cups between them.
While Alexander-Arnold started on the bench, Real’s other Englishman, Jude Bellingham, became the youngest player to reach 50 Champions League appearances at the age of 22.
Florian Wirtz started on the left, in place of Cody Gakpo, in what looked like a square-peg-round-hole selection from Slot – but the German was at his most creative so far in a Liverpool shirt.
Real had ended Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions four times between 2018 and 2023 – including two finals – but they were beaten at Anfield in the group stage last year, as was their manager Xabi Alonso with his former club Bayer Leverkusen.
The rain was piddling, the Kopites were whistling and howling, and Slot’s men were straight into the famous faces of their visitors.
Alonso, who had known many Anfield European nights as a stately midfielder on Merseyside, would have known exactly what to expect.
Wirtz had drifted to the right to win possession from Dean Huijsen on the edge of the box but Mac Allister rifled over the bar.
Then a sweeping move involving Real’s holy trinity of Bellingham, Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe, ended with the Frenchman skyrocketing one into the Anfield Road End.
Conor Bradley, Alexander-Arnold’s replacement, was being roared to the high heavens any time he got one over on Vinicius Jr, the Brazilian who had netted five previous goals against Liverpool.
And Vinicius earned an early yellow card for chopping down Bradley to halt a Liverpool break.
Courtois was soon off his line smartly to smother Dominik Szoboszlai after a Wirtz cut-back.
Next, the Hungarian midfielder was sparking major controversy – his stinging shot was handled at close range, right on the edge of the area, by Aurelien Tchouameni and ref Istvan Kovacs awarded a free-kick.
His VAR, far away in Switzerland, advised the Romanian to head to his monitor but just when it seemed he would point to the penalty spot, the ref decided there had been no handball offence.
It was a tight call but Reds fans would agree that the widely-held idea of VAR working better in European football than in the Premier League is largely a myth.
Vinicius was getting little joy out of Bradley and the Brazilian was lucky not to earn a second yellow for diving when he tumbled after minor contact from the right-back.
Courtois made another excellent save to thwart another Szoboszlai effort as Liverpool continued to enjoy the upper hand.
Reds keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was finally called into action shortly before half-time after a spot of bobbing and weaving from Bellingham ended with a close range shot blocked by the big Georgian’s boot at the near post.
In injury-time Courtois plunged low to keep out Mac Allister and straight after the break, the Belgian made a point-blank worldie from a Virgil Van Dijk header then another belter from the noggin of Hugo Ekitike.
Next he punched away a Szoboszlai free-kick – the Real keeper’s seventh save of the night.
Bellingham was booked for tripping Ryan Gravenberch – not for the first time – and from the resulting free-kick, Liverpool were finally ahead.
Szoboszlai delivered the free-kick from the right and Mac Allister attacked it with gusto and nutted home – Courtois, for once, powerless.
Real were threatening remarkably little before Mbappe curled one just wide.
Alexander-Arnold’s arrival couldn’t change that – it merely allowed the home supporters to enjoy their win even more.
