Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid: 5 Hits and Flops as Los Blancos eliminate Jurgen Klopp's Reds from Europe | UEFA Champions League 2020/21
13-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid secured their place in the semi-final of the competition a 3-1 win on aggregate against Liverpool. The two European giants faced off at Anfield for the second leg and the game ended in a 0-0 draw, with the damage Real Madrid caused in the reverse fixture proving to be enough.
Zinedine Zidane was forced to make a change with Fede Valverde coming in at right-back to deputise for the injured Lucas Vazquez, while James Milner was picked over Thiago Alcantara in midfield by Jurgen Klopp. Roberto Firmino for Diogo Jota was the hosts' only other change.
Liverpool came out all guns blazing and pressed Real Madrid high up the pitch, carving out a superb opportunity for themselves in the opening couple of minutes. However, as the ball fell to Mo Salah inside the box, the Egyptian failed to find a way past the outstretched Thibaut Courtois.
The Blancos gradually grew into the game but the hosts asked a lot more questions than they did in Madrid. It was a much more cagey affair than it was at the Alfredo Di Stefano as Liverpool were hopeful of staging another famous comeback. Karim Benzema came closest to breaking the deadlock with a toe-poke which grazed the woodwork after a deflection from Nat Phillips.
Stand-in captain James Milner also tried his luck with a superb curling effort from range, but it wasn't enough to beat Courtois. Liverpool's wasteful finishing, however, meant that they went into half-time with no goal to show for despite having three superb chances, with two of them coming in quick succession just before the break.
The hosts began the second half in a similar fashion to the first as Liverpool attempted to force their hand in their search for an opener. Roberto Firmino was guilty of missing another costly chance after turning his marker and firing at Courtois, albeit failing to find the breakthrough.
Real Madrid then came closest to finding the first goal of the night after a raking first-time ball from Fede Valverde released Vinicius on the far left, but Alisson Becker was on his toes and made an excellent double save to deny his compatriot and Benzema.
With just about 25 minutes of regulation time remaining on the clock, Liverpool began to push higher as they tried to break down a resilient Real Madrid side. Firmino, Salah, and Diogo Jota all fashioned chances for themselves but failed to trouble Courtois. At the other end, Benzema fluffed a superb opportunity as he headed the ball into the ground powerfully just a few yards away from goal.
Liverpool ultimately crashed out of the tournament on an aggregate scoreline of 3-1 and failed to find a breakthrough in the second leg. Meanwhile, Real Madrid gear up for their 14th UCL semi-final, where they will take on Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea.
On that note, here are some of the hits and flops from the game.
#5 Hit: Eder Militao | Real Madrid
Stepping in for the unavailable Raphael Varane, Brazilian centre-back Eder Militao put in a composed shift at the heart of the visitors' defence and thwarted wave after wave of Liverpool attacks. Militao was simply superb on the night and blocked more shots than any player on the pitch (three), including a vital from Salah in the second half. The 23-year-old also made more clearances (seven) than anyone bar his partner Nacho and was calm on the ball.
Militao also whipped in a dangerous cross to find Benzema in the 81st minute only for the Frenchman to miss it from close range. Overall, it was a resilient display from the entire Real Madrid defence, but Militao, in particular, was brilliant. He also dealt with Mane's threat well on the left.
Militao hasn't done a whole lot in a Real Madrid shirt since his big-money move from FC Porto, but he has played a massive role for them in recent weeks. On Thursday night at Anfield, he was even better for Zidane's side than he was last week with arguably one of his best displays in a Blancos shirt.
#4 Flop: Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid
Vinicius Jr was one of the best players on the pitch for Real Madrid during the game at the Alfredo Di Stefano last week. The winger scored the first and third of his side's three goals and tormented the Reds' backline. At Anfield, unfortunately, it was a completely different story.
Vinicius was largely ineffective against Jurgen Klopp's men on Merseyside. Unlike the previous game, he was closely watched by the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nat Phillips, and Fabinho later on in the game. The 19-year-old did display a couple of flashes of brilliance in the first half and had a superb opportunity in the second half to find an opener but couldn't find a way past Alisson Becker.
Apart from his two attempts on target, which were ultimately comfortable saves for the Liverpool keeper, Vinicius failed to provide any noteworthy threat down the left. The Brazilian's two failed attempts to nutmeg Fabinho led to Liverpool winning possession almost immediately. Vinicius' performance was nothing to write home about and was relatively wasteful on the night.
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#3 Hit: Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool
Trent Alexander-Arnold was arguably the worst player on the pitch during their encounter in the Spanish capital after giving away a cheap goal to Marco Asensio and making a costly error for Vinicius' first. Amidst heavy criticism for his displays, the 22-year-old put in a superb performance on the evening at Anfield.
After being run ragged in the first leg, Alexander-Arnold played like a man who had a point to prove. Bar the odd overload on Liverpool's right, the Englishman was much more watchful of Vinicius' pace and close control in wide areas, nullifying the Brazilian's impact. His five tackles and interceptions couldn't be bettered by any Reds player.
Apart from his superb defensive display, Alexander-Arnold was one of Liverpool's biggest attacking threats on the night. The 22-year-old's six key passes on the night was the highest across both teams and delivered a game-high five accurate crosses for his teammates. His six chances created were the most for any player across all four games in the UCL this week. For all the flack he's received in recent weeks, it was a valiant display from Alexander-Arnold, who was arguably Liverpool's best player.
#2 Flop: Mohamed Salah | Liverpool
If there was even a sliver of hope for Liverpool to mount a comeback in the tie before kick-off, it was only due to Mohamed Salah's precious away goal last week. He delivered, much like he has time and again since his move to Liverpool. The Egyptian's solitary goal proved to be in vain as they eventually crashed out, and Salah couldn't help prevent the result.
However, this wasn't due to a lack of chances for the Egyptian. On a night where relatively clear-cut chances were at a premium, Salah had his fair share of them, but failed to convert even one. The biggest of his chances arrived inside the first couple of minutes into the game as Sadio Mane teed him up in the box for a glorious opportunity. Salah uncharacteristically scuffed his shot which was saved by Courtois and it proved to be a very costly miss for his side.
The 28-year-old then found himself in space near the end of the first half and helplessly watched his shot sail over the bar after an intelligent take. Even in the second half, Salah had a couple of opportunities that he could have potentially made better use of.
It was an awful night for all of Liverpool's attackers, with Firmino and Mane putting up questionable displays in their most important game of the season so far, but their 28-goal superstar — who arguably had their best chances on the night — failed to rise to the occasion, much like he has in the past.
#1 Hit: Casemiro | Real Madrid
In a tie where Real Madrid didn't have two of their all-conquering central defenders available for selection, they needed to ensure that they have enough cover in midfield to protect their second-string defence. Luckily for them, they have just the man for the job.
Casemiro was simply sensational across both legs of the tie, with his display at Anfield being even more impressive than the one at Valdebebas. Casemiro tackled everything that moved around his area and was brilliant, winning the ball back time and again. He thwarted several Liverpool attacks nearly single-handedly, with one particular one to stop Robertson after Mane's backheel in the second half being the pick of the bunch.
The Brazilian ended the game with five successful tackles — more than any player on the pitch — along with the joint-highest number of passes (58) and accurate long balls (nine).
It was a mature performance from the 29-year-old who has once again reiterated why he's regarded as one of the best destroyers in world football. In the absence of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, Casemiro stepped up to protect his defense and did a remarkable job in helping them keep their lead intact at Anfield. He was announced as the Man of the Match, and deservedly so.
A word for both Thibaut Courtois and Fede Valverde as well, who were excellent on the night and were vital in helping Real Madrid keep Liverpool at bay.
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