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Hit: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid brought their A-game to the fore against Liverpool, and the man who kept it all together for Los Blancos was Toni Kroos.
The indefatigable German veteran ran rings around Liverpool's midfield and orchestrated play for the hosts.
His terrier-like pressing, biting at the heels of Liverpool players and pouncing on their mistakes, well and truly made the difference, as the visitors could barely contend with Kroos.
The German also had a hand in the first two Real Madrid goals. He assisted Vinicius Jr. with a sublime cross before forcing a mistake from Alexander-Arnold after floating another excellent ball over the top.
It was another chanceless display from arguably one of the best midfielders in the game at the moment.
Flop: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Sadio Mane's fall from grace this season is reminiscent of Liverpool's as a whole, as the Senegalese put up a poor showing against Real Madrid.
Despite making 40 touches on the ball, he did not attempt a shot at goal, let along find the back of the net; incidentally, Mane scored against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final.
Worse still, the way Luka Modric stopped Mane in his tracks when the latter tried to dribble the ball out was simply embarrassing, as the Liverpool winger was made to look like a Sunday League player.
Not long ago, Sadio Mane dragged Liverpool through nights like these, tearing the most stellar defences with his attacking brilliance. But against Real Madrid on the night, he was a pale shadow of his illustrious self.
Hit: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
This match was won and lost in midfield, as Real Madrid's experienced triumvirate took their Liverpool counterparts to the cleaners.
An important piece of Real Madrid's midfield trifecta was Casemiro, the battering ram for Los Blancos on the night. The Brazilian destroyed the Premier League champions with his buoyant-yet-bullish defensive display.
Casemiro read the game excellently, making eight tackles in total, a game-high, and used his hulking frame to make ball recoveries.
He maintained Real Madrid's tempo alongside Kroos and beat Liverpool's press in the second half superbly, also winning three defensive aerial duels.
