Mac Allister header gives victory to Liverpool against Real Madrid

Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)

Liverpool sealed an important 1-0 victory at home in the Champions League group stage to Spanish league leaders Real Madrid

The previous year Liverpool played Real Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League Group stage. Both matches were played in November, both ended with a victory for the English side (2-0 in November 2024 and 1-0 in November 2025) and Argentinean Alexis Mac Allister also scored in both!

This time Madrid arrived at Anfield with a new young manager known very well to the Liverpool fans, Xavi Alonso. And to spice the fixture up a bit more Trent Alexander-Arnold was this time wearing the white of Madrid, having moved between the clubs just over five months earlier. Since the age of eight the Englishman had been wearing the red of Liverpool, but the home fans quickly forgot this as he was booed when coming on as a substitute in the white of Madrid on his first return to Anfield.

Liverpool started the game liked they meant business. Mo Salah looked sharp coming in from the right wing getting shots away and Thibaut Courtois producing some great saves in the first half. Madrid were being over run in midfield and struggled to get out of their own half. The shots were raining in on Courtois but he was up to the task with some great reflex saves to keep the score at 0-0 going into halftime.

Liverpool came out just as determined in the second half with Mo Salah coming in off the right and lashing a shot at Courtois who again put it out for a corner. It looked like it was going to be one of those days for Liverpool again this season. But that all changed on the 61st minute. Liverpool crossed in a free kick from the right, which was met by the smallest man in the box Mac Allister to head it in from six yards out.

Mbappe did have a late chance to equalise on the break for Madrid with 10 minutes to go but he put his effort wide of the far post with a curling right foot effort. It would have been cruel on Liverpool to let the lead slip. They also had their own chances to make it 2-0 with Virgil and Mo having efforts saves by the man of the match Courtois.

Overall Madrid finished the match with a 60% possession stat but this didn’t reflect the dominance of the match in terms of chances with Liverpool having 17 shots (9 of which were on target) compared with Madrid’s 8 shots (only 2 of which were on target) and most importantly scoring one goal against zero!