“Best in Europe” – Real Madrid star hails Liverpool after Carlo Ancelotti’s men stumble at Anfield

Liverpool continued their imperious Champions League campaign with a commanding 2-0 victory over reigning champions Real Madrid at Anfield, extending their perfect group stage record, Soccernet.football reports.

Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo sealed Liverpool’s first win over Madrid in 15 years, leaving Carlo Ancelotti’s side with an uphill task to qualify for the knockout stages.

Jude Bellingham, reflecting on the game, admitted his team fell short against a dominant Liverpool.

Speaking to TNTSports, he said, “It’s a bad result against the best-performing team in Europe. It’s no disgrace to come here and lose, but we are disappointed in the way we performed.”

Liverpool’s relentless pressing left Madrid unable to find their rhythm.

Bellingham noted, “From the first minute, they took control. We never maximised the spells we had in possession. When we got the ball, we forced counter-attacks too often and turned it over too much. Defensively, they kept us in positions where we couldn’t harm them.”

A key moment came when Kylian Mbappe’s penalty, which could have levelled the game at 1-1, was superbly saved by Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher.

Bellingham defended his teammate, saying, “The penalty isn’t why we lost. As a collective, we weren’t good enough. Kylian can keep his head high—he’ll produce many more big moments for this club.”

With three games left in the group stage, Madrid must regroup quickly to salvage their campaign.

Bellingham struck a note of determination, emphasising the need to win all remaining matches: “It’s important to go through, and we’ll give everything.”

Liverpool now look ahead to Sunday’s Premier League clash against Manchester City, while Real Madrid face a critical juncture in their European journey.