Given their recent lack of form, most people were expecting Liverpool to be soundly beaten in their Champions League match against Real Madrid. However, to the surprise of almost everyone, Liverpool emerged with the win to keep them firmly in contention to finish in the top eight of the league phase and thus earn direct qualification to the last 16.
Although the match finished 1-0 via a goal scored by Alexis Mac Allister, the match itself was more one-sided than the scoreline might indicate. For the first time in quite a while, Liverpool looked like the team which dominated last season's Premier League and clinched the domestic title by 10 points. Such was the multitude of viable goalscoring chances that Liverpool created that Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was selected as man of the match for keeping the final margin of victory to one goal.
From a tactical perspective, Liverpool manager Arne Slot absolutely nailed it. His strategy of prioritizing the denial of Real's players the opportunity to take advantage of open space in the final third. In particular, the Liverpool de fense's focus on Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé did much to neutralize the threat that both players posed via their impressive speed.
In addition, Liverpool's 4-3-3 formation in which Wirtz started on the left wing but frequently rotated towards the centre, allowing Liverpool to have more options down the left. This also enabled Liverpool to stretch Real's defense across the field, allowing for more goalscoring chances to be set up. If not for Courtois' excellence between the goalposts, this match wouldn't even have been remotely close. Liverpool might very well be back.
It might also be worth asking at this point: are Liverpool actually better without Alexander Isak than with him? Liverpool's signing of the Swedish centre-forward was without any question the highlight of the off-season transfer window; it was a story that dominated the headlines for months before right at the end of the window, Liverpool finally landed Isak from Newcastle United for £125 million, making Isak the most expensive signing in Premier League history.
However, since then Isak has gone on to do basically nothing as a Liverpool player. He has been absolutely nowhere near the player who dominated the Premier League over the last two seasons and has often been a liability to Liverpool. Isak's struggles have extended to the international scene as well; his dismal level of play is one of the chief reasons why Sweden have stunningly failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. In fact, it might not even be a coincidence that Liverpool's recent uptick in form has come while Isak has been sidelined with a groin injury. It's much too early to come to a snap judgment, but there's a possibility that Isak could end up being an expensive mistake on Liverpool's part.
Despite their recent losing streak, Liverpool are still firmly in title contention both domestically and in the Champions League. There's still more than enough time for Liverpool to overhaul their seven-point deficit by which they trail league leaders Arsenal - and considering Arsenal's recent history of consistently failing to deliver down the stretch, Liverpool certainly can't be counted out yet. Similarly, in the Champions League they're still in the top eight and are thus likely to be paired against a comparatively easier opponent in the round of 16.
While it isn't quite yet safe to say that Liverpool have fixed all or even most of the issues leading to their recent slump, the fact that they just scored a major win against a leading Champions League contender says a lot. If Liverpool do go on to win at least one title this season, this match could very well be looked back on as the turning point of their 2025-26 campaign.
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