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Conor Bradley was driven through the passionate backing from Liverpool's faithful, as Alexander-Arnold – the Scouser who left Liverpool behind – received a stark and unwelcome reception regarding his changed status.

Bradley was earmarked as Alexander-Arnold's heir apparent from the moment his departure was confirmed to exit Anfield for Real Madrid, so once the fates paired these continental giants competing in the tournament, the scene was prepared.

It proved a stark difference with the Northern Irish full-back emerged as the standout figure in a Liverpool performance that harked back to their Premier League title-winning best while Real Madrid were overwhelmed.

Trent, beginning among the reserves, throughout faced an unmistakable indication of the supporters who previously chanted about 'the Scouser in our team' now regard him.

This was an event marked by continuous negativity aimed in Alexander-Arnold's direction, including his Anfield mural defaced with the words "Adios El Rata" prior to kickoff and the stadium's fury provoked by what many Liverpool fans regard as disloyalty.

Conor Bradley intensified the fury and scorn aimed in Alexander-Arnold's direction via a superb showing which minimized the threat of Vinicius Jr to a passenger, only able to offer theatrics – ineffective dramatics – against the youngster's physical dominance.

Every Bradley tackle drew loud applause, all his balls welcomed with crowd support, vocals celebrating him passionately, not only for his performance and as a clear signal for Alexander-Arnold that a new talent had emerged in town, confirming he was now part of history.

Expectedly, Bradley, garnered praise by the team's boss.

Conor Bradley was outstanding, commented Slot. Facing Vinicius so many times one against one is not for everyone, but he handled it superbly.

If the insults daubed on Trent's public artwork failed to warn him of what was awaiting him, he was left in no doubt as he came out alongside the visiting team's reserves prior to the start, negative reactions filling the air, the critical response occurring once more during was read out.

Just as it seemed he could avoid the total criticism, the visiting team's manager sent him in as a second-half change as they tried to level the Reds' margin, deservedly given to them by Alex Mac Allister's header just after the hour.

The response to Alexander-Arnold's arrival proved brutal, plus sarcastic shouts after an errant pass that drifted aimlessly beyond the boundary.

The defender's brief, negative showing happened during the crowd referencing of those who had stayed loyal amid transfer interest to exit the club, specifically club legend Steven Gerrard, present in the crowd.

The evening belonged to Liverpool, the defender's showcase – the sort of night Anfield revels in amid the comeback of their past hero served as additional motivation to increase the intensity.

The team, earlier inconsistent following poor results until their recent victory in their previous match, delivered a display that was easily their best during this campaign, a timely reminder of the quality that saw them win the championship.

Slot relished Liverpool's return to successful results, saying: Victories bring greater satisfaction compared to defeats for a coach. Losses demand all of your time as you intensely desire to reverse the trend, yet you attempt to be the same manager and person that you are when you are winning.

It was only the shadow of the talented shot-stopper the Belgian who almost to stop Liverpool getting their deserved result, through an outstanding personal display evoking past matches of how he defied them during their defeat under Klopp the continental decider in Paris.

The Belgian made a string superb interventions, featuring denials against Szoboszlai and a remarkable reflex stop from the defender's headed attempt, before finally being beaten to stop Mac Allister's header following Szoboszlai's set-piece.

The close scoreline hardly reflects their complete control throughout, these crucial three points elevating them to sixth in the tournament ranking, a standing that will put them knockout stage advancement avoiding the requirement for additional matches if sustained.

The midfield duo dominated midfield, while Florian Wirtz provided some of the subtle touches that made his name at Bayer Leverkusen. The forward remained dangerous during the game.

The Reds, contrasting with previous this season, rock solid at the back as Kylian Mbappe was marginalised, producing a poor, mistake-filled performance. Vinicius was outperformed by Bradley long before the end.

While proving a difficult evening for the defender, it was not much better for Bellingham, given the Liverpool setting to deliver a reminder his quality prior to the Three Lions boss announces his team to face Serbia and Albania following his previous omission.

The midfielder produced one opportunity in the first half testing the shot-stopper to make a leg stop, but offered little else {as Real failed to establish|