Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid: Champions League – as it happened

10.35pm GMT Andy Hunter was at Anfield tonight. Here’s his match report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Related: Mac Allister sinks Real Madrid to ruin Alexander-Arnold’s return to Liverpool 10.35pm GMT Xabi Alonso’s turn to speak to Amazon. “It was really tight … for sure they had momentum in the second half … we conceded too many fouls … we tried … it was always going to be a high-intense game … unluckily we couldn’t get anything … we have tried for sure … reached the last line but didn’t create many chances … the small details today went Liverpool’s way … we are lucky we have [Courtois] … he made great saves today … Liverpool have good tempo … good players … there are still many points to play … [Trent] was focused … he wanted to be with the team and part of it … there are big challenges for him … new experiences … step by step but we are happy we have him.” 10.27pm GMT Arne Slot talks to Amazon Prime. “Very pleased … it’s been tricky weeks … many away games … hardly any rest … the same was there for Real Madrid … it brings the best out of our fans … great performance … could have been a bit more … [Thibaut Courtois] is one of the best goalkeepers in the world … they’ve scored 26 goals in La Liga … so if you want any chance of winning you have to make sure [Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior] are not on the scoresheet … Conor [Bradley] was outstanding … we have to make sure that against any playing style we face we can win the game … [Florian Wirtz] is adapting to playing three games in seven days … a young player … every time against a strong opponent … in other leagues there are 10-15 games you can easily win … here, none of them … Sunday is against a very strong team … we have lost too many points in the Premier League … Arsenal have been outstanding … we need to do better … a lot of games for us to show.” 10.17pm GMT Virgil van Dijk’s turn to chat to Amazon. “They have a lot of quality … so we had to be spot on … we performed our gameplan perfectly … in a world of chaos you have to try to stay calm … there is so much football to be played … so many twists and turns … at times the noise was a lot … it’s very important to put things in perspective … we have quality … that’s not the issue … if you lose four or five in a row it is fair criticism … but it’s over the top at times … so many platforms … when we go through a tough time, it hurts me so much … Arsenal is flying … not conceding chances … it’s what we had and what we’re trying to get back … we have to keep going … Sunday is going to be another difficult one … we know how football works … it can change overnight.” He’s also asked about Mr Trent – have they talked? – but he’s not minded to discuss his former team-mate. Every other question gets an in-depth response; this one flat and unequivocal: “No.” 10.11pm GMT The match-winner Alexis Mac Allister speaks to Amazon Prime, delighted yet making sure to keep everyone grounded. “It was a good game against a really good team … an important win … but we know it doesn’t mean anything … we’ve had the experience of last season when we finished first in the first zone … and we were out quite early … we need to keep going … it’s important for confidence … so it’s a good day.” 10.07pm GMT Real Madrid won’t be too worried about suffering their first defeat of the league stage. Defeat will sting, but it’s not as if there was much jeopardy riding on the result. They’re still in fifth spot for now. Liverpool have been in need a boost, though, after a tricky few weeks, and the Champions League is delivering one: first the 5-1 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt, and now this. They move up to sixth, for an evening at least, and are beginning to repair their campaign in style. Manchester City away on Sunday, mind. Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Bayern Munich 4 11 12 2 Arsenal 4 11 12 3 PSG 4 9 9 4 Inter Milan 3 9 9 5 Real Madrid 4 6 9 6 Liverpool 4 5 9 7 Tottenham Hotspur 4 5 8 8 Borussia Dortmund 3 5 7 9 Man City 3 4 7 10 Sporting 4 3 7 11 Newcastle 3 6 6 12 Barcelona 3 5 6 13 Chelsea 3 3 6 14 Atletico Madrid 4 1 6 15 Qarabag FK 3 1 6 16 Galatasaray 3 -1 6 17 PSV 4 2 5 18 Monaco 4 -2 5 19 Atalanta 3 -3 4 20 Eintracht Frankfurt 4 -4 4 21 Napoli 4 -5 4 22 Marseille 3 2 3 23 Juventus 4 -1 3 24 Club Brugge 3 -2 3 25 Athletic Bilbao 3 -3 3 26 Union Saint Gilloise 4 -8 3 27 Bodo/Glimt 4 -3 2 28 AE Pafos 3 -4 2 29 Bayer Leverkusen 3 -5 2 30 Slavia Prague 4 -6 2 31 Olympiacos 4 -7 2 32 Villarreal 3 -3 1 33 Copenhagen 4 -8 1 34 FC Kairat 3 -8 1 35 Benfica 3 -5 0 36 Ajax 3 -10 0 10.03pm GMT Real Madrid’s best player tonight – by some distance, and yet again – was Thibaut Courtois. Without his usual Liverpool-defying heroics, the hosts would be celebrating a comfortable win. But they’re happy enough anyway, having taken a big scalp to get their Champions League campaign firmly back on track. There are quite a few Liverpool players who will be delighted with their evening’s work: Dominik Szoboszlai, duracell-bunnying around as ever; Ibrahima Konaté imperious at the back; Conor Bradley and Andy Robertson relentless on either wing in both defence and attack; Florian Wirtz, slowly finding a groove, making plenty of chances. But it’s match-winner Alexis Mac Allister who’ll get the flowers. After a frankly appalling start to the season, the World Cup winner is beginning to rediscover his old form. It’s been a good four days at Anfield for Liverpool. And for their fans, who will doubtless note that the Return of Trent was, in the end, a thundering non-event. 9.56pm GMT FULL TIME: Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid Alexis Mac Allister does for Real Madrid again, just as he did last November! Liverpool thoroughly deserve their win. 9.55pm GMT 90 min +5: Carreras clips Chiesa on the ankle and it’s a booking for the clearly irritated right-back. Xabi Alonso, spinning around in his technical area and screaming in fury, goes into the book as well. To be fair, he quickly calms down and accepts his punishment with a nod. 9.54pm GMT 90 min +4: Konate sashays out of defence like prime Beckenbauer. Salah tries to release Chiesa down the middle but Courtois clears. Alexander-Arnold crosses from the right, but there’s nobody in the centre. Plenty of ironic cheering. 9.52pm GMT 90 min +3: Vinícius Júnior dribbles down the left touchline … but once again Bradley is positioned well, and the Real man takes the ball out of play for a throw. Anfield celebrate that like a goal. 9.51pm GMT 90 min +2: … nothing comes. It’s worked left to right, where Mbappe dribbles out for a goal kick. 9.51pm GMT 90 min +1: Kerkez is up and about again, shaking loose his sore leg but fine to continue. There will be five additional minutes, and the first sees Bradley yet again refuse to give way to Vinícius Júnior down the left. But it’s at the expense of a corner, from which … 9.49pm GMT 90 min: Brahim Diaz comes on for Valverde. 9.49pm GMT 89 min: Tchouaméni catches Kerkez slightly late. There didn’t seem any intent … and the referee had turned his back on the play, so there’s no free kick … but the newly arrived substitute felt that, so on comes the trainer. 9.47pm GMT 88 min: Liverpool make another two changes, sending on Chiesa and Kerkez in place of Wirtz and Robertson. 9.47pm GMT 87 min: Salah jinks in from the right. His low cross is swept goalwards from six yards by Gakpo … but straight at Courtois, who parries. The ball breaks to Salah, who is about to shoot when Militao arrives from nowhere to block. How on earth did Real survive there? By sheer determination. What last-ditch defence! Liverpool must be thoroughly sick of the outrageous Courtois. 9.44pm GMT 85 min: Salah cuts in from the right, getting the better of Carreras as he enters the box. He’s lightly brushed, but opts to stay on his feet. Real swarm him and there’s no chance of a shot, the ball eventually squirting through to Courtois. 9.43pm GMT 83 min: Rodrygo dribbles hard down the inside-right channel and nearly bursts clear into the box. But a pincer movement launched by Van Dijk and Robertson does for him. Goal kick. 9.42pm GMT 82 min: He couldn’t, could he? Well, now he’s got the opportunity. Panto pelters on his first touch. Updated at 9.47pm GMT 9.41pm GMT 81 min: Rodrygo wins a corner down the left. Real waste it. At which point you’d expect cheering, but oh no. Because Guler makes way for Alexander-Arnold. The needle shears off the fully patented Alexander-Arnold Opprobrium-o-meter™ again. Boooooo! Eleven out of ten! Updated at 9.42pm GMT 9.40pm GMT 80 min: Wirtz shovels a pass down the inside right channel, hoping to release Jones into the box. Jones lets Salah have it instead, as the latter is definitely not offside. Probably a wise decision, as Jones had gone a bit early, but it doesn’t do the attack any good, and Salah dribbles into trouble. 9.38pm GMT 79 min: Liverpool make a double change. Jones and Gakpo come on for Mac Allister and Ekitike. 9.37pm GMT 77 min: Real are beginning to dominate possession. But they’re going nowhere, and eventually Robertson snaffles possession, before nearly releasing Salah down the middle. Carreras reads the danger, coming across to blooter clear. 9.35pm GMT 75 min: Vinícius Júnior again down the left. He cuts infield and tees up Mbappe, who shoots. Gravenberch blocks. But Real come again, and Mbappe has another go from distance. This time he meets a cross dropping in from the left, sidefooting across Mamardashvili and inches wide of the top-right corner. Not sure Mamardashvili was getting to that, had it been on target. 9.33pm GMT 73 min: Guler spins elegantly into space down the middle before rolling wide left to Vinícius Júnior, who crosses into a crowded mixer. Robertson deals with the situation, as Mbappe lurks. Better from Real, though their bar in this second half has been low. So far. There’s still time, and Anfield knows it. 9.31pm GMT 71 min: Trent is out with some other subs, warming up. It could soon be that time. Updated at 9.39pm GMT 9.29pm GMT 69 min: The first change of the evening is by Real, as Camavinga makes way for Rodrygo, a little midfield control sacrificed to bolster the attack. 9.28pm GMT 68 min: Bradley has the opportunity to release Salah down the right, but shanks the long pass into the stand. Real were a bit light at the back there. 9.27pm GMT 67 min: Real push up on Liverpool, but Salah juggles his way past Huijsen and Carreras on the right flank to move the play back up the pitch. Salah’s been quiet this evening, but he’s not stopped working, and the crowd enjoyed that. 9.25pm GMT 65 min: Wirtz is fine to continue, though he felt that, and is rubbing his jawline. 9.24pm GMT 64 min: Wirtz goes down in the centre circle, having come off worse in a tangle with Mbappe. An elbow on the ear. There didn’t seem to be any intent there, a complete accident as Mbappe turned his man and made off with the ball. But the physio is required. 9.22pm GMT 63 min: Yep, the goal stands! Anfield erupts. Liverpool have been good value for their goal. 9.22pm GMT 62 min: … but VAR is going to have a check. Was Mac Allister offside? It looks like Bellingham was playing him on, but let’s see. 9.21pm GMT GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid (Mac Allister 61) Liverpool get it right this time! Szoboszlai whips the free kick in from the right. A proper whip, too. Mac Allister meets it, six yards out, and simply can’t miss with his header, which flashes past Courtois. Through his hands, maybe, but the keeper had no chance with that, such was the velocity of the header. Updated at 9.27pm GMT 9.20pm GMT 60 min: Gravenberch picks up the pace down the inside-right channel, and this time it’s Bellingham who comes through the back of his opponent to go into the book. Yet another free kick for Liverpool coming up, just outside the Real box. 9.19pm GMT 59 min: Carreras dribbles past Bradley and Gravenberch down the left, then rolls a teasing ball through the six-yard box. Guler doesn’t anticipate. Had he been on his toes, Liverpool could have been in some bother there. 9.17pm GMT 57 min: Van Dijk hands off Mbappe in the centre circle, and is lucky not to go into the book. “That was a high quality first half, but it’s easy to see that the game could be improved by a plethora of long throws and set pieces that take between three to five minutes to set up.” Declan O’Brien there, as arch as they come. 9.15pm GMT 55 min: Szoboszlai wafts an uncharacteristically weak free kick to the far stick, where Wirtz is unable to win a header against Éder Militão. Real clear. 9.14pm GMT 54 min: The pace drops a little. Liverpool probe patiently. Real get a bit irritated, and Tchouaméni steps across Szoboszlai as the Liverpool midfielder advances down the right. Another free kick in a promising position for the hosts. 9.12pm GMT 52 min: Szoboszlai aims for the top left but it’s too close to Courtois, who punches clear with ease. Real attempt to counter, and Mac Allister is booked for a cynical yank of Mbappe’s shoulder. Updated at 9.16pm GMT 9.11pm GMT 51 min: Gravenberch is clumsily skittled by Bellingham, 30 yards out, just to the left of centre. Free kick. Szoboszlai is lining it up. 9.10pm GMT 50 min: Bradley, from an awkward position near his own corner flag, dribbles past Vinícius Júnior. Knowing his opponent is on a booking and can’t risk a challenge from behind, Bradley makes it all theh way to the halfway line. His escape from trouble earns some warm applause. 9.09pm GMT 48 min: Szoboszlai swings the corner in from the right. Ekitike heads towards the top right. Courtois tips over again! The third corner of the sequence is headed harmlessly wide left by Ekitike. This Liverpool v Courtois business is getting old. I hope Jurgen Klopp isn’t watching this, he’ll be getting PTSD-infused flashbacks. 9.07pm GMT 47 min: Salah jinks in from the right and floats a cross intended for Bradley at the far stick. A Real eyebrow takes the ball out for a corner. Wirtz whistles it in from the left. Szoboszlai flicks on to Van Dijk, whose point-blank header, on target, is tipped over the bar by Courtois. It’s that man again! Updated at 9.10pm GMT 9.05pm GMT Real get the second half started. No changes, and not so much rain. “A point I didn’t see made by anyone was the ball went out for a corner',” notes Barry from London (presumably not that one). “If it wasn’t handball, why didn’t Liverpool still have a corner?” 9.02pm GMT Half-time entertainment. I can’t in all good conscience publish a post containing both the name “Kovacs” and the phrase “comedy gold” without turning attention to Ernie, one of the true greats. Check the opening monologue, delivered on live television without breaking sweat while someone flings machetes at his head. (The Nairobi Trio aren’t on this episode, so here you are.) 8.55pm GMT Half-time postbag. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … if the modern handball rule comes down to refs deciding what is and is not a ‘natural position’, then the rule is broken” – Ted Graves “He’s listed as being Romanian; but I suspect there’s some Manc blood in the Kovacs family. He’s already tackled Mac Allister and then overturned a nailed-on penalty. Comedy gold tonight at Anfield!” – Justin Kavanagh “Re my earlier email (45 min). Actually, it should’ve been - it’s not handball so it’s not a penalty so go back to the free kick. But the offence was in the area so VAR has to intervene. But it’s not handball so go back to the free kick. Basically, the referee should be infinitely spinning like a black hole in front of the monitor” – Dan Christmas “Why don’t we just get rid of the handball rule altogether for a laugh, see how it goes?” – Simon McMahon 8.50pm GMT HALF TIME: Liverpool 0-0 Real Madrid Liverpool go off to cheers, the referee to boos. Opprobrium-o-meter™ off the scale! Updated at 8.54pm GMT 8.48pm GMT 45 min +2: Huijsen flies in hard on Ekitike. Too hard, and a tad late as well. Into the book he goes. From the resulting free kick, Liverpool advance on the Real box, and Mac Allister joins Szoboszlai in having a drive towards the bottom left parried well by Courtois. 8.47pm GMT 45 min +1: The first of two additional minutes flies by. “My younger son switched youth football clubs over the summer, at around the same time Trent Alexander-Arnold moved to Real Madrid,” begins Peter Oh. “My kid’s favored jersey numbers were already taken, so he picked 66 in honor of TAA. Imagine our surprise when we learned that Trent changed to 12 at his new club. ¿En serio? Anyway, the least that Xabi Alonso (thanks for the number 14 memories!) could do to put things right is to introduce Trent in the 66th minute.” 8.46pm GMT 45 min: Bellingham sashays his way into the Liverpool box, making it to the left-hand corner of the six-yard area. He tries to force the ball home at the near post, but Mamardashvili stands strong to block. As close as Real have come. “If VAR can’t intervene in the awarding of free kicks, then if the referee decides it’s not a penalty because it wasn’t handball he can’t overturn his decision to give a free kick?” wonders Dan Christmas. “What I’m saying is, the current laws of football are bananuts.” 8.44pm GMT 43 min: Szoboszlai is in the mood to shoot on sight tonight. He takes another pot from the right-hand edge of the D. A powerful riser that requires Courtois to parry with a strong hand. The rebound doesn’t sit up for Salah, though his presence is enough to win a corner … but nothing comes of the set piece. 8.43pm GMT 42 min: There’s an edge to this now, and Bellingham slip-slides through the back of Wirtz. Both teams giving it absolutely everything. 8.42pm GMT 40 min: Vinícius Júnior tries to bust his way past Bradley on the outside, but slips. As he falls, he’s grazed in the face by one of Bradley’s fingers. He points to his mouth. He wants a spot kick. Another referee, another day, maybe. It would have been terribly soft, but you’ve seen them given. “Living the shots of Trent,” begins Kev McCready. “The vibe of teenager banned off his X-Box. What us Scousers would call a ‘cob on’ or a ‘titty lip’.” Updated at 8.46pm GMT 8.40pm GMT 39 min: Robertson gifts possession to Guler, who dribbles into the Liverpool box from the right. Robertson makes up for his mistake by stealing the ball back, though he had to time his challenge to perfection. He wasn’t far off clipping Guler for a penalty there. Had the referee pointed to the spot, after what’s just happened up the other end, all bets would have been off. 8.38pm GMT 37 min: From the right-hand edge of the D, Szoboszlai attempts to thread a low shot into the bottom-left corner. Easy for Courtois. 8.37pm GMT 36 min: The Liverpool fans are beyond furious. A sense of injustice burns. The Liverpool players meanwhile put it all behind them and keep pressing Real back. 8.36pm GMT 34 min: On Amazon Prime, former referee Mark Clattenberg disagrees with the referee’s decision. So does Alan Shearer. Both contend Tchouaméni’s arm was in an unnatural position. But it’s referee István Kovács’s decision which counts. 8.35pm GMT 33 min: … it’s not a penalty! And that’s because the referee overturns his decision of handball! Tchouaméni’s hand judged to be in a natural position. Not even a free kick for Liverpool. That’s absurd. Updated at 8.37pm GMT 8.33pm GMT 32 min: The referee is called over to the monitor. Another long look, and … 8.33pm GMT 31 min: VAR are taking a long look at this. Tchouaméni’s arm was clearly in the box, as was most of his body. Surely this will be given as a penalty. 8.32pm GMT 30 min: Szoboszlai is teed up for a shot, just to the right of the Real D. His effort hits Tchouaméni’s hanging hand. The referee points for a free kick, just shy of the line. But that looked inside the box. This might be a penalty, you know. Over to VAR. Updated at 8.35pm GMT 8.31pm GMT 29 min: A Liverpool corner. Van Dijk heads harmlessly over. The hosts are getting back into this. 8.30pm GMT 27 min: Loads of space for Wirtz down the right. He rolls a perfect pass into the centre for Szoboszlai, who from the penalty spot tries to dink Courtois. The keeper sticks out a strong arm to claw sensationally away. It should be 1-0. Courtois has done this to Liverpool before. Related: Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in Champions League final – as it happened 8.28pm GMT 26 min: Carreras goes over in the Liverpool box, his run from the left checked by Bradley. No penalty. It probably wasn’t a penalty anyway, but the referee certainly wasn’t going to give one, having got in the way of Mac Allister seconds before, when Liverpool were in the process of building an attack of their own. Had Real scored there, it’d have been bedlam. 8.27pm GMT 25 min: Real are certainly bossing it in terms of passes completed: they’re up 167 to 76. 8.26pm GMT 24 min: Szoboszlai floats the free kick to the far post. Konate tries to nod it back into the crowded centre, but can’t get enough purchase on his header and Real clear their lines. It’s been a nice, free-flowing game between two positive sides, but neither keeper has had a save to make as of yet. 8.24pm GMT 23 min: Bradley barrels down the middle of the park with passing options either side. Vinícius Júnior, tracking back, is forced to take one for the team. He hauls Bradley down and goes into the book. A free kick to the right of centre, 25 yards out. Szoboszlai to take. 8.23pm GMT 22 min: Real pass, pass and pass, at which point Van Dijk gets fed up and clips Mbappe. A free kick, 30 yards out. Real pack the box, but Valverde’s delivery flies over everyone’s head. Goal kick. 8.22pm GMT 21 min: … but the volume goes right up again as the clock ticks over to the number 20. A song in memory of a fallen hero. Better than Figo, don’t you know. 8.21pm GMT 19 min: Real are beginning to dominate the ball, without doing too much with it in the final third. Anfield just a little bit quieter now, as the home fans realise what pattern is in danger of being established. Updated at 8.29pm GMT 8.18pm GMT 17 min: Éder Militão has a shot blocked on the edge of the Liverpool box. The hosts counter. Ekitiké shoots. Another block. Real counter the counter, then Mbappé hoists an effort high into the Anfield Road end. This is good fun. Both teams fancy this. 8.17pm GMT 15 min: Wirtz is in acres out on the left. A better ball from Szoboszlai would set him clear, but it’s played behind his back. Wirtz is forced to check his run and the situation is over. Szoboszlai, who has been Liverpool’s player of the season so far, still has plenty of moral credit in the bank. 8.15pm GMT 13 min: Salah wriggles free of Carreras down the right. Carreras grabs a bit of his shirt, and would be in yellow-tinted trouble had Salah decided to go down. But Salah stays up and makes it into the box, whereupon his attempted shot is blocked. “I’m watching the game in foreign here in USA USA USA, as it’s only on Univision,” reports Justin Kavanagh. “Trent Alexander-Arnold seemed to be having the game of his life, given the number of times he’d already been mentioned, but then I saw he was on the bench. Even the ref has had more touches so far, but he’s dominating the commentary. Si signor!” 8.13pm GMT 12 min: Vinícius Júnior looks to have skinned Bradley on the left touchline … but the ball’s gone out for a throw. Just. Vinícius Júnior smiles and wags his finger at the referee. The small margins. Liverpool nearly opened up by his skill. 8.12pm GMT 10 min: Wirtz’s sheer persistence wins the ball off Huijsen near the right-hand corner flag. He cuts back for Szoboszlai, who rolls across the face of the box towards Mac Allister. The midfielder leans back and fires a rising shot into the Kop. That was a decent shooting opportunity and Mac Allister should have worked Courtois at the very least. 8.09pm GMT 8 min: … and almost immediately, Vinícius Júnior comes back at Bradley, stops just to the left of the box, shielding the ball and winning a foul. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick, but yes, this’ll be a duel to keep an eye on. Updated at 8.20pm GMT 8.08pm GMT 7 min: Vinícius Júnior dribbles dangerously down the left but eventually runs bang-slap into Bradley, who was not for moving. A little bit of afters, the pair shouldering into each other. This’ll be a battle worth watching. 8.06pm GMT 5 min: Ekitike races after a long ball down the middle. For a second, it looks as though he’s clear on goal, Huijsen strangely hesitant. But the defender knows the striker will be flagged offside, and eventually the whistle goes. 8.05pm GMT 3 min: Wirtz pops up on the other flank and busies himself. He slips a pass infield for Ekitike, who miscontrols, then skittles Valverde to the floor. Free kick. But Liverpool will be happy enough with the first few exchanges. 8.03pm GMT 2 min: … but the hosts are on the front foot. Bradley advances down the middle and finds Ekitike, who flicks down the inside-right channel for Wirtz. But Liverpool’s number seven is on the back foot and doesn’t respond. A chance goes begging. 8.02pm GMT 1 min: Liverpool are playing towards the Kop in this first half. They prefer it the other way round; Xabi Alonso has clearly given his captain Federico Valverde the heads-up on that. 8.01pm GMT Liverpool get the ball rolling. The Anfield faithful chant the name of Andy Robertson in the pointed style. His old full-back friend looking on from the benches. Updated at 8.12pm GMT 7.59pm GMT Anfield performs You’ll Never Walk Alone as one, then the teams emerge from the tunnel. Liverpool in red, Real Madrid in meringue white, like you needed to be told any of that. It’s raining extremely heavily. I’d use the adjective Mancunian, but, well, y’know. A blast of Zadok the Priest (Uefa Mix) is met with a wall of abuse – nine out of ten on the aforementioned Opprobrium-o-meter™, which I’ve patched up with gaffer tape and glue – and then everyone shakes hands. We’ll be off in a minute! 7.37pm GMT Real Madrid emerge from the tunnel to warm up. Just the starting XI at first. They’re met with a no-nonsense blast of booing that registers 8.5 out of 10 on Guardian Sport’s fully patented Alexander-Arnold Opprobrium-o-meter™. Then a couple of minutes later, out come the subs. All of them bar Trent, who exchanges some friendly words and hugs with old friends on the Liverpool staff in the tunnel. All lovely. Then finally he makes it to the pitch, at which point it’s officially panto season. The stands are only half full at the moment, but still the booing is loud enough for the needle to shear clean off of our Alexander-Arnold Opprobrium-o-meter™. They’ve broken the Opprobrium-o-meter™! But then the boos subside as quickly as they went up. Trent is laughing quite a lot, and a fair few of the folk pictured hollering at him from the stands are enjoying themselves with a smile as well. Yeah, it’s panto season all right. Updated at 7.46pm GMT 7.13pm GMT Arne Slot speaks to Amazon Prime. “A great fixture … we’re all looking forward to a game like this … these clubs have met each other multiple times … so it’s a special evening, special occasion, special game … as many times before, I play Florian Wirtz … [laughing] if I play him, you ask about him, and if I don’t play him, you ask about him! … he is the left winger tonight … our high press was most of the time really good [against Villa] … that was positive … open play we didn’t create as much [as at Brentford, Palace or United] but the pressing was better.” As for the reception a certain full-back might get upon returning to his alma mater? “I have no clue … he is an incredible player and a great human being.” 7.03pm GMT The big news for Liverpool is the return of Florian Wirtz to the starting line-up. He takes the place of Cody Gakpo, on the left side of the front three. That’s the only change from the team that started the 2-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend. The big news for Liverpool fans is that Trent Alexander-Arnold is only on the bench for Real Madrid. Andrew Robertson would have enjoyed facing his old team-mate out on the flank, but that particular showdown will have to wait. On the other side of the pitch, Kylian Mbappé will lock horns again with Conor Bradley, who hit him with that tackle last year. Related: Conor Bradley’s raw energy too much for Mbappé and wins roar of approval | Barney Ronay 6.53pm GMT The teams Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Ekitike, Wirtz.Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Kerkez, Chiesa, Jones, Gakpo, Ngumoha, Misciur. Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Eder Militao, Huijsen, Carreras, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Camavinga, Guler, Vinicius Junior, Mbappe.Subs: Lunin, Gonzalez, Endrick, Rodrygo, Alexander-Arnold, Gonzalo Garcia, Asencio, Ceballos, Francisco Garcia, Diaz, Mendy. Referee: Istvan Kovacs (Romania). 6.52pm GMT Hugo Ekitiké talks to Amazon Prime. “I feel good … excited … we have had a bit of a struggle … sometimes up, sometimes down … the win [against Villa] means we can go into tonight’s game with more confidence and more energy … we have to work as a team to stop [Kylian Mbappé] … he’s a top player so it’ll be a beautiful game to watch tonight.” 6.49pm GMT There’s already been some Trent-centric news today. Pelters during the 90 minutes is fair game, all part of football’s pantomime swirl. This seems a bit low-rent, though. Probably best to stress that one doofus with a pot of paint doesn’t define an entire fanbase. The mural’s been cleaned up now, so all’s good in the end. Related: Trent Alexander-Arnold mural near Anfield vandalised before Real Madrid tie 6.30pm GMT Preamble Alan Kennedy. Yossi Benayoun. Steven Gerrard. Andrea Dossena. Karim Benzema (x5). Gareth Bale. Vinicius Junior (x3). Alexis Mac Allister. Some big names there, plus one smile-on-face, cherry-on-cake curveball, who have all made their mark on crème-de-la-crème showdowns between two of European football’s most glamorous clubs. Another star could become part of that gilded story this evening: Trent Alexander-Arnold, the once-beloved scouser in Liverpool’s team. He returns to Anfield tonight with all eyes on, whether he starts or sits … and yet he’s already made the most important impression he could, in laying this heartfelt tribute outside his old stomping ground to his fallen mate. There’s still a big game to be played, and Real Madrid are up by two finals to one, with seven wins to Liverpool’s four. They’re in better recent form as well, having won all but one of their 14 fixtures in all competitions so far this season. But after a run of six defeats in seven, Liverpool got back on the horse last Saturday with perhaps their best performance of the campaign in beating Aston Villa, so good luck calling this one. It’ll almost certainly be emotional. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, and Diogo Jota will always be Liverpool’s number 20.