Unsung trio hands Liverpool Champions League victory over Real Madrid

Liverpool beat Real Madrid, 1-0, at Anfield on Tuesday in the Champions League to reset its inconsistent 2025-26 season. The win lifts Liverpool into the top 10 in the "league phase" of the competition and sends a strong message to those who doubt its European bonafides.

With two clubs as starry as Liverpool and Real Madrid, this match was pitched as a coming-together of Europe's biggest names. But in a fascinating twist, it was a trio of unsung Liverpool players who wound up making all the difference.

Conor Bradley, right back

Liverpool never used to worry about the right back position. It had Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of the most talented, intriguing and idiosyncratic right backs on earth, on its books for years. But Alexander-Arnold is now at Real Madrid — staring, for much of this match, at his former team from the opponent's bench — and Liverpool has struggled to replace him.

Its first signing, Dutch defender Jeremie Frimpong, failed to settle despite his eye-watering price tag. Desperate for stability and unable to bring in a new face, Liverpool coach Arne Slot turned to his bench for solace.

Thankfully, Northern Irish defender Conor Bradley was right there waiting for him. Bradley joined Liverpool as a youth prospect in 2019 and spent much of his career as Alexander-Arnold's rarely-used understudy. He's stepped up in a big way for Slot's Liverpool team this season, and this Real Madrid duel was his biggest performance yet.

Bradley was tasked with two near-impossible tasks: man-marking Vinicius Jr. and making enough forward runs of his own to feed his teammate, Mohamed Salah. He managed just fine. As a defender, Bradley rendered Vinicius Jr. all but invisible; as an attacker, he created a handful of Liverpool's most potent chances.

On a night when the returning Alexander-Arnold hoped to remind Liverpool of the player it had, Liverpool wound up celebrating the player it kept instead.

Alexis Mac Allister, midfield

Argentinian midfielder Alexis Mac Allister receives little attention for his vital work in the center of the park. He doesn't get the spotlight very often, but he's vital to the team's structure, and his interceptions and build-out play quietly bring Liverpool's famous attack to life.

It was fabulous, then, to see him come to life in the second half of this Real Madrid game and slam home the decisive goal — with a jumping header, no less, despite being one of the shortest men on the field. He's just 5-foot-9 and, in most circumstances, he's the last person Liverpool would want going for a header in the opposition box. Mac Allister's goal was just like his play: gritty, unexpected and ultimately responsible for turning the game in Liverpool's favor.