What we learned from Wednesday's Champions League matches

Football writer Alex Keble analyses Wednesday's UEFA Champions League matches for Premier League clubs.

Bradley besting Mbappe a 'Klopp moment' 

Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid

What defines Liverpool in these remarkable early days of Arne Slot is an almost paradoxical mixture of the Dutchman’s order with the maverick energy of the Jurgen Klopp era. Wednesday’s attention-grabbing victory over Real Madrid was the best example yet.

On the one hand Liverpool dominated possession, with 63 per cent, and calmly controlled the visitors, on the other they fed off an electric Anfield atmosphere to pull off a famous win in the style of Klopp’s best days.

Two players in particular summed up these complementary elements.

Curtis Jones, who had more touches (79) and a better pass accuracy (93.1 per cent) than any midfielder or forward on the pitch, was the elegant conductor in true Slot fashion.

But it was Conor Bradley (below) – all furious energy and full-blooded tackles – who caught the eye with Klopp-like understanding of how to inspire and be inspired by Anfield under the floodlights.

He dominated Kylian Mbappe throughout, before assisting Alexis Mac Allister for the all-important opener.

Liverpool now have five wins from five in the Champions League and have conceded just one goal, becoming the fifth side to do so after AC Milan (1992/93), Juventus (2004/05), Atletico Madrid (2016/17) and Paris Saint-Germain (2017/18).

Things could hardly have gone better for Slot so far.

See: Liverpool's report and line-up

Pragmatic, 'serious' Villa buoyed by clean sheet

Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus

“We played a serious match,” Unai Emery told TNT Sports after a conservative 0-0 draw at Villa Park livened up by an astonishing Emiliano Martinez save and late VAR controversy.

Martinez's incredible save

“We played trying to avoid the mistakes we made from the last matches. We were playing better and I think we more or less deserved to win the match.”

That assessment reveals the game plan: reset the narrative following a series of defensive errors.

Villa certainly managed that, even if Morgan Rogers’ late disallowed goal for a perceived foul on the goalkeeper will have left supporters disappointed with only a point.

The hosts were considerably more cautious than in recent matches, rarely opening up or risking the progressive passing option while remaining secure against the counter, thanks in no small part to the return of Boubacar Kamara.

Kamara managed four tackles or interceptions and five recoveries, on both counts more than any other Villa midfielder and as many as Juventus’s Manuel Locatelli.

That’s a big boost for Villa ahead of a trip to Chelsea on Sunday, whose transition-centric football will require another performance of pragmatism and caution from the visitors.

As for the Champions League, it leaves Villa on 10 points from five matches and, with Celtic still to come at Villa Park, “the possibility to get into the top eight” in Emery’s words, and avoidance of two playoff matches next year.

See: Aston Villa's report and line-up

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