Real Madrid’s manager Xabi Alonso attributed his team’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool to the home side’s exceptional execution of set-piece opportunities.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Alonso reflected on the contest, stating, “The match was tightly contested, but as we progressed into the second half, set pieces became increasingly prominent, and Liverpool demonstrated remarkable proficiency in capitalizing on those situations.”

Alonso further elaborated on the nature of the loss, noting, “There are different ways to lose matches. The manner in which we were defeated today stands in stark contrast to our loss against Atleti.”

This setback at Anfield marks Real Madrid’s second defeat of the current campaign. Up to this point, Los Blancos have secured victories in 13 out of their opening 15 matches, maintaining an impressive run of form.

Following Liverpool’s 1-0 triumph over Real Madrid in their Champions League encounter, the Reds’ captain Virgil van Dijk spoke to Amazon Prime about the performance. “Tonight’s display was characterized by tremendous energy and an immense work rate from our side,” he said.

“They’ve claimed victory in 14 of their previous 15 matches and possess exceptional quality throughout their squad. We’re well aware of their capabilities and how devastating they can be when given opportunities; recent weeks have provided clear evidence of that. It was imperative that we executed perfectly in all aspects of our play.”

Van Dijk continued, “There were moments when we had to sit deeper and adopt a low defensive block, which was a reality we needed to embrace. I believe we executed our tactical approach to perfection.”

Throughout the ninety minutes at Anfield, the Reds maintained superiority and controlled much of the proceedings. They could reasonably claim to have been unfortunate in converting only a single goal, with Alexis Mac Allister standing as the sole player capable of finding a way past the formidable Thibaut Courtois between the posts.