Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season.
But at Anfield on Tuesday, he hit another familiar wall.
For the second straight year, the Real Madrid forward endured a night to forget on Merseyside as Liverpool claimed a 1-0 Champions League win, with Mbappe looking a shadow of the player who has dismantled defenses all season.
“We were lacking that threat in the final third,” Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said, choosing his words carefully without naming Mbappe.
The World Cup winner, usually a spark of brilliance, struggled to make an impact against a Liverpool side that has looked defensively vulnerable for much of the campaign but stood firm when it mattered most.
Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games and in the type of form that could put him in contention to finally win the Ballon d’Or. But he managed just three attempts throughout the match, none of them on target. Vinicius Junior, too, was largely kept on the fringes of the action.
Liverpool coach Arne Slot said he sharpened his players’ focus before the match by reminding them of the goal contributions made by Mbappe and Vinicius this season.
“I told the players before the game they (Madrid) have scored 26 goals in La Liga and Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius have 24 goal contributions together,” he said. “I don’t think you can ever control these two completely, but you can do a few things well.”
Mbappe’s best opportunity came in the second half, with Madrid trailing after Alexis Mac Allister’s 61st-minute header. Receiving the ball inside the box, he shaped to curl a shot into the top corner – only for his effort to drift well wide of the goal.
It was a case of history repeating itself for Mbappe, who endured a miserable night at the same stadium last year when Madrid was again beaten by Liverpool in the group stage of European football’s elite competition.
On that occasion, Mbappe missed a penalty that would have leveled the score before Liverpool went on to win 2-0.
At least he didn’t suffer the same indignity this time, with Madrid kept well at bay by the Premier League champion.
Anfield is famed as one of the most daunting stadiums for away teams in Europe, and a hostile atmosphere may have contributed to Mbappe’s struggles. The mood became even more intense when former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold came on to loud jeers late in the match.
“I was impressed by the atmosphere throughout the whole 90 minutes,” Slot said.
It was the first time Madrid failed to score all season and only its second loss in all competitions.
“I think we competed well,” Alonso said. “What was lacking today was perhaps the ability to hurt them in the final third and be a real threat.”
