Archive November 5, 2025

Trent Alexander-Arnold, the neighborhood boy who left Liverpool behind, received a brutal and hostile reminder of his fall from grace while Conor Bradley was driven by the full force of Anfield’s adoration.

The stage was set once the fates of the two European superpowers were paired together in the Champions League because Bradley had been designated as Alexander-Arnold’s heir apparent from the moment he made his decision to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid.

What a contrast, as the 22-year-old Northern Ireland right-back was the shining example of a Liverpool display that harked back to their Premier League dominance as Real Madrid was swept aside.

Alexander-Arnold, who started on the bench, was unapologetically questioned by the fans who once criticized “the Scouser in our team.”

The words “Adios El Rata” were used before the game to the Anfield anger caused by what many Liverpool supporters saw as his betrayal, leading to an unrelenting ill-feeling directed at Alexander-Arnold’s direction.

With a magnificent display that reduced the formidable Vinicius Jr. to a passenger, only able to perform theatrics, and poor theatrics, in the face of the youngster’s physical dominance, Bradley actually fueled the fury and scorn directed in Alexander-Arnold’s direction.

Every Bradley tackle received a cheering ovation, every pass received an approval from Anfield, and his name was chanted enthusiastically by Alexander-Arnold as a voluble reminder that he had just arrived in town and that he had become a recognizable figure from the past.

Unsurprisingly, Bradley gained the admiration of Arne Slot, the head coach.

If Alexander-Arnold’s mural’s insults did not alert him to what lay ahead, he was left in no doubt when he walked on to warm up as one of Real Madrid’s substitutes before kick-off, with jeers ringing around Anfield and a loud disapproval when his name was read out.

And just as it appeared he might get away from the full-on rage, Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso called him in the 81st minute as they tried to equalize Liverpool’s lead, which Alex Mac Allister had just scored from.

The mocking jeers that greeted a late cross that drifted aimlessly out of play and Alexander-Arnold’s arrival were both mocking.

Liverpool’s fans echoed Alexander-Arnold’s unhappy cameo, with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard observing from the stands as he remained loyal despite temptations and opportunities to leave.

This was Bradley’s and Liverpool’s nights, the kind of night Anfield enjoys when their former star turned up the volume even more potently with its presence.

And Liverpool, who had lost six of their previous seven games before Aston Villa were defeated on Saturday, delivered a performance that was easily their best this season, a timely reminder of the accomplishment that led them to the title.

Slot praised Liverpool’s return to winning ways, saying: “It’s nicer if you win games than it is if you lose as manager. You spend all of your time trying to be the same manager and person you were when you won, but it also takes up your time because you genuinely want to change things.

I responded, “I did the same,” explaining that winning football games requires a lot of set-piece balance. Aside from the Villa game, which we won, our open-play chance creation was effective all season.

With a stunning individual performance that brought back memories of Jurgen Klopp’s side’s defeat in the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, it was only Thibaut Courtois’ brilliant Real keeper’s shadow that threatened to stop Liverpool from receiving what they merited.

Before even he was powerless to stop Mac Allister’s header from the Hungarian’s free kick, the Belgian made a string of magnificent saves, including four from Dominik Szoboszlai and four from Virgil van Dijk’s remarkable reflex stop.

These crucial three points, which place Liverpool in sixth place in the Champions League table, will prevent them from reaching the last 16 if maintained, do not touch the sides of their dominance from the beginning.

Florian Wirtz added some of the subtle touches that made his name at Bayer Leverkusen while Szoboszlai and Mac Allister ruled midfield. A constant threat, Hugo Ekitike.

As Kylian Mbappe was marginalized, Liverpool were rock solid at the back, putting on a terrible, error-strewn display, unlike so often this season. Before the conclusion, Vinceius had already been defeated by Bradley.

Jude Bellingham, who was given the Anfield stage to show off a reminder of his class before England head coach Thomas Tuchel names his squad to face Serbia and Albania after excluding him last time, did not do much better.

He was anonymous because Real failed to establish any sort of stranglehold in the first half despite giving Giorgi Mamardashvili a chance in the opening period when he forced him to save with his legs.

Although he was not the only one there, Bellingham made the error and conceded the free-kick in a dangerous position that caused Mac Allister’s goal, offering little as Real attempted to reclaim their lead.

He expressed sympathy for Alexander-Arnold, saying, “Of course, it’s one of those things in football.” The fans’ booing doesn’t reflect how they feel about him.

I believe the purpose is to give their team some edge and a little bit off him. They will appreciate what he has accomplished for the club, I’m sure of my assurance.

After confirming that the Italian defender was allegedly threatened with a gun by a football agent, Tottenham say they are supporting him.

An unnamed Premier League player was reportedly targeted in London on September 6 according to BBC Sport’s report on Monday.

During the incident, another man is alleged to have threatened and blackmailed him. No reported wounds.

A 31-year-old man was detained on suspicion of attempting to drive without a license, blackmailing, and possessing firearms with intent on September 8th, according to the Metropolitan Police, who are looking into the case. While inquiries are ongoing, he has been placed on hold.

Spurs stated in a statement on Tuesday that they have been and will continue to do so in the wake of the incident. We are unable to comment further because this is a legal issue.

The 22-year-old Udogie moved from Udinese for £15 million on a five-year deal in the summer of 2022, before immediately resuming his Serie A career on a season-long loan.

He made 76 appearances for Tottenham since his arrival at the club in the years 2023-2004.

You know you have scored a special goal when you are being compared to Lionel Messi.

Even more so if you are a centre-half.

With Tottenham leading 2-0 but down to 10 men and coming under pressure from opponents Copenhagen, Micky van de Ven could have been forgiven for launching the ball to safety when he got it on the edge of his own penalty area.

But the Netherlands defender had other ideas.

Off he went, sprinting past one, two, three players, squeezing past another two near the halfway line and outpacing a Copenhagen defender to get through on goal with the Spurs fans rising as one in anticipation.

And the finish did not disappoint, with Van de Ven slotting the ball past goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, before being mobbed by jubilant team-mates having scored one of the great Champions League goals.

“It seems like Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, running from his own goal down the other end to score,” said Spurs boss Thomas Frank after his side thrashed Danish side Copenhagen 4-0 to maintain their unbeaten start to their Champions League campaign with two wins and two draws from their four games.

Van de Ven, 24, joined Tottenham in a £34m move from Wolfsburg in August 2023 and has recently added goals to his repertoire.

He scored in the Uefa Super Cup against Paris St-Germain in August, with further goals coming in the 3-0 win at West Ham, the 2-2 Champions League draw at Bodo Glimt and then two in the 3-0 victory at Everton last month.

But none of those can compare to the one he got on Tuesday.

“I started dribbling and thought I would see if they would catch up and they didn’t,” Van de Ven told TNT Sports.

While Van de Ven tried to stay calm about the quality of his goal, others were far more enthusiastic.

“It’s one of the best goals you will ever see, ever,” said former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves on TNT Sports.

“He runs past players like they’re not even there. To stay strong and then to finish, that’s ridiculous. Goal of the season, game over.”

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, speaking on Match of the Day: Champions League added: “It’s top. Really, really good.

“It’s like when he assisted at Old Trafford last season [when he ran more than half the length of the pitch before setting up Brennan Johnson in a 3-0 victory against Manchester United].

“When defenders go on those runs, it’s hard to understand who should stop them. With the size and the speed he has, we actually saw a player on the other side of the pitch who wanted nothing to do with him.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Premier League defender Curtis Davies added: “He kind of stepped out looking for a pass and nothing was on. Once he saw the space ahead of him he knew nobody was catching him. He was at full tilt, full pace.”

Van de Ven’s stunning solo effort will almost certainly go down as one of the best goals ever scored by a central defender.

But while defenders are usually noted for their prowess in front of goal, there is a decent catalogue of goals to go at from down the years from those usually employed to stop them.

BBC Sport looks at some of best goals ever from centre-backs and asks you to rank them.

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City v Leicester): Needing a win to go above Liverpool at the top of the table, Kompany smashed a 25-yard effort into the top right corner to help City to a 1-0 win.

Pep Guardiola’s side pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title by one point.

Anton Ferdinand (West Ham v Fulham): Ferdinand only registered seven league goals in over 400 appearances as a professional but his incredible volley helped the Hammers to a 2-1 win over Fulham in 2005-06.

Nedum Onuoha (Sunderland v Chelsea): Onuoha’s one and only goal on a season-long loan at Sunderland came against then league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as he drifted past three players and placed a low effort into the corner past Petr Cech.

David Luiz (Brazil v Colombia): When it comes to wonder goals, Luiz has his own personal showreel. This particular effort for the hosts, at the 2014 World Cup, was a long-range free-kick that arrowed in the top corner of the Colombia net and was followed by an iconic corner flag celebration.

Ronald Koeman (Barcelona v Sampdoria): Long before he was directing affairs in technical areas as a head coach, Koeman was renowned for scoring absolute belters from distance. And Barca’s first European Cup triumph in 1992 came courtesy of the Dutch defender’s right boot from 25 yards.

Philippe Mexes (AC Milan v Anderlecht): Former France defender Mexes scored his first goal for Milan with a spectacular bicycle kick from 18 yards out in a Champions League group match at Anderlecht during the 2012-13 season.

Philippe Albert (Newcastle v Manchester United): On a day to remember for Newcastle supporters during the 1996-97 campaign, Albert put the icing on the cake with a sublime chip in the hosts’ 5-0 win over the reigning English champions.

Daniel Agger (Liverpool v West Ham): Agger’s first Liverpool goal was a thing of beauty. With his side trailing1-0, the Dane collected a pass near the centre circle, took two touches and then dispatched his third into the top left corner, prompting a turnaround.

For Tottenham and Frank it was a much-needed victory after his side had been booed off the pitch at the end of their 1-0 home loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

That extended a run of only one point from three successive home Premier League matches, even though they had picked up five points from their opening three games in the Champions League.

Frank urged the fans to back the team and the supporters responded as they, along with a passionate following from the visitors, helped create a superb atmosphere.

The home mood was helped when Tottenham took a 19th-minute lead through Brennan Johnson, before Wilson Odobert added a second soon after the restart to put Spurs in control.

That threatened to change when Johnson was sent off, after Belgian official Erik Lambrechts had been sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee to review the Welshman’s sliding challenge on to the ankle of Marcos Lopez.

But Van de Ven’s moment of magic quickly ended any hope of a fightback as Copenhagen, despite having a man advantage, crumbled with Joao Palhinha adding a fourth. There was almost a fifth but Richarlison hit the crossbar with a penalty in added time.

“We’re progressing forwards, but we are not where we want to be,” admitted Frank afterwards. “I saw a good performance, which I’m happy with. We talked about bounce-back mentality and there will be setbacks in football, it’s how you react after a bad spell. We controlled the game from minute one.”

For Van de Ven, it has been a mixed few days.

After the game against Chelsea, television footage showed him and team-mate Djed Spence appearing to snub Frank, when the Dane had gestured for them to go and acknowledge the home supporters.

Both players apologised after the incident, with Frank drawing a line under the matter in Monday’s news conference.