Carlo Ancelotti admits Real Madrid were deservedly beaten by Liverpool

Carlo Ancelotti conceded that his Real Madrid side were deservedly beaten by Liverpool and suggested the dramatic penalty miss by Kylian Mbappe in the second half contributed to their loss of morale.

Second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo handed Liverpool a 2-0 Champions League victory at Anfield on Wednesday evening.

The win maintained Liverpool’s perfect record in the competition, taking them two points clear at the top of the group.

In contrast, Real Madrid now face the risk of failing to qualify for the knockout stages, dropping to 24th – just inside the final qualification spot – with three matches remaining.

Madrid had a chance to level the game in the 61st minute when Andy Robertson fouled Lucas Vázquez inside the area, awarding them a penalty.

However, Caoimhin Kelleher saved Mbappe’s spot-kick, and Carlo Ancelotti identified that moment as a turning point.

It was a significant setback for Real Madrid, who suffered their first defeat to Liverpool in more than 15 years.

“To be totally honest, it’s a fair result,” said the former Everton boss.

“Liverpool deserved to win. They have a real good dynamic at the moment and are in great form. They were really switched on, connected, playing with high intensity.

“We did okay in the first half, we held them and set up quite well and defended well as a unit. In transitions we were okay. But then we lost the ball and once we gained the ball we made the wrong decision going forward.

“We fought right up until the point of the penalty. If we could have evened it up, we had competed well up to that point. But we have to keep going.”

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