Liverpool were back to their best as they dominated Real Madrid with an outstanding performance to secure a crucial Champions League victory at Anfield.

Arne Slot's Premier League champions ended a spell of six defeats in seven games with a win against Aston Villa on Saturday, and the revival continued as Real were overpowered.

Liverpool's victory was far more convincing than the scoreline suggests, with Alexis Mac Allister finally breaking the deadlock in the second half as former Reds defender Trent Alexander-Arnold watched from the bench with his new side strictly second best.

Only the brilliance of Real keeper Thibaut Courtois kept Liverpool at bay, with a string of superb saves, including four from Dominik Szoboszlai and a brilliant reflex stop from Virgil van Dijk's header.

Courtois was powerless to stop Liverpool finally getting the goal their superiority deserved when Mac Allister stole in to head home from Szoboszlai's free-kick after 61 minutes.

Alexander-Arnold came on late in the game, amid a storm of booing from the Liverpool fans who once idolised him, but he was unable to fashion a breakthrough as Real - with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe subdued - unable to deny Slot's team an important three points.