Ex-Bolton man Conor Bradley ‘incredible’ in Real Madrid victory

Former Wanderer Conor Bradley made the headlines after his outstanding performance helped Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The Reds beat the holders 2-0 at Anfield thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, with Caoimhin Kelleher saving Kylian Mbappe’s penalty at the other end.

Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry was full of praise for Bradley, who played 87 minutes before making way for Joe Gomez.

“That (tackle), for me, already did set the tone,” Henry told CBS Sports. “Boom! That’s it. You all know, when you go into someone like that at the beginning of the game, you’re going to struggle.

“We see him making that run every time, he fancied it. You could see, he fancied himself against Mbappe.

“Everything he did was spot on. We were waiting for Salah, we were waiting for Mbappe, but we saw Conor Bradley so fair play to him.”

He added: “Conor Bradley was just outstanding. I think he didn’t have to do a lot defensively because Mbappe didn’t do a lot offensively, so it became very easy.

“But the positions he takes right now, what he can do and how he understands when he needs to make that run…

“The assist (for the opener) was not a Trent Alexander-Arnold assist, in all fairness, but still, he is where he is supposed to be.”

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was also impressed by the Northern Irish international and, in particular, his crunching tackle on Mbappe.

“This was probably the biggest roar of the night,” Murphy told BBC. “It’s the athleticism and the timing and also the courage to do it. There’s no respect. The ball needs winning. Doesn’t matter who you are.

“When you see a young player play in arguably his biggest game against one of the best players in Europe on such a huge occasion with a pressurised atmosphere and perform like that, it’s incredible really.

“I think he’s got a great future. I know there’s a lot of talk about Trent at the moment, but what a player to come in and fill in the gaps for him.”

The result leaves Liverpool top of the table with five wins from five. Arne Slot’s men are also top of the Premier League with an eight-point cushion above Manchester City at this stage.