Ferdinand claims 'Rottweilers' Liverpool are the 'best team in Europe'

Rio Ferdinand believes Liverpool are the “best team in Europe” after they comfortably defeated Real Madrid at Anfield 2-0 on Wednesday.

The Premier League leaders earned the three points through two second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, while Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty that would have put the visitors level.

Liverpool became just the fifth side to win their opening five games of the Champions League campaign and concede no more than one goal in the process, after Milan (92/93), Juventus (04/05), Atletico Madrid (16/17) and PSG (17/18).

It left Ferdinand impressed with Arne Slot’s influence as he praised his side's tenacity.

"They have put the gauntlet down to all the other teams in Europe. They look like the best team in Europe at the moment," he told TNT Sports.

"They are playing as a team; they look like they have the hungriest individuals about. They are not only getting the results, but they look starving.

"They look like they haven’t been fed for ages. He’s sending them out like Rottweilers on the pitch, hunting teams down.”

Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid An excellent night for Liverpool as they dominate Real Madrid at Anfield and end an eight-game winless streak against the Spanish giants. Look back at the match with our stats report: https://t.co/Kf6eJbEDJ5#LIVRMA | #UCL pic.twitter.com/LiKfk3IdLi

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 27, 2024

Liverpool demonstrably outperformed Real Madrid to go top of the league phase in the Champions League with 15 points.

They racked up an expected goals (xG) total of 2.73 compared to Real Madrid’s 1.22 xG, taking 17 shots compared to the visitors’ eight.

"They’ve got the composure; they’ve got people like Mo Salah who have the killer instinct to finish games off. I thought all their players performed very well,” added Ferdinand.

"I said before the game that Arne Slot would have liked what his team can produce in a game of this magnitude against the Champions League winners, and he got a very positive answer."

Caoimhin Kelleher has now saved three of the four penalties he has faced for Liverpool in all competitions (excluding shootouts), while this was only the second penalty Mbappe has failed to convert in the Champions League.

Mbappe has just one goal in the competition this season, having struggled since joining Madrid in the summer.

However, former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale backed the 25-year-old to come good in Spain.

"It does happen. I’ve missed penalties, everyone has missed penalties. It’s just unfortunate that at the moment it’s not quite going Mbappe’s way," said Bale.

"But I think on his day he’s the best in the world. It’s just a matter of time before he comes good."