Vinicius Jr. lost eight duels against make-shift right-back Conor Bradley as Liverpool beat LaLiga leaders Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Reds, who had lost four of their previous five Premier League matches, claimed a 1-0 win at Anfield. Alexis Mac Allister scored the winning goal from a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick in the 63rd minute. Liverpool could have registered a more comfortable win had it not been for Thibaut Courtois’ heroics.
Consecutive victories against Bournemouth and Madrid have taken the pressure off Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who had become an unlikely leader in the Premier League sack race odds. After Tuesday’s result, his odds have stretched to 25/1.
Conor Bradley Nullified Vinicius Jr. As Liverpool Beat Real Madrid
With Jeremie Frimpong injured, Conor Bradley as right-back against Real Madrid, going up against Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian winger was unbeaten against Liverpool, scoring five goals in five matches.
Bradley, by his own admission, was not “fazed”, and shut the door on Vinicius Jr. time and again. Over the course of the match, Bradley dispossessed Vinicius Jr. a whopping 19 times. The 22-year-old also won 100% of his tackles and seven duels against the Real Madrid No. 7.
Conor Bradley on Vinicius Jr
“I wasn’t fazed at all. He said a few things to me on the pitch, but the fact is, I don’t think he got past me once.” pic.twitter.com/ydEPrRwN0E
— Anfield Papers (@AnfieldPapers) November 4, 2025
Real Madrid primarily tried to attack down the left wing. With Bradley nullifying Vinicius Jr., Los Blancos failed to create clearcut goalscoring opportunities for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
The 15-time European champions had eight shots, with only two landing on target. They finished with an xG of 0.45. Liverpool, meanwhile, had nine shots on target and recorded an xG of 2.51.
Fans Troll Vinicius Jr. After Champions League Defeat at Anfield
Vinicius Jr. had a frustrating night at Anfield. He misplaced all four of his crosses, had no efforts on targets, and only had nine touches in the opposition box.
In the aftermath of his underwhelming performance, Vinicius Jr. has received brutal criticism on social media.
@LFC_Tandy wrote:
“Bradley been laughing at Vinicius Jr the entire game. 😭”
Bradley been laughing at Vinicius Jr the entire game. 😭 pic.twitter.com/uCHMg1Apjt
— Tandy (@LFC_Tandy) November 4, 2025
@SamueILFC added:
“Vinicius is the most overrated player of this generation. Trent gave him a career.”
Vinicius is the most overrated player of this generation. Trent gave him a career.
— Samuel (@SamueILFC) November 4, 2025
X user @halfpsyched said Bradley kept Vinicius Jr. in his pocket in Liverpool’s win over Real Madrid.
Pov Conor Bradly’s pant pic.twitter.com/EuPYud1CcR
— Աշիկ (@halfpsyched) November 4, 2025
He posted:
@Akzyy also took shots at Trent Alexander-Arnold, suggesting Vinicius could only thrive due to the former Liverpool man’s weak defending.
He posted a collage with the caption:
“Conor Bradley against Vinicius v Trent against Vinicius”
Conor Bradley against Vinicius v Trent against Vinicius pic.twitter.com/A0KqQ6h5nL
— A🤾🏽♂️ (@Akzyy) November 4, 2025
After Tuesday’s defeat, Real Madrid have dropped to fifth place in the table with nine games still to play on Wednesday. Liverpool, on the other hand, have climbed up to sixth. Both teams have nine points after four games.
