Jude Bellingham has claimed that Kylian Mbappe is not responsible for Real Madrid’s loss to Liverpool, while highlighting the one reason why the defending champions fell short at Anfield on Wednesday.
Mbappe had a night to forget, failing to make an impact in the absence of fellow attackers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, as Madrid suffered their third defeat in this season’s Champions League following a 2-0 loss to the Merseyside Reds.
After a dominant display by their opponents, Los Blancos conceded in the 52nd minute from a well-worked Alexis Mac Allister strike.
However, Madrid were handed an opportunity to draw level in the 61st minute following a missed tackle from left-back Andy Robertson, which resulted in a penalty for the visitors. Mbappe, however, failed to convert.
The Spanish giants went on to concede a second goal 15 minutes later, despite escaping a penalty scare in the 70th minute when Mohamed Salah also missed from the spot for the hosts.
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After the loss, fans took to social media to criticise the French attacker, insinuating he would be the end of Madrid.
Bellingham backs Mbappe despite penalty miss
However, Bellingham has shown support for his teammate, backing him to turn the moment around.
While the England international admitted that Mbappe’s penalty miss was a huge moment in the game, he emphasised that the team as a whole failed to perform, which led to the defeat.
Speaking to TNT Sports via Goal, Bellingham said,
“It’s [Mbappe’s penalty] a big moment in the game but it can happen. He’s a wonderful player but the pressure that he holds because of how good he is is huge.
“The penalty is not the reason why we lost the game. As a collective we weren’t good enough on the night, they performed better than us and it’s as simple as that. Kylian can keep his head high, I know for sure that he will produce many more moments that are huge for this club.”
With the loss, Real Madrid find themselves in 24th place on the new-look UCL table, one point and one spot above the drop zone, with three games left to play.
