Wayne Rooney puts rivalries aside with flattering Liverpool prediction after Champions League win

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Wayne Rooney has put his allegiances aside to praise Liverpool after their convincing 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Liverpool once again got one over Real Madrid with a 1-0 win over the La Liga leaders in the Champions League, their second win over the Spanish giants in two seasons at Anfield after last year’s 2-0 victory.

Alexis Mac Allister was the man to hurt Xabi Alonso’s side, and it now means two wins in a row for Liverpool, who appear to be back to their best after a wobble throughout October under Arne Slot.

And Wayne Rooney, a boyhood Everton fan and Manchester United legend, has even put rivalry to one side to praise Liverpool for their title-winning credentials.

Wayne Rooney believes Liverpool are back to their best after Real Madrid win

Rooney was a pundit on Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of Liverpool vs Real Madrid, and he will have been in full awe of Liverpool’s dominant performance.

Arne Slot’s side racked up 2.45 expected goals in comparison to Real Madrid’s 0.45, with 17 shots forcing eight saves from imperious Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Beating the 15-time Champions League winners will always be a tough task and but for Courtois, it could have been much more.

And Rooney has admitted that what he saw at Anfield was a solidarity from the players, being more like themselves last season – and he can see them kicking on from here.

The Premier League legend said: “When you are the champions and go and lose two or three games in a row you expect to get criticised.

“What we are seeing is a solidarity between the players.

What we saw tonight was Liverpool of last season. I am sure this was a blueprint for them moving forward.”

Liverpool do remain seven points behind Arsenal but with an easier set of fixtures to come, it could see them fly up the table.

Admitting Liverpool are back will be hard for Everton fan and Man United legend Rooney

There is no doubting that Rooney will have found it tough to praise Liverpool.

The Scouser is a boyhood Everton fan, who are Liverpool’s local rivals, and he burst through the youth ranks to score his first Premier League goal at just 16 years of age for the Toffees.

Just two full seasons in the Everton side saw him join Manchester United, making 559 appearances for the Red Devils with 253 goals, taking a Champions League title and multiple Premier League trophies with him.

A return to Everton solidified that, and Rooney’s record against Liverpool stands at 13 wins in 30 games, with seven goals scored against the Reds.

But even despite his childhood and professional allegiances, he can see that Arne Slot’s side are slowly performing how they should be.

If Liverpool can continue their form, it will be an almighty title race alongside the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.