Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas was blown away by how good Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing was for Liverpool last night.
The Reds couldn’t find a way past Crystal Palace at Anfield, eventually drawing the game 1-1. But that wasn’t for the wont of trying. As Fabregas pointed out on Twitter, Alexander-Arnold was at times at his brilliant best.
“Haven’t seen a full-back with this range of passing since Dani Alves,” wrote the former Barcelona player, tagging in Liverpool’s right-back.
Had things been different Trent could have had himself a couple of assists.
His dink towards the back-post early on should have been buried by Darwin Nunez. The full-back then teed up Mohamed Salah for a header with an absolutely delightful chipped through-ball. Neither chance was taken and Liverpool ended up being held at Anfield.
Trent looking good against Palace
After a quiet game against Fulham where questions were asked of his defending, Alexander-Arnold was excellent on Monday night. Liverpool came out the blocks flying, and the 23-year-old was constantly looking like a threat.
That dominancy didn’t lead to goal though, and Liverpool soon found themselves behind yet again.
The Reds toiled as the game ticked into and beyond half-time. As their fluency waned, it felt as though their only hope of a goal was Trent pulling something out of the hat.
In the end, Luis Diaz was the man who provided the inspiration. His brilliant goal and Darwin Nunez’s inexplicable red card overshadowed Alexander-Arnold’s display, but he was Liverpool’s best player all night.
As for the Dani Alves comparisons, I think Fabregas is doing his old teammate a favour. Alves never had the range of passing that Liverpool’s £160k-a-week man possesses.
The Brazilian had many qualities in his peak and was one of the very best attacking full-back’s of all time. But to provide the kind of array of passing that Alexander-Arnold does on a weekly basis? No full-back in history can come anywhere close.
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