Trent Alexander-Arnold says Liverpool wanted to get 20-year-old on the ball as much as possible vs Arsenal

Add as preferred source on Google

It was a special game for Trent Alexander-Arnold against Arsenal last night. The Liverpool full-back was given the captain’s armband in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, and he lived up to the responsibility.

Alexander-Arnold’s delivery was vital in breaking the deadlock, with Jakub Kiwior then converting it into the back of his own net.

But away from the delivery, Alexander-Arnold produced a captain worthy performance dominating the pitch and controlling Liverpool’s rhythm in possession, while making vital recovery runs in defence and covering a lot of ground.

He will be very pleased to have been able to pull off such an impressive result in a difficult away ground against a tough opponent.

Speaking after the game, Alexander-Arnold also revealed there was one player who he wanted to get more involved on the ball during the match.

Alexander-Arnold on Harvey Elliott

Harvey Elliott is set for an important role while Mohamed Salah is away on African Cup of Nations duty. Against Arsenal was his first genuine test playing on the right-wing, and he can be pleased with the effort he made overall.

Alexander-Arnold speaking in his post-match interview as per Liverpool’s official website revealed the Reds wanted to get Elliott on the ball as much as possible.

“We stuck with the way that we wanted to play, we have an identity, we want to play football and use players’ strengths with the front line that we had, obviously Harvey [Elliott], [we] wanted to get him on the ball. And then we’ve got Darwin [Nunez] and Lucho as well with speed, so we’re playing the balls in behind and giving them what they wanted as well.”

In the end, Elliott made 36 touches and created one chance in a game where Arsenal dominated possession. The 20-year-old has some really promising moments, and definitely showed why he can be an option for Jurgen Klopp for the rest of this month.

However, going forward, Liverpool could probably try to get him even more involved and on the ball. Because when Elliott has the the ball at his feet, he’s got the ability to make things happen.