Damien Delaney says ‘special’ Liverpool player changed the game when he came on vs Newcastle

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Liverpool had to settle for a 3-3 draw against Newcastle United in what was a thrilling encounter at St. James’ Park.

Fabian Schar’s late equaliser ended Arne Slot’s winning run with the Reds seeing their incredible lead at the top of the Premier League cut to seven points with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all winning on the night.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	14	11	2	1	29	11	18	35
2	ChelseaChelsea	14	8	4	2	31	15	16	28
3	ArsenalArsenal	14	8	4	2	28	14	14	28
4	Man CityManchester City	14	8	2	4	25	19	6	26

With Slot saying Caoimhin Kelleher was ‘disappointed’ after his error, there were some performances from the Anfield side that would have left fans frustrated, with Curtis Jones also admitting he wasn’t at his best for Liverpool.

Yet former Premier League defender Damien Delaney was impressed with one Liverpool player who seemingly changed the game when he was brought on.

Trent Alexander-Arnold lauded after ‘special’ Liverpool cameo vs Newcastle

Speaking on Premier Sports coverage of the match, the former Crystal Palace star hailed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance for Liverpool, with the defender coming off the bench to assist Mohamed Salah twice.

With Pat Nevin questioning why Alexander-Arnold didn’t start in the first place, the Liverpool fullback showed why he is one of the best in the world and why the Reds will deeply miss the England international if he does indeed leave at the end of this season.

READ MORE: Everything to know on Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold from his girlfriend to net worth

And for Delaney, the former Republic of Ireland international was spellbound by Alexander-Arnold’s performance, with the pundit impressed with what he saw from the 26-year-old in the final-third for Liverpool.

Delaney said: “As soon as Trent came on the pitch he gives you something special. We accept his defensive frailties or his lack of concentration, but my goodness, does this guy offer a lot in terms of goals or assists and just general threat.”

Liverpool need to hope Alexander-Arnold can stay fit this December

With Conor Bradley out injured for Liverpool until 2025, Alexander-Arnold remains the only natural right-back option for the Reds to call upon this month, something that could quickly become a problem given how much football the Merseyside giants are playing in December.

With Liverpool showing cracks against Newcastle even with Alexander-Arnold on the pitch, the defender needs to be at his absolute best if the Reds are to survive December and to build from their incredible start to the season.

And with Alexander-Arnold now back from injury, Liverpool also need to hope that the England international can stay fully fit, with defensive options light already heading into the gauntlet that is the festive period.