Liverpool played out an exciting 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday as they edged closer to lifting the Premier League trophy.
The Reds are guaranteed to win the league whatever happens over the next two weeks, but will still want to end the season on a high.
That was apparent during the opening exchanges of the match against Arsenal, with Liverpool racing into a 2-0 lead.
However, the Reds could not press home their advantage and conceded two second-half goals. That’s how it ended.
More than the eventual scoreline, though, the reception fans gave to Trent Alexander-Arnold was the real talking point of Sunday’s game.
And after Liverpool fans ripped into Alexander-Arnold from the stands, former Red Jamie Carragher explained how he thinks the reaction will affect other members of the Liverpool squad.
Jamie Carragher backs players to rally around Trent Alexander-Arnold
The mood at Anfield was akin to a party until the arrival of Alexander-Arnold onto the pitch.
In truth, Arne Slot badly misjudged the mood by bringing the 26-year-old on. It was always going to be hostile.
Unfortunately, the knock-on effect was that some Liverpool players were not happy with how the crowd reacted. And after Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai remonstrated with supporters at full-time, Carragher claimed most of his teammates will support Alexander-Arnold.
“Team-mates in the dressing room would rally around most people 99% of the time,” he said on Sky Sports.
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand offers ‘baffling’ tone-deaf reaction after Liverpool fans boo Trent Alexander-Arnold
“Supporters of any football club, or Liverpool right now, probably wouldn’t want to hear this but most players in that Liverpool dressing room probably want to play for Real Madrid.
“I’ve been in the dressing room, players left us to go to Barcelona, Real Madrid, so it’s really hard for supporters.
“You almost feel like they fall for it every time, in some ways, when you think ‘this player absolutely loves us’, and then they move on and go somewhere else,” Carragher added. “Players don’t think like supporters. Players in the dressing room think ‘I’d love to play for Real Madrid’. They would.”
How will Liverpool react?
It will be extremely interesting to see how Slot handles this situation for the final two games of the season.
Against Brighton away from home next Monday it almost doesn’t really matter, but the big one on May 25th at Anfield, when the Premier League trophy is lifted, certainly does.
On the one hand, Liverpool fans have got it out of their system now. Hopefully the reaction is accepted by Alexander-Arnold – he has brought it on after all – and everyone can move on.
If the response from supporters is the same on that day, then there may be a disconnect between fans and players. That would be a real shame.
Instead, hopefully it can be put away on both sides, now, and the football club can focus on winning the Premier League title and celebrating that instead.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
