Liverpool added another Premier League point to their tally on Sunday after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
The Reds stay 15 points clear of the Gunners with just two games to play having long since confirmed their status as champions.
If there is some frustration from Liverpool supporters on Monday, though, it’s that it really should have been three points, not one, collected on a sunny day at Anfield.
Having gone 2-0 up in the first-half, Liverpool looked like they had the chance to really send a message out to Arsenal.
Instead, they let the lead slip in the second-half and could even have ended up losing against the likely Premier League runners-up.
Part of the reason for the turnaround – and certainly the cause of the mood inside the ground shifting – was the introduction of Trent Alexander-Arnold from the bench. Arne Slot was shown in no uncertain terms that Alexander-Arnold should have been kept at home. However, after the game Slot suggested he may make the same mistake again.
Arne Slot refuses to rule out Trent Alexander-Arnold appearance
Clearly, the biggest talking point from Sunday’s game has been Liverpool supporters’ reaction to Alexander-Arnold coming off the bench. It was ferocious.
And while pundits may not be grasping the point of the Liverpool fans, the majority of supporters know that it was entirely justified.
One man who does not seem to be reading the room in this respect, unfortunately, is Slot. Asked in his post-match press conference whether the booing of Alexander-Arnold would make him think twice about playing the right-back in the remaining two fixtures, the Liverpool head coach remained bullish.
“The thing I consider is I want to win a game of football and if we think we can win this one with Trent, I owe it to his teammates and to the fans, because they hired me to win as many games of football as possible,” he said.
“If I think there is a better chance of winning it with Trent, I will. If I think – which I don’t – that it is a distraction or whatever can happen for us not to play a good game of football, then I might, might, might make another decision.
“But I think Trent showed today why I brought him in because he was very close with a few fantastic crosses for us to win the game.”
Slot gets Alexander-Arnold comments wrong
Slot is drawing criticism from Liverpool supporters for deciding to put Alexander-Arnold on against Arsenal. With the Reds 2-1 up and a party atmosphere inside Anfield, there was really no need for it.
And whether Slot thinks Liverpool are better equipped to win games with the No. 66 on the pitch or not, it was clear that that was not the case on this occasion.
Alexander-Arnold was the man playing Mikel Merino onside as he equalised for Arsenal. So, his involvement had a tangibly negative impact on the scoreline for Liverpool.
Furthermore, Slot surely can’t think that having a player on the pitch being booed by 60,000 home fans is helping his team win games of football. It was actively having a negative effect.
Throughout the season Slot has shown that he is not afraid to make, and stick to, big decisions. But if he does wheel Alexander-Arnold out against Brighton and, especially, against Crystal Palace, he is running the risk of upsetting Liverpool fans further and causing more damage than is already done.
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