After being taken off the field against Brighton on Sunday after less than an hour of play, Trent Alexander-Arnold did not hide his anger about the situation.
As Liverpool looked to secure a berth for themselves in the league’s fifth round, Trent Alexander-Arnold was given a spot in the starting XI for the trip to the Amex Stadium. The Reds were hoping to advance to the next stage of the competition.
After Harvey Elliott scored the game’s first goal, it appeared as though everything was going according to plan for the Merseysiders. Lewis Dunk was able to get a touch on Tariq Lamtpey’s whizzing effort from the edge of the penalty box, which resulted in the equalizer for his team just before the halftime break. Despite the fact that England defender Alexander-Arnold was not to blame for the goal, he did have a part to play after allowing his initial clearance to be intercepted by the Brighton player.
As the match approached its conclusion, Jurgen Klopp took the decision to implement a number of tactical substitutions for his team. Alexander-Arnold was one of the players who was substituted out soon before the hour mark. James Milner took his place after he was taken off the field.
The right back did not appear too happy to be taken off as he walked off the field of play, and his body language said as much. Following the news that he would not be able to assist his colleagues in advancing to the next round of competition, a clear expression of dissatisfaction could be seen on his face.
There was no explanation given for why Alexander-Arnold was taken out of the game. But it is probable that Jurgen Klopp wanted to give the defender a break in preparation for what will be a busy schedule of games in the near future. Following their duel with Brighton, Liverpool will face Wolves, Everton, and Newcastle in their next three matches before they return to Champions League play against Real Madrid in the middle of February.
In the midst of Klopp’s efforts to get his team back on track after an unsatisfactory start to the season, the Reds’ testing schedule has already been a source of frustration for the manager.
Klopp’s substitutions would prove to be counterproductive as Kaoru Mitoma scored a stunning game-winning goal for the Reds’ opponents, the Hoops, late in the match. Mitoma’s strike gave the Hoops another victory over the Reds.
Next weekend, Liverpool will meet Wolves, and it is likely that Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is 24 years old, will play some part in the game. This is his first season with Liverpool, but he has already played in 26 games across all competitions.
However, the right defender was surprisingly included on the list of substitutes for the game that ended in a scoreless draw with Chelsea the previous time out. He did not enter the game until the final twenty minutes of play as a substitute.