Liverpool fought back from two goals down to secure a thrilling 2-2 draw with title hopefuls Arsenal on Sunday evening, with Jurgen Klopp’s men enduring a day of contrasting fortunes amid what was a feast of football at Anfield.
It had initially looked set to be another disappointing affair for the misfiring outfit as the Brazilian duo of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli fired the visitors ahead, only for a heated flash point involving Granit Xhaka and Trent Alexander-Arnold seemingly waking the home crowd – and the home side – from their slumber.
That altercation was followed by a quick response from Mohamed Salah – who would later miss a penalty – before substitute Roberto Firmino completed the comeback late on, with only some goalkeeping heroics from Aaron Ramsdale denying the Reds what would have been a famous victory.
Such a Jekyll and Hyde display was epitomised by the polarising performance of the aforementioned, Alexander-Arnold, with the England international having gone from being an early villain to then becoming a late hero for the Merseyside outfit.
How did Alexander-Arnold perform against Arsenal?
There is no denying that it has been a rather underwhelming season thus far for the 24-year-old having provided just three assists in the Premier League to date, while club legend Jamie Carragher has suggested that the full-back’s defending “isn’t good enough”.
The Liverpool academy product again looked like something of a “liability” against the Gunners – according to journalist Kevin Palmer – after having been far too easily beaten by Martinelli in the build up to the away side’s second goal, while also being dribbled past four times in total on the day.
Despite those early woes, however, as stated above the coming together with opposition midfielder, Xhaka, seemed to spark new life into the attacking right-back, with Alexander-Arnold going on to prove rather “unplayable”, as per CBS reporter, James Benge.
Galvanised by that war of words, the £180k-per-week machine was instrumental in leading the hosts’ fightback amid a real attacking onslaught after the break, having registered a standout tally of four key passes and completed six of his eight crosses in total.
The 76-touch menace – who also won seven of his 12 total duels – ultimately proved vital in steering his side level in the closing stages after breezing past Oleksandr Zinchenko down the right flank, before teeing up Firmino with a delightful, dinked cross.
That moment of genius showcased just why the 5 foot 9 ace is simply a “wizard in the final third”, according to Statman Dave, having shown great character to shake off his initial struggles to make a real mark on the game.
Of course, there will be continued question marks of those defensive shortcomings – with Palmer suggesting that it is “inevitable” that the player will end up featuring in a more advanced wide berth – although Alexander-Arnold’s brilliance going the other way should not be ignored.
To have the local hero alongside Salah down the right-hand side – who also registered two key passes of his own and was only denied a late winner by the sprawling Ramsdale – remains a truly mouthwatering attacking partnership as far as Klopp is concerned.