Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said coach Jurgen Klopp changed the way he played after the break, helping Liverpool defeat Arsenal 2-0 in the third round of the FA Cup.

“We changed a lot of things at halftime. That helped Liverpool really play football, create opportunities,” Alexander-Arnold explained after the match at Emirates Stadium.

“The change in system had an impact on our style of play. There were times in the first half when Liverpool naively tried to advance the ball from home. We stuck with that style of play. Liverpool have their own personality.” and could use the speed of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

“After the break, Nunez played wider, Gakpo played in the center of the striker. Darwin played wider in the second half and used his speed against the Arsenal full-backs.”

 

 

 

Liverpool used the speed of Nunez and Dias more in the second half

Liverpool was inferior to host Arsenal in the FA Cup third round match. The Merseyside team lost pillars in all three lines. Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo returned to play for the national team, while midfielder Virgil Van Dijk was injured. However, after being lucky to escape defeat due to their opponent’s ungratefulness in the first half, Liverpool played better and scored two goals at the end of the second half.

Alexander-Arnold contributed first in the opening goal. From his cross, defender Jakub Kiwior headed into the net. When Arsenal pressed forward to find an equalizer, Liverpool used a counterattack to end the match.

From Diogo Jota’s pass, Diaz kicked the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle, not giving goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale a chance to block. “This is an important victory. We were missing many players. But Liverpool tried their best and were rewarded with two late goals,” Alexander-Arnold affirmed.

Explaining the cross that led to the opening goal, the 25-year-old defender said he intentionally created a trajectory to make it difficult for Arsenal’s defense to block. Alexander-Arnold explained: “To kick arcing balls like that, you have to use good force. I wanted to make it as difficult as possible for them to clear the danger. We had the ball hit the woodwork a few times.” .

Liverpool’s revival this season has Alexander-Arnold’s stamp, as he was placed more centrally by Klopp. The Liverpool-born defender has appeared a total of 25 times in all competitions, scoring two goals and contributing eight assists.

His performance against Arsenal helped Alexander-Arnold be compared to Anfield legend Steven Gerrard. Before scoring the opening goal, the defender born in 1998 also hit the crossbar once. “I think it’s time to put Alexander-Arnold in midfield,”

Former Arsenal midfielder Martin Keown commented. “That’s the position he wants to play. When he was young, Alexander-Arnold played in this position. Isn’t he a lot like Gerrard? You wouldn’t want to put Gerrard at right-back a lot. I think Alexander -Arnold can play right-back. But now that position has evolved a lot. After all, I still think Alexander-Arnold should play midfielder.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy agreed with Keown’s point of view, and cited Alexander-Arnold’s position in the England team to see the 25-year-old playing more effectively in midfield. Late in the game, Klopp brought in Conor Bradley at right-back to cover for Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool reaped the rewards of that.