Trent Alexander-Arnold went to the Kop to applaud them. Many responded with a similar salute to a Liverpudlian. None of which would have been exceptional but for the reception he had received earlier. There was a smattering of boos when the name of the West Derby boy who became a Champions League winner was announced. There were a lot more when he came on.
Some, presumably, from those who cheered his winner against Leicester three weeks earlier. Some, logically, from those who had celebrated him during many a magical moment, a whipped cross or caressed pass, over nine seasons, 352 earlier appearances and eight trophies. Liverpool crowds can be loyal towards their own. Not this, though the dissenters may argue the initial disloyalty came from Alexander-Arnold, the player who rejected a lucrative contract, who seems bound for Real Madrid.
Even if predicted, the reality of it felt shocking. “Maybe he is positively surprised how the reactions were,” insisted Arne Slot, not entirely convincingly but saying a “few” had booed. It was more than that, and it also demonstrated some of the depth of feeling, and that it is not confined to the online world. “If you tell me 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, I don’t know, but what I do know is clapping is not as loud as booing,” Slot said, arguing that the majority were not silent, but drowned out. Perhaps it was tempting to wonder if the Dutchman was making a veiled reference to events on the other side of the Atlantic when he said: “It is a privilege to live in Europe where everyone can have his own opinion and express their own opinion and that is what we saw.”
Slot noted the timely chant of Steven Gerrard’s name when Alexander-Arnold was brought on; Gerrard, of course, had his opportunities to leave but stayed. There was one of the many odes to Conor Bradley: the fanbase engaged in succession planning by hailing Alexander-Arnold’s likely successor. That can be the Liverpool way: to move on.
There was a question if Slot, a relative newcomer, had misjudged the mood when bringing on Alexander-Arnold. But he made a footballing decision. Bradley was booked and struggling against Leandro Trossard. “The thing I consider is I want to win a game of football and if we think we can win with Trent, I owe it to his teammates and to the fans, because they [Liverpool] hired me to win as many games of football as possible,” he said. “If, after 70 minutes, Conor can’t continue and I have a world-class full back on the bench I bring him in and it’s a big compliment to him. You can understand the mixed emotions going through his head and he can produce a performance like that tells me why I think and everyone else thinks he’s a world-class full-back.”
Will Bradley become one? The evidence from a 2-2 draw with Arsenal was mixed. He may need as much exposure as possible. Yet Alexander-Arnold could be held in reserve. Slot will not curtail his Liverpool career by omitting him for the final-day game against Crystal Palace, when the Premier League trophy will be presented, which would be Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield farewell. The boos, he said, were not a distraction against Arsenal. He did not worry about the prospect of more. “I don’t think there’s any possibility whatever can happen that can take the edge of us winning this 20th league title,” he said.
For now, Slot said, emotions are mixed. Raw, too, even if, while it was only six days since Alexander-Arnold had announced his departure, he had told Slot in March, and it had long seemed apparent what his decision would be.
His teammates, like his manager, have been disappointed but supportive. Andy Robertson has been a brother in arms, a fellow full-back who has had a competition to get the most assists. “He’s an amazing player and an amazing person,” said the left-back. “He has pushed me through and made me a better player. His legacy will always be there: he’s done so much for this club. He will be missed for me as one of my best friends in the game, we’ve done it all together. He’s took me to levels I never knew existed. It hasn’t been an easy one for Trent but he has made the decision. It was not nice to see him get booed but you can’t tell people how to feel.”
But it was an illustration of how they do feel. Some of the supporters may object to the way a potential £50m fee will elude them, even if a player who cost Liverpool nothing will leave for nothing. But that reaction is in part because he is the Liverpudlian who is rejecting Liverpool. And before the eventual applause, some at Anfield barracked the player they used to celebrate as “the Scouser in the team”.
