Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Pundit Gary Neville has told Sky Sports that he would have given Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold his man of the match against Tottenham Hotspur had he not struggled defensively in a couple of moments.
Spurs headed to Anfield in patchy form, but did snatch an early lead as Harry Kane headed home from close range, reacting first after Son Heung-min’s effort hit the crossbar.
Liverpool did hit back though, firstly through a Jordan Henderson equaliser before Mohamed Salah scored from the spot, converting a penalty past Paulo Gazzaniga after Sadio Mane had been fouled.
Liverpool claimed all three points, roaring back from a goal down to ensure they remain unbeaten and still keep their six point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
A number of players impressed, and Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of them, as he continued to cause major problems to the Spurs defence coming forward from right back.
The 21-year-old created a huge seven chances, a figure he hasn’t exceeded in a single game this season, and he went close with a shot of his own from long range, which Gazzaniga batted away.
Gary Neville overlooked Alexander-Arnold for the man of the match award in favour of winger Mane, and explained that his defensive issues in the game caused that decision.
Neville pointed out three instances where Alexander-Arnold could have done better defensively, noting that he really could have cost his team on another day, and he will become a world class full back as long as he takes his defending as seriously as his attacking, which will hopefully come with time and experience.
“Now, he’s getting to a point where he’s one of the best full backs I’ve ever seen going forward, his passing is unbelievable, but the three best chance for Tottenham; the Son one where he hits the bar, he should have been tucked in nearer, the goal he should have stopped him coming inside – he could have been helped by Jordan Henderson – and the Danny Rose one at the end where he got caught.”
“He’s got to become as serious about his defending as he is about his attacking play, and you’ve got a world class full back there. I took the man of the match off him because of his defensive play, he could have cost his team. I think if he looks at that game, it’s an epitome of what his game is, but he can become a world class full back if he just gets that defensive bit right and puts a bit of composure in it,” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
