Trent Alexander-emergence Arnold's in the 2017/18 season has proven to be one of the highlights of the Jurgen Klopp era, despite Liverpool's Champions League drive ultimately ending in heartbreak.
Alexander-Arnold, then a teenage defender, made his mark with his first senior goal at the start of the season, burying a free kick against Hoffenheim in Champions League qualifying.
This helped Liverpool qualify for the competition proper, kicking off a run to the final that included a slew of memorable matcThe 5-0 win over Porto in the last 16 and the 5-2 thumping of Roma in the semi-finals were incredible, but the Reds' best European performance that season came in the quarter-finals against Manchester City.
Liverpool hit three strikes in the opening 31 minutes in one of the most brutal and aggressive games seen at Anfield in recent years to put one foot in the next round and startle City, who were the Premier League's runaway leaders at the time.
In the month or so coming up to the match, Alexander-Arnold had cemented himself in the starting XI, but there were still worries about his defensive abilitAlexander-Arnold, on the other hand, rose to the occasion admirably and played the entire 90 minutes as Liverpool kept a clean sheet against a star-studded attack that included Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva, and Leroy Sane.
At the other end, Mohamed Salah's opening, Alex Oxlade-long-range Chamberlain's stunner, and Sadio Mane's header effectively put the tie to bed in the first halMaybe it was because of this that I developed an underdog mindset and strived to prove them wrong. I wanted to show them that I'm not the team's weak link.
"For me, it was a unique test. It was a more difficult test. I needed to play at a higher level than I'd ever played before. It put me to the test on a whole new level."
After defeating Sane, Alexander-Arnold was retained in the starting XI for the second quarter-final leg, which the Reds won 2-1, as well as the matches against Roma and the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the fiHe would go on to win Liverpool's Young Player of the Season award and earn a place in England's senior squad, and his influence to Klopp's team would only grow in the years to come.
Alexander-Arnold has developed into the Reds' most creative player, and he now leads the Premier League in assists with 11 in 26 games this season. Nonetheless, his defensive solidity has been questioned in the past, and his one-on-one skill was questioned again after his clash with Arsenal hotshot Gabriel Martinelli in March.nal.f.ies.hes.
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