Arne Slot has spoken highly of Trent Alexander-Arnold following Liverpool’s solid 1-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
The Spanish giants arrived at Anfield in great form, while the Reds had only just got back on track with last weekend’s win over Aston Villa.
However, Liverpool proved too strong for Real Madrid, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring the winner for the hosts.
Much of the pre-match narrative involved the return of Alexander-Arnold, who moved to the Bernabeu after his Liverpool contract ran out.
However, Alexander-Arnold had to make do with a late cameo, coming on in the 82nd minute and making little impact on the match.
Liverpool fans booed Alexander-Arnold every time he got the ball, making their feelings clear about him.
However, Slot was not quite as displeased with the former Reds full-back.
Arne Slot says he’ll hug and chat to Trent Alexander-Arnold in future
Slot touched upon Alexander-Arnold’s cameo role when discussing the Liverpool fans’ presence in the game.
“I was impressed by the atmosphere throughout the whole 90 minutes, even before the game already,” he told the official Liverpool website.
“I think the fans helped us over 90 minutes and not only the time when was on the pitch.”
When asked whether he spoke to Alexander-Arnold, Slot suggested he only made some small talk.
The Dutchman stressed that he would hug him or talk to him in future as he is “very special” to him.
“Only short afterwards, I gave him a hug,” said Slot. “I don’t even exactly know what I said but probably not a lot.
“But every time I will meet him, I will either give him a hug or talk to him because he has been very special to me as a player and as a human being.”
How Liverpool scoreline actually flattered Real Madrid
In the end, the 1-0 scoreline actually flattered Real Madrid, who could have easily been on the receiving end of a rout.
Liverpool notched up 17 efforts in the game, including a staggering nine on target.
Thibaut Courtois spared Real’s blushes as he kept out no fewer than four efforts from Dominik Szoboszlai and a Virgil van Dijk header.
All in all, it was a great evening for Liverpool – and a bad one for Alexander-Arnold.
