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Trent Alexander-Arnold was criticised for his performance against Manchester United, with the defender being linked to a move to Real Madrid
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has come to the defence of defender Trent Alexander-Arnold after the right-back endured a difficult outing in the Reds' 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
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The match, which saw Liverpool drop valuable points in their pursuit of the Premier League title, also fuelled speculation about Alexander-Arnold’s future amid rumours linking him to Real Madrid.
Slot attributes Trent’s struggles to Manchester United’s quality
Alexander-Arnold faced a tough challenge against United's Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, with his defensive lapses contributing to the visitors' two goals.
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Despite widespread criticism, Slot dismissed suggestions that the transfer speculation had affected his performance.
Speaking after the match, Slot said, “I don’t believe in those things. I think nine out of 10 people will tell you that it affected him, but I’m one of the 10 who thinks otherwise.
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“What affected him is that he had to play against Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, two starters for Portugal—great, great, great players.
“Probably everybody’s going to tell you that it had to do with the rumours. But my opinion is different,” he added.
Liverpool maintain Premier League lead despite draw
The match, which ended in a draw after goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah for Liverpool and strikes from Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo for United, left the Reds with mixed fortunes.
While they maintained a six-point lead over Arsenal with a game in hand, Slot still had a sense of missed opportunity after dropping two points.
Liverpool were lucky not to have all three points taken from them after centre-back Harry Maguire missed a golden opportunity to snatch the win for Manchester United in additional time.
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With the Premier League title race heating up, Liverpool will look to regain their composure in the coming matches against Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
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