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ANFIELD – It was the perfect whipped pass, from the part of the Anfield turf that Trent Alexander-Arnold has loved so much. For much of its course, it seemed inevitable that Sunday’s protagonist wouldn’t get the winning assist.
Two Liverpool teammates threw their outstretched legs at it, at least one probably reacting a little too late. The ball skipped off the pitch and out. It’s probably a little too late for the perfect ending now anyway, Trent.
Trent Alexander-Arnold received "a few boos" when he was subbed on for Conor Bradley pic.twitter.com/aQfWodxoV4
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 11, 2025
The initial answer to the vast elephant in Anfield’s dressing room was to pretend that the situation didn’t exist. Anfield treated Conor Bradley’s presence in the team, his first touch and every tackle, with conspicuous reverence. Bradley’s name was chanted as if he had started every game this season, not just five.
On the opposite flank, Andrew Robertson has been a target for some criticism this season. He, too, was heralded as a hero.
Bradley was what Bradley has been for most of the last two months: an entirely different full-back to Alexander-Arnold. He is far less comfortable stepping into midfield, although he will overlap. He is tigrish in the tackle, delighting in winning the ball back rather than spraying it across the pitch.
He was booked for a body check, as he has on three other occasions in the league this season over a small sample size. They will have to watch that.
Still, you can’t keep a story buried forever, not when it has played out so publicly in the preceding days and when Anfield is such a stage.
The reaction to Alexander-Arnold’s arrival was like something I don’t think I have ever experienced: a crowd seemingly split almost exactly down the middle. The boos were met with standing ovation from others, only persuading the dissenters to make their feelings clear at a greater volume.
It continued every time Alexander-Arnold got the ball, the only exception being when he stood over a free-kick (that eventually flashed wide) and even those decrying him figured it might be worth getting behind this.
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Just as interesting: Liverpool’s players seemed far more forgiving. Curtis Jones, substituted for Alexander-Arnold and a fellow academy alumni, gave his mate a demonstrative bear hug that lingered for half a second more than any other time.
At full-time, when the Kop was split into two camps as Alexander-Arnold wandered across to them, Dominik Szoboszlai seemed bothered by the negative reaction. Here again there was demonstrative affection. The suspicion is that fellow footballers probably understand the sense of mission accomplished and desire to move on.
But then perhaps this weird responsive blur is actually perfect? Social media often offers the impression that partisan football supporters are split into two angry factions, a nuance-free zone of “us vs you” even though we are supposed to be on the same side.
In fact, opinion and moral judgements exist upon a spectrum. It is not OK to abuse a footballer for his decisions. But it is OK to feel deeply conflicted about this long goodbye, to be unsure about whether to be happier to have loved and lost on a free or angry about the Scouser in the team who wants to live in Spain.
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