Trent Alexander-Arnold savoured his stunning strike in the 3-1 win over Newcastle, saying he had been “waiting for five years” to score one like that for Liverpool.
The Reds looked to be coasting to a 2-1 victory at Anfield, albeit with the prospect of a late equaliser as Callum Wilson threatened, when Alexander-Arnold made sure of the three points.
While the right-back had already impressed throughout, he guaranteed the Man of the Match award as he took the ball from 30 yards and powered into the top corner.
It was Alexander-Arnold’s second goal of the season and his 12th in 197 games for Liverpool, and speaking to BT Sport after the game he relished its quality.
Enjoyed that ?? pic.twitter.com/BhE5Ygf3Ur
— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) December 16, 2021
“I’ve been waiting for that for five years now, hitting it clean like that!” he said.
“I’ve had a few ones from the edge of the box and I’ve dragged them. I’ve caught that one sweet, it’s nestled in the top corner and obviously put the game to bed.”
There was controversy surrounding the equaliser as Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden took a trailing arm to the back and somehow went to ground in the box clutching his head.
Referee Mike Dean rightly waved play on and, from the resulting move, Diogo Jota converted after Sadio Mane‘s brilliant cross, with Alexander-Arnold adamant the Reds hadn’t “done anything unsportsmanlike.”
“When you’re playing, when the game’s flowing, you’re not really looking at who’s on the ground,” he insisted.
“You’re looking at your team-mates and trying to score.
“If it’s head injuries, it’s down to the ref to stop it. He hasn’t done that and we’ve played to the whistle and scored.
“We haven’t cheated or done anything unsportsmanlike.”
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah netted his 22nd goal of the season to make it 2-1, and in doing so equalled Jamie Vardy’s Premier League record of scoring or assisting in 15 consecutive games.
“It’s mad,” Alexander-Arnold reflected.
“He’s the best player in the world right now. Scoring, creating, doing everything, game in and game out.
“He wants to break every record in the book, he’s doing that and he hasn’t taken his foot off the pedal. He’ll be looking to break every record he can again.”
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