Trent Alexander-Arnold suggested that Manchester City had a ‘gameplan’ to stifle his influence as much as possible during Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
The home side led at the Etihad Stadium as the 80-minute mark approached, and just as the visitors seemed to be running out of time and ideas, the 25-year-old popped up with a calmly-taken equaliser to ensure a share of the spoils.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the Reds’ number 66 seemed to hint that Pep Guardiola had set up his team – and Bernardo Silva in particular – to do a ‘man marking’ number on the England international.
Trent said: “I think there was potentially a gameplan to stop me from getting the ball in midfield. At least that’s what it felt like, especially in the first half.”
When asked to elaborate on that comment, the Liverpool man replied: “A little bit of a man marking [job], I think Bernardo was very close to me a lot when I was pulling inside. I could be completely wrong. I could just be talking nonsense but I’m pretty sure that was the gameplan.”
The 25-year-old ended the afternoon with 28 successful passes and 66 touches, with both tallies well below his season averages of 44.4 and 77.9 per game respectively (Sofascore).
However, City clearly didn’t do enough to curb Trent’s influence today, as the Scouser popped up with the clutch moment to ensure that the Reds came away from Manchester with a result.
You can view Trent’s comments below (from 2:14), via @SkySportsPL on X (formerly Twitter):
"I think there was potentially a game plan to stop me from getting the ball in midfield" 🤔
Trent Alexander-Arnold says it wasn't a great performance from Liverpool but they'll take the point 💪 pic.twitter.com/HbmcmEqInh
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 25, 2023