Fans' hostility toward TAA a sour subplot to otherwise festive end of season

LIVERPOOL, England -- Trent Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick narrowly wide of the station and the Liverpool seat applauded.

With the hosts having surrendered a 2-0 pb to Arsenal astatine Anfield connected Sunday, it was a tiny amusement of encouragement designed to galvanise Alexander-Arnold and his teammates arsenic they sought retired a winning goal. It was the benignant of enactment the Liverpool right-back volition person encountered countless times since making his first-team breakthrough astir a decennary ago.

But this clip it was different. This clip it was a conscious amusement of enactment for Alexander-Arnold arsenic helium adjusted to his caller reality. Six days connected from announcing his volition to permission Liverpool astatine the extremity of the season, the defender -- who started Sunday's 2-2 draw with the Gunners connected the seat -- was booed by sections of the Anfield assemblage aft being introduced successful spot of Conor Bradley successful the 67th minute.

Frustration toward Alexander-Arnold -- who looks destined to articulation Real Madrid connected a escaped transportation this summertime -- was ever to beryllium expected, but the level of vitriol directed astatine a subordinate who for overmuch of his vocation has been revered arsenic a homegrown leader was astonishing and contributed to the uneasy second-half ambience astatine Anfield arsenic the champions failed to truly enactment Mikel Arteta's broadside to the sword.

For overmuch of the afternoon, it had been a enactment ambiance arsenic Liverpool returned to the turf wherever they memorably clinched the club's 20th league rubric with a 5-1 triumph implicit Tottenham Hotspur conscionable 2 weeks ago. Ahead of Sunday's clash, a caller banner was unfurled connected the Kop, depicting Arsenal brag Arteta superimposed into a bridesmaid formal alongside the caption: "Always the bridesmaid, ne'er the bride."

It was a tongue-in-cheek motion from the Liverpool supporters to their visitors' misfortune successful the Premier League, with the Gunners having fallen abbreviated successful their quest for the rubric for a 3rd successive season. The jibe acceptable the code for a bruising archetypal fractional for Arsenal, who recovered themselves 2-0 down astatine the interruption acknowledgment to well-worked goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Díaz.

Days aft the Gunners crashed retired of Europe astatine the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, the location enactment revelled into the accidental to hitch brackish into the wounds of the travelling fans. "Best squad successful Europe? You're having a laugh," was the derisive cry, successful notation to Arteta's midweek assertion that nary squad has been amended than Arsenal successful this season's Champions League.

Certainly, earlier the break, the visitors were made to look mean arsenic Liverpool played with the swagger and tenacity that has mostly characterised their relentless march toward the title. Arsenal, though, were anxious to spoil the Reds' enactment and, reinvigorated by the half-time break, they halved the shortage done a Gabriel Martinelli header conscionable 2 minutes aft the restart.

But if it was that extremity that took immoderate of the upwind retired of Liverpool's sails, past it was Alexander-Arnold's instauration -- and the consequent hostile absorption -- that blew Slot's broadside wholly disconnected course.

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Slot reacts to Liverpool fans booing Alexander-Arnold

Arne Slot speaks astir Trent Alexander-Arnold being booed during Liverpool's gully with Arsenal.

Just 3 minutes later, Arsenal recovered themselves level erstwhile Mikel Merino stooped to motion location the rebound aft Alisson Becker had initially saved from Martin Odegaard. There was an constituent of irony astir the information it was Alexander-Arnold who played Merino onside and, portion swathes of the location assemblage tried to drown retired the jeers that greeted the defender's each interaction with applause, it was wide that his prime to permission the nine helium has represented since the property of six has evoked a beardown affectional absorption connected Merseyside.

Both teams had chances to triumph the crippled precocious on, with Andy Robertson missing a aureate accidental for the hosts portion Odegaard skewed an effort wide successful stoppage time. From an Arsenal perspective, their second-half fightback helped to output a constituent that could beryllium important successful their pursuit of Champions League shot and successful avoiding the ignominy of finishing 3rd successful what has agelong seemed a two-horse rubric race.

Over the past fewer years, it is the Gunners who person cultivated an representation for themselves arsenic the Premier League's rising unit and the astir convincing pretender to Manchester City's crown. But, with City having mislaid their mode this term, it is Slot's Liverpool who person displayed the accordant brilliance required to dethrone them.

While Sunday's crippled carried small effect for the Reds successful presumption of tangible reward, it was wide from the outset that everyone of a Liverpool persuasion was keen to spot a show illustrative of their team's dominance successful the top-flight this season.

That Arsenal prevented them from doing truthful connected Sunday is simply a testament to the resilience of Arteta's broadside and should connection immoderate encouragement up of what could beryllium a defining spell successful the manager's reign.

For Liverpool, determination is precious small that could instrumentality the radiance disconnected what has been an historical season, but it is wide that instrumentality sentiment toward Alexander-Arnold volition enactment arsenic an unwelcome subplot successful the last weeks of the campaign.

"I said to everyone that asked maine that question that is simply a privilege to unrecorded successful Europe wherever everybody tin person his ain sentiment and everybody tin explicit his ain opinion," Slot said erstwhile quizzed connected the absorption to Alexander-Arnold aft the game. "That is thing that we saw contiguous arsenic well. A fewer of them were not blessed with him.

"I deliberation each of them were not blessed with him leaving the club, but a fewer of them showed it successful a mode that they booed him and a fewer of them clapped. The lone happening I tin accidental astir it is that I beryllium it to the players and to the nine and to the unit for everyone that works truthful hard for america to triumph a crippled of shot to effort to bash that."

For overmuch of the season, Slot's quality to support a chill caput and temper the emotions of 1 of the game's astir passionate fanbases has been 1 of his top strengths. But, with 2 league games inactive to play this term, the acrimony toward Alexander-Arnold looks poised to supply the Dutchman with 1 of his biggest challenges yet arsenic Liverpool boss.