Liverpool won the Premier League long before Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, long viewed as a possible title decider.
MORE — Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal recap, highlights
Yet there was still drama at Anfield, as right back Trent Alexander-Arnold was lustily booed by a portion of the Anfield crowd in his first home match since announcing he would be leaving Liverpool this summer.
Arne Slot was asked about that as much as his club’s blown 2-0 lead against Arsenal, who rebounded from the 2-goal deficit and last week’s exit from the UEFA Champions League to secure a point against the champions.
Arne Slot reaction — How did Liverpool manager view draw with Arsenal, booing of Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Thoughts on the game? “In general, I think it was a great game of football. Fans around the world would’ve loved what they saw. Two good teams looking at each other, not that it matters too much from the table but still there’s prestige.”
Surprised at how Arsenal played after UCL exit? “It was a little bit of the same from what I could expect from my team after we won the league. You always wonder what you have left. But I liked a lot the team I got today. Scoring two goals, some nice counter attacks. But 10-15 minutes in the second half we weren’t as aggressive as we were in the first. We wanted to win the game. That’s why I brought on [Diogo] Jota and it immediately paid off with them getting a second yellow.”
What did you learn about your team today? “I don’t think I learned so much today because I played most of them who played this season. Maybe Conor Bradley was a ‘new’ face but not so new because he’s played a lot. I know how good they are but I also like to see the mentality they showed. After you won the league it’s always difficult to get going. Two weeks after winning, eprfomirng like this, it shows why they won the league.”
What do you think of Alexander-Arnold getting booed? “In general in life, living in Europe one of the good things is everybody can gave their opinion. It’s the same in Liverpool. A lot of people were happy with him. A lot were unhappy. Towards the end more and more got more positive. To me it’s simple. I owe it to the fans to put out a team that can win a game of football and Trent showed why I put him in because he has 2-3 incredible balls that could’ve won us the game. But fans can have their opinion.”
Surprised at the noise around Alexander-Arnold? “I don’t know. First of all they sang for Steven Gerrard and for Conor Bradley which is a nice thing to do. I think it was just before Trent took the free kick I heard more people hoping he’d score than were booing him. It would not be fair to all the Liverpool fans to focus on the fans who booed.”
Andy Robertson speaks on Trent Alexander-Arnold getting booed
“There’s a lot of emotion around it. It’s crucial in these moments that I don’t tell you. I’m disappointed to lose my best mate in the game. He’s an amazing player and an amazing person. He’s made me a better player. He’s taken me to levels I didn’t know existed. He’s made a choice. His legacy is there and will always be there. It’s an emotional decision and it has not been an easy one but he’s made one. It wasn’t nice to see him booed, but I can’t tell anyone how to feel. He’ll be missed. I love him as one of my best mates in the game.”
Virgil van Dijk asked what he made of Alexander-Arnold booing
“We can’t decide how anyone feels about him moving away from Liverpool. That’s it. We as players have to perform. He came on and tried to be important as well. The feeling that other fans have we have no control. The only thing we can ask is for him to give everything for the badge his last few games.”
