Why Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool goal shows he may have the best right foot in football

It is not the first time this season that Trent Alexander-Arnold has wowed Liverpool supporters with his world-class skill. But more often than not, it comes from a right diagonal or an exact fixed delivery. The goal that put Newcastle at Anfield Road took the element of amazement to another level.

Alexander-Arnold slashed the sole of his right foot into the skin on the pitch, the net rippled and Anfield exploded.

Scoring his second goal of the season, the 23-year-old right-back secured three important points for Liverpool in the race to the Premier League title. He also raised his eyebrows in the process (and forced referee Mike Dean to make a memorable sprint).

“I told him after the game it was his best long ball today,” manager Jurgen Klopp told the media after the game. “It was a horrible shot. His shooting technique was on another level.”

Alexander-Arnold somehow looks set to hit another level this season. With 16 caps for England, he is redefining his position at right-back.

In a game in which Liverpool dominated possession against relegation rivals Newcastle, TAA made 64 of 84 passes, including 29 of 43 attacking and six of 13 in the box. Completing six passes for 18 yards is a significant stretch for a striker, let alone a full-back.

Everyone knows that Klopp loves to see his full-backs swarm across the pitch and into attacking areas, but he needs players who can do that.

At Alexander-Arnold, Klopp has that player and he knows it. Earlier this year, Klopp called him the best right-back in the world and he laughed when he talked about moving him into midfield for the England national team as he was the epitome of the back. modern wing.

In the 90 minutes against Newcastle, Alexander-Arnold recovered eight loose balls, made five precise crosses, made his mark with two of six corners and created three chances. It was a perfect performance that any full-back could hope for.

But that’s not what everyone raves about. It was the hammer with his right foot. Go back to 7 November and what has resulted in Liverpool’s only loss of the season so far – Alexander-Arnold hits the right foot and hits a shot into the top corner:

West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had no chance. While Liverpool lost that game, Alexander-Arnold got a collector’s item.

Last season against Tottenham, it wasn’t a difficult chance from Sadio Mane to save, he still delivered a clear and powerful tackle.

Then there was the strike against Aston Villa last April, when he shot the ball precisely from outside the box. We can continue.

And yet, Thursday’s goal is to pick lots. Those were the words of Alexander-Arnold.

“I’ve been waiting for that for five years now, hit it as clean!” Alexander-Arnold told BT Sport after the game. “I had a few from the edge of the box and I pulled them. I caught one so sweet, it sits in the top corner and obviously puts the game to bed.”

Alexander-Arnold doesn’t score too often – that’s not his main job on the pitch – but when he does, it usually involves the right foot. It produces loads of crosses and free-kicks, but when it scores the quality goals as seen against Newcastle, the world certainly takes notice.