Roy Keane has aimed a sarcastic dig at Trent Alexander-Arnold and believes his late substitution against Chelsea is a sign he can’t be trusted defensively.
The Liverpool right-back was hauled off by head coach Arne Slot in the 81st minute of Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea and was replaced by Joe Gomez.
Alexander-Arnold, better known for his influential going forward and attacking skills, was praised by many pundits for his defensive performance against Chelsea.
The 26-year-old nullified Jadon Sancho so much that the Blues star was taken off at half-time – but he was arguably lucky not to give away a first-half penalty.
Manchester United legend Keane, now a football pundit, couldn’t resist taking a swipe at the Liverpool defender and feels there’s a reason why he was subbed off.
‘Trent – everyone thought he was brilliant defensively but the manager took him off with ten minutes to go,’ Keane told Sky Bet’s The Overlap.
‘Brilliant, isn’t it? But anyway, that’s not the point. Ten minutes to go, you’re 2-1 and you take him off – that’s a great message. We really trust you defensively.’
Neither Gary Neville or former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher felt that Alexander-Arnold’s alleged foul on Sancho in the first half was enough for a penalty.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was quick to outstretch his arms and appeal for the spot kick, but neither the referee nor VAR were interested.
‘I just didn’t think it was a foul,’ ex-referee Gallagher told Sky Sports. ‘Both players are tangled. I would be very surprised if that was given as a penalty.’
Meanwhile, football pundit and former Premier League striker Glenn Murray believes Slot’s tactics really suit Alexander-Arnold.
‘Trent Alexander-Arnold’s one-on-one defending has been better [under Arne Slot,’ Murray told Premier League Productions.
‘He’s not always trying to get back into position, he’s sat back looking out and that suits him much more.’