Trent Alexander-Arnold has indelibly written himself into Liverpool history, even if many online have jokingly ascribed his “corner taken quickly” moment to other members of the squad. But while the club has shown willing to continue to recognize his contributions, people have spotted a curious omission in a recent celebration of that Barcelona game.
Naturally, Alexander-Arnold will have been braced for some anger, but the response has been about as respectful as he could have hoped for up to this point. That will be tested at Anfield on Sunday, his first match since confirming the news, but there’s every reason to expect he will escape any boos.
It appears his mural will even remain, at least for now, a physical manifestation of the idea that his departure will not simply erase him from the annals. As for the official Liverpool website, it has affirmed its “gratitude and appreciation” for Alexander-Arnold’s contributions.
Very magnanimous. And yet there have been one or two little signs that the people behind the club media accounts are not quite as sanguine as they appear.
For one thing, some eagle-eyed fans noticed that departure posts for Sadio Mane and Divock Origi referred to them as Liverpool legends. Each post was accompanied by a heart emoji.
By contrast, the Alexander-Arnold news was far more transactional. “Trent Alexander-Arnold has informed Liverpool FC of his intention to leave the club this summer upon the expiry of his contract,” wrote the official X account.
And now, people think they have spotted a deliberate omission of Alexander-Arnold in a post relating to the 2019 second-leg comeback victory over Barcelona. Liverpool recently celebrated the six-year anniversary of that iconic match.
Even six years on, it remains by far and away Alexander-Arnold’s most defining moment in a Liverpool jersey. Steven Gerrard has his final, and in a somewhat similar manner, this match will forever be associated with the number 66.
It’s not quite the same, given that Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum were also so pivotal — indeed, the entire Liverpool team that night were heroes. Even so, when you think of that match, you think of the corner.
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However, Alexander-Arnold is nowhere to be seen in the X post celebrating “The Miracle of Anfield”. The club account has used an image of the squad arm-in-arm at the end of the match, serenading the Kop, but the photo is cut off before it reaches his place in the line.
It might not be deliberate, of course. However, the photo does contain the majority of the players.
Alisson, Wijnaldum, Origi, Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Daniel Sturridge and James Milner all feature. Even Mohamed Salah is there, despite having missed out on the squad through injury.
The full version of the photo, not posted by the account, features Alexander-Arnold on the very left of the shot, partially obscured anyway. The one that Liverpool posted also cuts out Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and a couple of staff members.
(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images)
Obviously, Liverpool holds no grudge against Fabinho or Firmino. The likeliest explanation is simply that the social media team cropped the picture to the appropriate proportions for a post.
And indeed, the photo we’ve included above was posted a little later by the club account. In that, you can just about see Alexander-Arnold’s place at the far end of the line.
But considering the game is so remembered for Alexander-Arnold’s role, it still feels a little pointed that he was cropped out of one post, and only featured in one wide shot of everybody. Had he signed a new contract, there would surely have been some content specifically celebrating that corner.
It may even be a sign of things to come for Liverpool’s 48th-highest appearance maker. He will not be erased, but nor will he be specifically celebrated as much — let’s see if Real Madrid is worth it.
