Liverpool have momentum for title push after 'dream' derby! Trent Alexander-Arnold shrugs off packed festive schedule

Fighting spirit: Trent Alexander-Arnold is looking forward to a packed festive schedule
AFP/Getty Images
David Lynch5 December 2018

Trent Alexander-Arnold believes Liverpool can use the momentum gained from a ‘dream’ Merseyside derby win over Everton to help them through a packed festive fixture list.

The Reds left it late to break their rivals’ hearts on Sunday as Divock Origi capitalised on a blunder from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the sixth minute of added time to clinch a 1-0 victory.

The only Scouser involved in the fixture, Alexander-Arnold was at the heart of frenzied celebrations in front of the Kop in the immediate aftermath of the goal and at full-time.

And he is hoping to take that good feeling into a busy December run that begins with a trip to Burnley on Wednesday.

He said: “It’s something you dream of. It’s very special to play in the Merseyside derby and especially win.

“It’s one that all the players will remember for a long time and hopefully the fans will as well because we’ve dominated the fixture for so long and we’ve extended it.

“So it’s something we’ve got to be proud of and hopefully it will give us momentum to go into this Christmas run, which will be tough for us, and hopefully we’ll get a few more results like this.

“It’s hard to believe that some of these things are coming true but it’s something you’ve worked towards for fifteen years.

“You look forward to these moments and hope that one day you’ll be able to play in fixtures like this and do the things that I’ve done.

“It’s a credit to everyone that’s helped me along the way. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible.”

After keeping a clean sheet against their neighbours, Liverpool’s defensive record so far this season shows just five goals conceded in 14 Premier League games.

Alexander-Arnold believes the value of being so miserly at the back was shown by Origi’s winner, and also hailed another late show of strength from his teammates.

He added: “It’s important for us to stay in the game. Keeping a clean sheet gives us the foundation to go and do these things.

In Pictures | Liverpool vs Everton | 02/12/2018

1/28

“If we’re 1-0 down and score in the last minute, it’s only 1-1. So it’s important to keep the clean sheet. It’s massive for us.

“I think we’ve shown with PSG at home and then Chelsea away and now Everton - three times this season - that something that we’re doing is staying in games and then producing in the last minutes.

“Everybody probably thought we’d settled for the draw but we’ve shown this season that we dig deep many a time and come up with the goods late on.

“We’ve done it again and it’s a credit to Divock that he’s not given it up. I think many people wouldn’t have been in position to follow up but he’s gambled and it has worked out for us.”

The 20-year-old also reserved words of praise for the matchwinner, who was made his first league appearance of the season coming off the bench against Marco Silva’s men.

He continued: “He probably hasn’t played as much as he’s wanted to and not been in and around the squad but today the gaffer showed why he’s still putting him in.

“He’s come on and missed a massive chance but repaid us all with a goal last minute. After the miss it’s easy to put your head down and settle for a point.

“But it’s a credit to his character and his mentality to be in the right position.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in