Trent roaras Klopp stars pass big test

TRENT ALEXANDERARNOLD admits the old Liverpool might have bottled the tests they have faced over the past week.

Instead, they passed with flying colours.

A goal down at home to Burnley last Sunday, they battled back to win 4-2, before beating German giants Bayern Munich in their own backyard in the Champions League.

Then, just to underline their new mental strength, they snatched all three points after being pegged back by Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, eventually winning with a late James Milner penalty.

It was a seven-day spell which made a mockery of critics who expected them to fold in the title race and took them back to the top of the table and into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Alexander-Arnold, 20, said: “It was a gruelling week.

“We conceded at home to Burnley, it was tough going to Bayern and then conceding a late equaliser at Fulham was tough.

“Mentally we’ve been put through a lot of tests this week but come out with three wins.

“Maybe a few years ago we might only have won one of those games, especially the Fulham one.

“We’ve shown how good a team we’re becoming. We’re a force to be reckoned with, so it’s important for us to come back fit from the internationals for the final bit of the season, to put our all into the remaining games.

“At the business end of the season, three points on days like that, when you get tested, concede a goal, which is never good, to be able to bounce back and show our character was good for us.”

Liverpool’s two-point lead at the top still looks precarious, given the fact that Manchester City have a game in hand and plenty of momentum of their own.

But the Reds full-back believes his side may well look back on their gutsy win in west London as a key game in the title race.

He added: “These are the ones that maybe go unnoticed during the season, but they’re vitally important for us.

“I think we’ll probably look back at the end of the season and think, whatever the outcome may be, that this game was important.

“I’m not even sure when City’s game in hand is or what the situation with the table is. It’s important for us to just focus on ourselves.”

Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool born and watched their last title charge crumble under Brendan Rodgers as a fan.

Now he’s right in the thick of it and hoping for a better outcome this time around. The England ace, who joins the Three Lions squad this week for their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro, added: “It’s massive. Obviously, I was a fan during the 2013-14 season when we came close, so it’s nice to be involved in a title race.

“You don’t get to say that many times in your career.

“It’s trying to embrace it, soak it up and hopefully we’ll be successful in the end.”