The Guardian (USA)

Liverpool got complacent but will learn lesson, says Trent Alexander-Arnold

- Andy Hunter

Trent Alexander-Arnold has said Liverpool were guilty of complacenc­y against Red Bull Salzburg but their Anfield scare will be a valuable lesson for the rest of the Champions League campaign.

Liverpool secured their first win in the group on Wednesday despite squanderin­g a three-goal lead over the Austrian champions, who struck three times in 21 minutes either side of the interval before succumbing to Mohamed Salah’s 18th European goal for the holders.

Jürgen Klopp identified Salzburg’s switch to a midfield diamond as the main cause of his team’s difficulti­es but Alexander-Arnold admits Liverpool switched off after scoring three times in the opening 36 minutes.

The Liverpool defender, who delivered the assist for Andy Robertson’s first goal since May 2018, said: “We were doing really well but maybe took our foot off the gas and were a bit complacent and we were made to pay. It will be a good lesson for us. We got the win in the end but we were disappoint­ed with the way the game went as going 3-0 up you should see the game out, keep the ball, and tire out the opposition. But we carried on trying to push for goals. We need to learn from that and probably use our heads a bit more.”

Virgil van Dijk echoed AlexanderA­rnold’s view that the game was a wake-up call for Liverpool, and said the European champions were too exposed against a side that deserve immense credit for their Anfield recovery.

The Netherland­s internatio­nal said: “We knew before the game that they would never give up and they kept going. They had a lot of pace and pressing – a bit like we play – but we should have done better, especially the first 20 minutes of the second half, all of us. That’s why we conceded the goals. But it’s maybe a good thing. We know we still have to improve and we will.”

Van Dijk pinpointed what he felt went wrong: “When we have the ball we are a little open. I think the problem was when we lost the ball there was a lot of space for them to counter, and with the pace they have and the runners they have, that can be dangerous. But I’m not looking at the negatives. We know we can do better, but we are human beings and we can’t always play the perfect game. We have to grind it out. We have the three points and that’s the most important thing.”

 ??  ?? Trent Alexander-Arnold, pictured here with Virgil van Dijk, says Liverpool need to ‘use our heads a bit more’. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/JMP/Rex/Shuttersto­ck
Trent Alexander-Arnold, pictured here with Virgil van Dijk, says Liverpool need to ‘use our heads a bit more’. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/JMP/Rex/Shuttersto­ck

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