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Trent Alexander-Arnold: The last week proves Liverpool's mental resilience
Trent Alexander-Arnold believes the past week has provided proof of Liverpool’s newfound mental resilience with Jurgen Klopp’s side showing their “character” after a testing run of fixtures.
Liverpool moved back to the top of the table on Sunday after James Milner’s late penalty secured three points against a struggling Fulham side who had equalised through Ryan Babel.
The victory followed their sensational triumph over Bayern Munich in the Champions League and a hard-fought comeback against Burnley the previous weekend.
“To be able to bounce back and show our character was good for us,” said Alexander-Arnold, who impressed again at right-back as he pushes for a starting place in Gareth Southgate’s England team.
“These are the ones that maybe go unnoticed during the season, but they are vitally important for us. And I think we will probably look back at the end of the season and think that, whatever the outcome may be, this game was important for us.
“The full week – the goals we have conceded at home to Burnley, when we went down at home, it was tough going to Bayern, and then conceding a late equaliser against Fulham was tough.
“Mentally we have been through a lot of tests this week, but come out with three wins and that’s all you can ask from the lads.”
Alexander-Arnold added that he believes Liverpool teams in recent years would have crumbled after conceding the sort of equaliser that Babel scored for Fulham, after a defensive mix-up involving Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson.
Klopp said afterwards that he was delighted with Liverpool’s nerveless reaction to the setback, and Alexander-Arnold said the side’s mental toughness was evident throughout a crucial week.
“Maybe a few years ago we might have won one of those games,” Alexander-Arnold said. “Especially against Fulham, maybe a few years ago we would not have got the three points, but we’ve showed 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 and put our all into the final games remaining.”
Liverpool are now two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, although Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand. Klopp’s team next face Tottenham Hotspur in the league, after the international break.
“Obviously, I was a fan during the 2013/14 season when we came so 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 all up and hopefully we’ll be successful at the end of the season.”