29 January 2023 , 15:28
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Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold made no secret of his feelings after being dragged off after less than an hour against Brighton on Sunday.
The Anfield academy graduate was handed a place in the starting XI for the trip to the Amex Stadium as the Reds attempted to book themselves a spot in the fifth round of the competition. It all looked to be going to plan for the Merseysiders too after Harvey Elliott opened the scoring.
Lewis Dunk levelled matters before the break as he managed to get a touch to Tariq Lamtpey’s fizzing effort from the edge of the penalty area. Whilst not at fault for the goal, England defender Alexander-Arnold did have a role to play after seeing his initial clearance fall to the Brighton man.
As the game entered its final stages, Jurgen Klopp made the decision to make a clutch of alterations. Alexander-Arnold was among those to have been replaced just before the hour mark as he came off in place of James Milner.
As he waltzed off the pitch, the right-back did not look particularly pleased in being taken off. He had a distinct look of disappointment on his face after being deprived of the opportunity to help his teammates secure their place in the next round.
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The exact reason for Alexander-Arnold’s substitution wasn't clear, but it's likely that Klopp wanted to rest the defender ahead of what is a hectic schedule of fixtures coming up. After their showdown with Brighton, Liverpool have matches against Wolves, Everton and Newcastle to come before they then get back to Champions League action against Real Madrid in mid February.
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Klopp has already been bemoaning the Reds’ testing schedule as he attempts to get his side back on track following an underwhelming start to the season. Speaking ahead Sunday’s trip to Brighton, he said: “Cups are always difficult when you have midweek games because you have to keep an eye on it and now we have a full week to prepare the game.
“In our tight schedule, I am not sure FA Cup should have a weekend matchday but we have it. We deal with it. It's good to prepare but it makes things more difficult.
“We still have two games in hands - someone has to fit it in somewhere. No news about that yet. No clue when that will happen. The further we go in cup competitions the more complicated it will be. It's not a problem for now.”
Klopp's changes would come back to bite him as Kaoru Mitoma secured another victory for the hosts over the Reds with a sumptuous winning goal late on.
Alexander-Arnold, 24, is likely to play a role once more for Liverpool next weekend against Wolves. He has already made 26 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions this season.
The right-back however was intriguingly named among the substitutes for the 0-0 draw with Chelsea last time out - only coming on as a substitute for the final 20 minutes of the clash.