"It's precision... absolutely perfect" – Gary Neville compares Liverpool star to David Beckham and Steven Gerrard after Reds' 6-3 win over Spurs
Manchester United great Gary Neville has compared Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold with David Beckham and Steven Gerrard following the Reds' 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Earlier this Sunday (December 22), Arne Slot's side produced an excellent offensive display in London. Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah each bagged two goals, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister both scored a goal each.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, turned heads with his stunning assist for Diaz's 23rd-minute opener for Liverpool. The full-back picked the ball up just ahead of the halfway line and curled his cross right onto the Colombian's path for a header.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville opined on the Reds' first goal (h/t GOAL):
"I was watching Diaz in the build up to the goal, he is dropping deeper than [Cody] Gakpo and Salah into [Roberto] Firmino positions of old. The cross is something else. It's precision, there are very very few players in Premier League history who I have seen that can land it on a sixpence like that with that level of speed, accuracy, whip, it's absolutely perfect."
Heaping special praise on the Real Madrid target, Neville continued:
"KDB [Kevin De Bruyne], Beckham, Trent, Gerrard maybe in his prime. The pace is on the ball and he does really well, throws his neck back to put a bit of extra power on it past [Fraser] Forster."
Alexander-Arnold, whose current contract will run out next June, has started 20 of his 21 total appearances for Liverpool this campaign. He has registered five assists, including four in the Premier League, in 1591 minutes of action.
Arne Slot lauds 24-year-old Liverpool star
After his side's 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was queried if Dominik Szoboszlai's recent performance was the midfielder's best for the Reds. He replied (h/t liverpoolfc.com):
"I haven't seen all of his performances because this is my first year and his second. I just referred to the Manchester United game and I think he was outstanding over there as well. If you score so many goals, that's always what stands out, but last week against Fulham, if you look at [his] work-rate. I think [today] wasn't his first great performance, but it was definitely one of his best, yes."
Earlier this weekend, Szoboszlai provided an assist apart from scoring in the 45th minute. The attacking midfielder completed 37 of his 42 passes, recorded four shots, and won six of his 10 overall duels against Ange Postecoglou's team.
Since leaving RB Leipzig for £60 million in 2023, the 24-year-old Hungarian has contributed 10 goals and eight assists in 68 total games for the Reds.