Trent Alexander-Arnold continued to defy all football logic with another masterclass display for Liverpool on Thursday.
The 21-year-old featured in the Reds’ 4-0 hammering of title rivals Leicester that saw them stretch their lead to 13 points with a game in hand.
And Alexander-Arnold had a hand in all four goals as he drew the plaudits from fans and pundits alike.
After praising Liverpool’s performance on Twitter , Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker added: “As for @trentaa98, well he’s just a joke. Fantastic footballer.”
Ex-Liverpool striker Peter Crouch was also left in awe of the defender, and said: “Imagine running a game from right-back.”
(Image: PA)
Alexander-Arnold had a big hand in putting Liverpool in the lead, swinging a cross into the box and onto the head of Roberto Firmino to score.
His corner in the second-half then led to a penalty, as Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu handled in the box, allowing James Milner to score from the spot.
Firmino soon had his second, once again supplied by the right boot of his teammate, after Alexander-Arnold drilled the ball in from wide for the Brazilian to control and sidefoot home.
To cap off his performance, Alexander-Arnold then got in on the act himself, firing a low shot into the bottom corner to seal the win.
And one look at his stats would give you an indication of just how good the England man was.
Data supplied by Squawka shows that Alexander-Arnold had more touches on the ball than any other player (105), as well as attempting the most crosses (17) – with the majority of those coming in open play (12).
He also created three chances on the field (most), with two of those turning into assists.
Not to mention the 60 passes – which were largely in Leicester’s half – and the 100% shot completion.
One of his two efforts at goal got his name on the scoresheet late on, but he’d have been on their earlier were it not for Kasper Schmeichel’s save.
Throw five ball recoveries on top of that and it makes for some pretty impressive reading.
Take a bow, Trent.
