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Discussing Premier League’s all-time best set-piece takers, former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker has lauded Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for his decisive corner kick against Barcelona in 2019.
According to the former England international, Alexander-Arnold’s 'clever' corner kick against Barcelona in the 2018-19 Champions League semi-final was “ahead of his time.”
Three seasons back in 2018-19, Barcelona and Liverpool clashed in the Champions League semi-finals. The Blaugrana convincingly got the better of the Reds in the first leg, bagging a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou. In the return leg at Anfield, the Reds turned the game on its head, registering an emphatic 4-0 win.
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The final goal, which practically sealed Liverpool’s qualification, came from a moment of magic between Alexander-Arnold and Divock Origi. The Englishman took a super-quick corner, which caught the Barcelona defense napping and found its way to Origi. The Belgian finished from close range to put the Merseysiders four goals to the good, which was enough to win the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
During his Match of the Day podcast, Lineker asked Alan Shearer and Micah Richards to compose a list of all-time best set-piece takers. Alexander-Arnold was named in the top-10, but Shearer could not find a place for the right-back in his top five. Lineker wholeheartedly disagreed, claiming his corner kick against Barcelona should have won him a better spot. The former Barcelona striker said (via HITC):
“It’s worth putting him higher just because of the corner he took against Barcelona, that was unbelievable wasn’t it? Talk about being ahead of his time, what was he? 21 at the time? It was so clever wasn’t it? You could just see him see it in the corner of his eye. He was just so smart.”
Liverpool went on to face Tottenham Hotspur in the final and beat them convincingly. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi either side of half-time sealed a 2-0 win for the Reds.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is the Premier League’s leading assist-provider
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has emerged as the Premier League's highest assist-maker in the 2021-22 campaign. The Englishman has appeared 26 times in the English top-flight this season, registering 11 assists and two goals.
His teammate and the Merseysiders’ leading scorer, Mohamed Salah, is second on the list with 10 assists. Overall, Alexander-Arnold has featured in 155 Premier League games in his lifetime, registering 10 goals and 44 assists.
