Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted he was motivated by Real Madrid’s poor performance against Manchester City, declaring after the 3-0 win: “Aren’t we supposed to be battered?”
Federico Valverde’s brilliant first-half hat-trick gave Real a stunning victory over City. There is still a mountain to climb in order to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Real Madrid, without the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo, went into the game as clear favorites for second place, but Valverde stole the show at the Bernabeu with a clinical 45-minute start.
Alexander-Arnold had his best night since joining from Liverpool, shutting down Jeremy Doku and a City attack that struggled to break down Real’s defence.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Soccer Special pundit Michael Brown said Real Madrid were punished for Pep Guardiola’s adventurous set-up on a disappointing Champions League night.
Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports: “From the draw to this game, there was a lot of noise about the way we played and the results, especially in the last few games. A lot of people expected us to get beaten up tonight, but that just shows the mentality.”
“No matter what injuries there are or which players are out, this tournament means a lot to the club.
“And as players, we understand that.
“In the first half we executed our game plan perfectly. People will say their favorite result and the way both teams played and that may have been true, but in the Champions League anyone can beat anyone. We knew our game plan and we executed it and were very relentless in scoring.”
“Especially when you play for a club like this, you have to perform. You are expected to make no excuses. You have to win. So our mentality is that when it’s a competition, we give our all and win the game, no matter who’s in front of us.”
He added: “It’s still half-time. If you celebrate at half-time and think the game is over, you’re thinking completely wrong. The whole club knows this is not over yet. We’ve seen some crazy games between these two clubs before, so we can’t rule anything out. We’re not going to take anything for granted and we’re going to go to the Etihad and aim to win there too.”
Trent says Valverde is the most underrated soccer player on the planet
Federico Valverde’s amazing hat-trick in the first half gave Real a stunning 3-0 victory.
The first half was Valverde’s show and he capped off an incredible performance with perhaps the best goal of the night to make it 3-0.
He showed excellent touch as he carried the ball into the penalty area and flicked it past Marc Gouis. Donnarumma darted out to make a block, but Valverde fired home to complete his first career hat-trick and send the hosts into dreamland.
Alexander-Arnold said: “I’ve run out of words for him as a player. I respect him as a Liverpool player as well and I think he’s definitely the most underrated footballer on the planet.”
“When you play with him, you realize how much he contributes to the team. He covers every blade of grass and gives us everything he has.
“As a player, I think the best quality you can have is that your teammates can always count on you. And he’s always there. He never lets us down.
“Maybe people will start talking about it now, but I think he’s been in the top class of midfielders for many years.”
