Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be punished for antagonising Manchester City fans by celebrating his equaliser in front of them on Saturday afternoon at the Etihad.
Alexander-Arnold secured a point for Liverpool with a goal in the 80th minute, choosing to celebrate his crucial goal by running over to a corner flag, putting his finger to his lips and making a shushing gesture towards the irate home supporters.
Such actions are usually punishable by a yellow card, but Alexander-Arnold got away without been cautioned and appears to also be free of any retrospective disciplinary action.
Multiple reports in the aftermath suggest that no further action will be taken and the incident is not something that the FA are even investigating.
The celebration was clearly a deliberate act by Alexander-Arnold, who is quoted as saying later:
“It’s always good to celebrate in front of [opposing] fans. Seeing all of the faces is really funny.”
In the wake of the game, which led City midfielder Bernardo Silva to declare Liverpool as being “back”, Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk described Alexander-Arnold as the “complete package”.
“He offers a lot defensively and, obviously in possession, he has qualities that are very special and he shows that as well, so he has the complete package,” Van Dijk assessed in post-match comments to reporters at the Etihad Stadium.
“He has to keep doing what he’s doing, keep improving, keep that high standard he has for himself and we all have for him as well.”
Liverpool trail City in the Premier League by just one point a third of the way into the 2023/24 season, with current leaders Arsenal a point further ahead.
But attention in the short-term turns away from domestic football this midweek and onto the Europa League, with Jurgen Klopp’s side in action against LASK of Austria on Thursday and in need of a victory to guarantee progression to the knockout stages.
