LIVERPOOL, England -- Trent Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick narrowly wide of the post and the Liverpool bench applauded.

With the hosts having surrendered a 2-0 lead to Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, it was a small show of encouragement designed to galvanise Alexander-Arnold and his teammates as they sought out a winning goal.

Six days on from announcing his intention to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, the defender -- who started Sunday's 2-2 draw with the Gunners on the bench -- was booed by sections of the Anfield crowd after being introduced in place of Conor Bradley in the 67th minute.

Frustration toward Alexander-Arnold -- who looks destined to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer -- was always to be expected, but the level of vitriol directed at a player who for much of his career has been revered as a homegrown hero was surprising and contributed to the uneasy second-half ambience at Anfield as the champions failed to really put Mikel Arteta's side to the sword.

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For much of the afternoon, it had been a party atmosphere as Liverpool returned to the turf where they memorably clinched the club's 20th league title with a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur just two weeks ago.

Arsenal, though, were eager to spoil the Reds' party and, reinvigorated by the half-time break, they halved the deficit through a Gabriel Martinelli header just two minutes after the restart.

But if it was that goal that took some of the wind out of Liverpool's sails, then it was Alexander-Arnold's introduction -- and the subsequent hostile reaction -- that blew Slot's side completely off course.

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Slot reacts to Liverpool fans booing Alexander-Arnold

Arne Slot speaks about Trent Alexander-Arnold being booed during Liverpool's draw with Arsenal.

Just three minutes later, Arsenal found themselves level when Mikel Merino stooped to nod home the rebound after Alisson Becker had initially saved from Martin Odegaard.

There was an element of irony about the fact it was Alexander-Arnold who played Merino onside and, while swathes of the home crowd tried to drown out the jeers that greeted the defender's every touch with applause, it was clear that his choice to leave the club he has represented since the age of six has evoked a strong emotional reaction on Merseyside.

Both teams had chances to win the game late on, with Andy Robertson missing a golden opportunity for the hosts while Odegaard skewed an effort wide in stoppage time.

But, with City having lost their way this term, it is Slot's Liverpool who have displayed the consistent brilliance required to dethrone them.

While Sunday's game carried little consequence for the Reds in terms of tangible reward, it was clear from the outset that everyone of a Liverpool persuasion was keen to see a performance illustrative of their team's dominance in the top-flight this season.

That Arsenal prevented them from doing so on Sunday is a testament to the resilience of Arteta's side and should offer some encouragement ahead of what could be a defining spell in the manager's reign.

For Liverpool, there is precious little that could take the shine off what has been an historic season, but it is clear that fan sentiment toward Alexander-Arnold will act as an unwelcome subplot in the final weeks of the campaign.

"I said to everyone that asked me that question that is a privilege to live in Europe where everybody can have his own opinion and everybody can express his own opinion," Slot said when quizzed on the reaction to Alexander-Arnold after the game.

But, with two league games still to play this term, the apathy toward Alexander-Arnold looks poised to provide the Dutchman with one of his biggest challenges yet as Liverpool boss.


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