The Reds are now tantalisingly close to reasserting their dominance over English football thanks to Alexander-Arnold’s winner against Leicester on Sunday.
Essentially, with Arsenal beating Ipswich Town earlier in the day, this was an exercise in marking time for Liverpool.
The Premier League trophy will be returning to Anfield for the first time since 2020. The only question is ‘when’ not ‘if’.
For Leicester City, however, the waiting is over. Only a year after achieving promotion back to the top-flight and less than a decade after breaking the stranglehold Manchester, Chelsea and their latest opponents have established on the title, their return to the Championship was mathematically confirmed.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men provided a slightly sterner test than expected, given their predicament. But this match was all about Liverpool – who are now tantalisingly close to reasserting their dominance over English football – and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Despite Mo Salah’s brilliance, it was the substitute who produced the finish which moved them 13 points clear of Arsenal with five games remaining and underlined why Real Madrid are committed to securing his services.
“The line today should be about the goal he scored and not his contract,” Arne Slot, the Liverpool manager said, as speculation continues to swirl around the defender’s future.
“What I will say is that it is ridiculous if someone questions his commitment to this club.
“For all the work he’s done, everything he’s given, that should be the line. I don’t think it meant a lot to him only. It meant a lot to everyone who loves Liverpool.
“Players with the quality of Trent, you know these players step up when needed. It’s all nice but still one to go.”
Predictably, given his exploits this season and City’s suspect confidence, Salah wasted no time whatsoever imposing his authority on the contest.
Having seen a shot hit one post and then the other during a frantic opening, the Egyptian then drew a fine save from Mads Hermansen before seeing a speculative effort land on the roof of the Dane’s net.
But it was to City’s credit that, amid the havoc being created by Liverpool’s talisman, they also came close to breaking the deadlock themselves when Wilfred Ndidi, profiting from Stephy Mavididi industry, also struck an upright.
“We dominated,” Slot acknowledged. “Still you must give credit to Ruud, who keeps trying to play the best way and create.”
With greater belief, City could have made this a more uncomfortable experience for a Liverpool team which continued to dominate without translating their undoubted superiority into scoreboard pressure.
On several occasions, centre-half Wout Faes was presented with opportunities to charge upfield only to pass square or back instead.
Salah, by contrast, never lacks conviction and continued his lone assault on the City rearguard; drawing another good reaction block from Hermansen and scooping the ball wide as he stretched to meet a Kostas Tsimikas cross.
City made it to the interval without conceding which, given the circumstances, was a victory of sorts. But they were unable to alter the pattern of the fixture with Cody Gakpo seeing a drive deflected behind and Hermansen produce another block to deny Dominik Szoboszlai.
That profligacy nearly cost Liverpool midway through the second period when Conor Coady, their former defender, turned home past Alisson following City substitute Patson Daka’s challenge on the Brazilian.
It was only a challenge of sorts, with Daka appearing to merely stand his ground as they jostled for position under a high ball. But referee Stuart Attwell read the situation differently. City have not scored a league goal at the King Power Stadium for nearly five months.
“I hope for talks soon, because it’s important,” said van Nistelrooy, having lost 17 of his 22 assignments since being appointed in December. “But there is no date. The conclusion is that the gap between the promoted teams and the rest is too big.”
With a little over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, Liverpool’s dominance finally told. Salah and Diogo Jota both saw efforts strike an upright before Alexander-Arnold kept his composure during the melee and thrashed emphatically past Hermansen.
“It will feel more special, for sure, doing it in front of our fans,” Slot said, noting that Arsenal face Crystal Palace before Tottenham Hotspur travel to Anfield on Sunday.
“The last time, they were not there because of Covid. Because Arsenal are such a good team I am expecting we’ll have to do it ourselves.”
Leicester City: M Hermansen; R Pereira (J Justin 83), W Faes, C Coady, L Thomas; W Ndidi (O Skipp 83), B Soumare; B De Cordova-Reid (F Buonanotte 61), B El Khannouss, S Mavididi (J Monga 84); J Vardy (P Daka 61).
Liverpool: Alisson; C Bradley (T Alexander-Arnold 71), I Konate, V van Dijk, K Tsimikas; R Gravenberch, A McAllister; M Salah, D Szoboszlai (H Elliott 71), L Diaz (C Jones 90); C Gakpo (D Jota 60).
Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).
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