Trent Alexander Arnold left vindicated after Real Madrid–Chelsea

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold has seen criticisms laid at him following his recent performances in games this season, but the fixture between Chelsea and Real Madrid may be the defense he needs, particularly against Vinicius Jr.

Liverpool fans have rushed to the defense of Trent Alexander-Arnold on social media following Reece James’ performance for Chelsea against Real Madrid in the Champions League. On Wednesday, Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-0 at the Bernabeu to gain an advantage going into next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the 21st minute, with Marco Asensio adding to the scoreline in the 74th minute after Ben Chilwell’s red card.

Liverpool fans were quick to defend Alexander-Arnold, who has faced intense criticism this season, as they reacted to the first-leg tie. Some took aim at James for failing to contain Vinicius Junior and called out double standards while defending the Liverpool star.

One Twitter user pointed out that no one had mentioned James’ poor performance because if it was Alexander-Arnold, the conversation would have been different. Another noted that James was getting “torn apart” by Vinicius, but the media were silent on his poor performance because he wasn’t Alexander-Arnold. Several other fans joined in, criticizing the lack of criticism towards James despite his poor performance.

Alexander-Arnold has been under the spotlight this season, with former football players like Roy Keane and Gary Neville slamming him for his performances. Fans seem to be calling for the same treatment towards James following his outing against Real Madrid.

The second-leg tie between Chelsea and Real Madrid is set to take place at Stamford Bridge, and Liverpool fans will be hoping for a different outcome than the first leg, as they will be keen to see their fellow English team progress to the next stage of the competition.