Trent Alexander-Arnold Won’t Explain Goal Celebration but Thanks for Asking
The Liverpool right back put a lot into his shirt-off celebration of his winning goal on Sunday. Which could either mean something or it could mean nothing.
On Sunday, Liverpool beat Leicester City 1-0 with the winning goal coming deep in the second half from Trent Alexander-Arnold on his return from injury and amidst plenty of speculation over his likely free transfer in the summer to Real Madrid.
It was a moment of peak narrative, with Alexander-Arnold putting an exclamation mark on the moment with a demonstrative, shirt-throwing, yellow-card-earning celebration that looked as though it must mean something even if it’s not entirely clear what.
A day later and still nobody really knows what it means but it was provocative. It got the people going.
“Like I’ve said all season I’m not going to speak on my situation, I’m not going to go into details,” Alexander-Arnold said immediately after the match, refusing to help anyone on the outside put his goal and the subsequent celebration into any kind of meaningful context.
“But these days like today are always special. Scoring goals, playing, winning games, being close to winning titles as well as being in title races. These are special moments that will live with me forever and I’m glad to be a part of them.
“The away fans are always amazing. The fans have been outstanding again this season, they have pushed us every game until the final minutes and they have done that again today. They helped us win the game. You can still hear them now celebrating.”
It’s the second time Alexander-Arnold has confounded everyone with a celebration this season, having earlier made a mocking keep talking motion with his hand after scoring in a moment when the press was speculating particularly heavily about his potential departure.
Some Liverpool fans took that moment as a message to them—that the press didn’t know anything and, subsequently, that he must intend to stay.
Only that was soon following by a wave of seeming confirmation about his inevitable departure. Perhaps, then, whatever yesterday’s statement celebration might mean will only become clear in retrospect once the player’s decision has been announced.
It might also have simply been a cathartic release of pent up energy after a player, back from injury, scored a late goal to bring the Reds within three points of their 20th league title. Maybe, despite the human desire to find narrative everywhere, that was it.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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