On Wednesday night, Everton welcomed Arne Slot to Goodison Park for the first, and last, time since he replaced club legend Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager last year.
Stakes couldn’t have been higher going into the match, as Liverpool hoped to extend their lead on top of the Premier League table, while Everton looked to continue their excellent run under new manager David Moyes.
But before the match even kicked off, Liverpool further added to the importance of the game by doing something which they have never done in a previous clash with Everton.
Heading into the match, there were concerns that Liverpool would be forced to play without star defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who came off early during the Premier League clash with Bournemouth two weeks ago.
Once the lineups for Wednesday’s game were confirmed, Liverpool fans were disappointed to see that the right-back was named on the bench, with Conor Bradley replacing him in the starting lineup.
With Alexander-Arnold failing to make the starting team, it marks the first time in the club’s history that they have named a XI in a top-flight game against Everton that doesn’t include a single English player.
However, there are four Englishmen on the bench for Liverpool, with Alexander-Arnold accompanied by Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones.
Speaking about Alexander-Arnold’s injury before the match, Slot told TNT Sports: “Trent was not close at all to start but he can come in for a few minutes.
