Bellingham Affirms Liverpool Fans' Appreciation For Alexander-Arnold Amid Anfield Boos

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Liverpool fans made their presence felt during the Champions League match against Real Madrid, where they secured a 1-0 victory at Anfield. Alexis Mac Allister's header in the second half sealed the win. Despite Thibaut Courtois making eight saves, Madrid struggled offensively, managing only two shots on target and an expected goals tally of just 0.45.

When Trent Alexander-Arnold entered the pitch in the 81st minute, he was met with boos from Liverpool supporters. The England international had transferred to Madrid in June. Jude Bellingham believes these jeers were not personal but rather a tactic by fans to unsettle him. "I heard it. It's one of those things in football," Bellingham told Amazon Prime.

Bellingham reached a significant milestone during this match, marking his 50th appearance in the UEFA Champions League at just 22 years and 128 days old. This achievement makes him the youngest player to reach this mark, surpassing Iker Casillas, who did so at 22 years and 155 days.

Reflecting on Madrid's performance, Bellingham noted that Liverpool deserved their win as they were more effective in the second half. "The scoreline reflects the game; they edged it," he said. He acknowledged Liverpool's threat from set-pieces and admitted that Madrid's defence faltered during these moments.

This defeat marked Real Madrid's tenth loss against English teams away from home in the Champions League. They have only lost more times on German soil (13). In recent visits to England for this competition, Madrid has faced defeat four times out of six attempts.

Liverpool has now matched Inter Milan and Manchester City with five victories over Madrid in European competitions. Only Bayern Munich (11), Juventus (nine), and AC Milan (seven) have defeated them more often in these tournaments.

Bellingham also reflected on how early it is in their Champions League journey this season. He mentioned that despite setbacks like giving away possession too easily towards the end of matches, there is still time for improvement compared to last season when they were worse off at this stage.