Robertson defends Alexander Arnold after Anfield boos

LONDON – Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed by Liverpool fans during the 2-2 Premier League draw against Arsenal on May 11, as Andrew Robertson admitted it was “not nice” to hear the jeers for his teammate in his first appearance since announcing he will leave the champions at the end of this season.

Right-back Alexander-Arnold confirmed his impending exit on May 5 ahead of a widely expected move to Real Madrid.

In his first game in front of Liverpool’s fans at Anfield since his decision to quit his boyhood club, the Merseyside-born England star was subjected to audible jeers as he was introduced as a 67th-minute substitute against Arsenal.

There were also some cheers for the 26-year-old product of Liverpool’s youth academy, who has won two Premier League titles and the Champions League with the Reds.

But he was booed several times while in possession in the second half as Arsenal fought back from two goals down.

The Gunners trailed to first-half goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz, but Gabriel Martinelli reduced the deficit before Mikel Merino – who was later sent off – grabbed the visitors’ equaliser.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot had said before the game he would not tell supporters how they should react to Alexander-Arnold’s announcement.

But he dropped the defender from his line-up as he looked to the future by starting with 21-year-old Conor Bradley.

“There’s a lot of emotion around it,” Robertson said of the taunts for Alexander-Arnold. “For Trent, it’s not been an easy one. Of course it’s not. But he’s made the decision.

“It’s not nice to see a friend get booed, it wasn’t nice. But as I said, we can’t tell people how to act.

“I can’t tell you how I feel about it, I’m extremely proud of him.

“I love him