LIVERPOOL, England -- Trent Alexander-Arnold curled a free kick narrowly wide of the post, and the Liverpool bench applauded.
With the hosts having surrendered a 2-0 lead to Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, it was a small show of encouragement designed to galvanize Alexander-Arnold and his teammates as they sought a winning goal. It was the kind of act the Liverpool right back has encountered countless times since making his first-team breakthrough almost a decade ago.
But this time it was different. This time it was a conscious show of support for Alexander-Arnold as he adjusted to his new reality. Six days on from announcing his intention to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, the defender -- who started Sunday's 2-2 draw with the Gunners on the bench -- was booed by sections of the Anfield crowd after being introduced in place of Conor Bradley in the 67th minute.
Frustration toward Alexander-Arnold -- who looks destined to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer -- was always to be expected, but the level of vitriol directed at a player who for much of his career has been revered as a homegrown hero was surprising and contributed to the uneasy second-half ambience at Anfield as the champions failed to really put Mikel Arteta's side to the sword.
For much of the afternoon, it had been a party atmosphere as Liverpool returned to the turf where they memorably clinched the club's 20th league title with a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur just two weeks ago. Ahead of Sunday's clash, a new banner was unfurled on the Kop, depicting Arsenal boss Arteta superimposed into a bridesmaid dress alongside the caption: "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."
It was a tongue-in-cheek nod from the Liverpool supporters to their visitors' misfortune in the Premier League, with the Gunners having fallen short in their quest for the title for a third successive season. The jibe set the tone for a bruising first half for Arsenal, who found themselves down 2-0 at the break thanks to well-worked goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Díaz.
Days after the Gunners crashed out of Europe at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, the home supporters reveled the chance to rub salt into the wounds of the travelling fans. "Best team in Europe? You're having a laugh," was the derisive cry, in reference to Arteta's midweek assertion that no team has been better than Arsenal in this season's Champions League.
Certainly, before the break, the visitors were made to look ordinary as Liverpool played with the swagger and tenacity that has largely characterized their relentless march toward the title. Arsenal, though, were eager to spoil the Reds' party and, reinvigorated by the halftime break, they halved the deficit through a Gabriel Martinelli header just two minutes after the restart.
But if it was that goal that took some of the wind out of Liverpool's sails, it was Alexander-Arnold's introduction -- and the subsequent hostile reaction -- that blew Slot's side completely off course.
Arne Slot speaks about Trent Alexander-Arnold being booed during Liverpool's draw with Arsenal.
Just three minutes later, Arsenal found themselves level when Mikel Merino stooped to nod home the rebound after Alisson Becker had initially saved from Martin Odegaard. There was an element of irony about the fact that it was Alexander-Arnold who played Merino onside and, while swaths of the home crowd tried to drown out the jeers that greeted the defender's every touch with applause, it was clear that his choice to leave the club he has represented since the age of 6 has evoked a strong emotional reaction on Merseyside.
Both teams had chances to win the game late, with Andy Robertson missing a golden opportunity for the hosts and Odegaard skewing an effort wide in stoppage time. From an Arsenal perspective, their second-half fight helped to yield a point that could be crucial in their pursuit of Champions League football and in avoiding the ignominy of finishing third in what has long seemed a two-horse title race.
Over the past few years, it is the Gunners who have cultivated an image for themselves as the Premier League's rising force and the most convincing pretender to Manchester City's crown. But with City having lost their way this term, it is Slot's Liverpool who have displayed the consistent brilliance required to dethrone them.
Though Sunday's game carried little consequence for the Reds in terms of tangible reward, it was clear from the outset that everyone of a Liverpool persuasion was keen to see a performance illustrative of their team's dominance in the top flight this season.
That Arsenal prevented them from doing so Sunday is a testament to the resilience of Arteta's side and should offer some encouragement ahead of what could be a defining spell in the manager's reign.
For Liverpool, there is precious little that could take the shine off what has been an historic season, but it is clear that fan sentiment toward Alexander-Arnold will act as an unwelcome subplot in the final weeks of the campaign.
"I said to everyone that asked me that question that [it] is a privilege to live in Europe where everybody can have his own opinion, and everybody can express his own opinion," Slot said when quizzed on the reaction to Alexander-Arnold after the game. "That is something that we saw today as well. A few of them were not happy with him.
"I think all of them were not happy with him leaving the club, but a few of them showed it in a way that they booed him, and a few of them clapped. The only thing I can say about it is that I owe it to the players and to the club and to the staff for everyone that works so hard for us to win a game of football to try to do that."
For much of the season, Slot's ability to keep a cool head and temper the emotions of one of the game's most passionate fan bases has been one of his greatest strengths. But, with two league games still to play this term, the acrimony toward Alexander-Arnold looks poised to provide the Dutchman with one of his biggest challenges yet as Liverpool boss.