Premier League

TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD admitted “people won’t be happy” about his decision to leave Liverpool.The Liverpool right-back, 26, confirmed on Monday morning he will walk away from his boyhood club when his contract expires at the end of the season.Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed he is leaving Liverpool at the end of the seasonCredit: RexThe defender admitted some ‘people will not be happy’ about the decisionCredit: X @TrentAAThe announcement came a week after he helped secure a second Premier League title for the Reds against Tottenham.Alexander-Arnold also won the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup after making his professional debut for Liverpool in 2016, aged 18.But after Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk decided to stay at Anfield and sign new contracts, Alexander-Arnold feels now is the time for a new challenge. However, he acknowledged that will not go down well with some.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe defender – who joined Liverpool aged six – said: “I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won’t be happy and they’ll be disappointed. “At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me.”But I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been and able to feel the love and support from the fans as they have done all season.”I’ve been a fan of this club my whole life, it has given me the opportunity to go and do everything I’ve done, to achieve everything. So, I understand that. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”Growing up, seeing players leave that I’ve loved watching and have helped the team win trophies, you feel a connection to the players that you watch, especially when they bring success to the club as well. “So, I completely understand the feelings that go with that and I’ve felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset.Inside raucous Liverpool dressing room as Trent Alexander-Arnold leads celebrations and Darwin Nunez smokes a cigar”Obviously that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people.”Much of the season has been spent with questions swirling over Alexander-Arnold’s future.Real Madrid considered trying to sign him in January.But he decided to stay put to see out the campaign and bows out with another Premier League winner’s medal.He confessed there was “one hundred per cent a massive possibility” that he ended up signing a new deal at Anfield to continue working under Arne Slot. Now, though, Alexander-Arnold is widely expected to sign for Los Blancos, with reports he has already agreed a five-year contract worth £240,000 per week at the Bernabeu. For now, though, he revealed that confirming his exit feels like a “weight lifted”.Alexander-Arnold added: “I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. “It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted. “And I think it’s important for the fans to know where I stand and know what the truth is.”NO LIV LOST?Liverpool, though, released a blunt statement to announce the news of their local star’s departure. The club said: “Trent Alexander-Arnold has informed Liverpool FC of his intention to leave the club this summer upon the expiry of his current contract.”The 26-year-old will bring his two-decade-long association with the Reds to an end having made the decision to depart Anfield once his deal ceases on June 30, 2025…”Alexander-Arnold joined Liverpool’s Academy at the age of six and progressed through the ranks at youth level before making his senior debut in 2016.”He has gone on to make 352 appearances for the Reds to date, scoring 23 goals and lifting eight major honours, including this season’s Premier League title…”Alexander-Arnold will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success.”Despite the possible slightly acrimonious separation, Alexander-Arnold insists he still loves the club and the city – and hopes one day to bring his kids to Anfield. The 33-cap England man continued: “It’s very emotional for me because the club, the city, the fans, the people have given me things that I could never have dreamt of in my wildest dreams. “I’ll never forget it and I can’t thank everyone enough for the support, the belief, the amazing moments we’ve had.”Even though I’m leaving as player, as a fan I’ll always be a Liverpool fan.Read More on The Sun”The love I have for this club will never leave, it will never diminish. I will love it forever. “There’s no doubt about it, I’ll be back – I’d love one day to be able to bring my kids to Anfield and show them that that’s where I’ve played and show them the videos and highlights of what we were able to achieve together.”Alexander-Arnold joined the Liverpool academy aged sixCredit: X @TrentAAThe defender helped secure his and Liverpool’s second Premier League titleCredit: EPAHis trophy cabinet also includes a Champions League winner’s medalCredit: PA:Press AssociationTrent Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool exit interviewTRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD spoke to Liverpool’s in-house club media to explain his decision to leave Anfield.Here are the key parts…I think first and foremost, I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it. I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here. Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that.Obviously there’s been a lot of noise around what the decision was going to be and how that was going to look. I know a lot of people will say I should have said sooner, a lot of people will say maybe I waited for the right time. But I felt personally the focus should always be on the pitch.I’ve got full confidence in the manager and the staff and the club going forward. It’s not about me thinking we’re not going to fight for titles or fight for trophies season in, season out… it was never about not having confidence in that, it just boiled down to what I felt I needed, and that is a change.Growing up, seeing players leave that I’ve loved watching and have helped the team win trophies, you feel a connection to the players that you watch, especially when they bring success to the club as well. So, I completely understand the feelings that go with that and I’ve felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset. Obviously that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people. But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted. And I think it’s important for the fans to know where I stand and know what the truth is.I fell in love with the club from a very, very young age and that’s something that has grown and grown day in, day out. This club has given me the opportunities to achieve everything beyond my wildest dreams. I can never repay enough of what’s been given to me and I don’t take it for granted at all. I’ve given everything every single day for 20 years now. I’ve sacrificed everything. I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won’t be happy and they’ll be disappointed. At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me but I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been and able to feel the love and support from the fans as they have done all season.There’s no doubt about it, I’ll be back – I’d love one day to be able to bring my kids to Anfield and show them that that’s where I’ve played and show them the videos and highlights of what we were able to achieve together. So just a huge thank you for that, thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. Thank you for the support, thank you for the love that I’ve always felt, thank you for always having my back. I will always love the club, I will always love the people of the club, I will always love the fans and the supporters. Even though I’m leaving as player, as a fan I’ll always be a Liverpool fan. More

ON THE BEACH Liverpool were beaten comprehensively by Enzo Maresca’s tricky Blues as the home side picked up a huge three points in the race for Champions League football. Before joining Chelsea, it was Liverpool who were rumoured to be interested in the Blues’ midfield trio of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia AND Enzo Fernandez, ending up with none of them – today, it was easy to see why. Chelsea kept up the heat in the Champions League race with a 3-1 win over LiverpoolCredit: ReutersCole Palmer was among the star performers for the hostsCredit: GettyWith changes coming in for Liverpool, the three of them were on top of their game in a confident win against the champions who are usually dominant in the middle of the park. It took only three minutes for Chelsea to establish control, with Enzo Fernandez caressing the ball into the bottom corner. It was then Cole Palmer causing chaos for the goal that put the Blues two to the good, with a mazy run and low cross leading to a Van Dijk clearance cannoning in off of Jarell Quansah’s face. The Reds made it tight with Van Dijk header with five minutes to go, but it was the Stamford Bridge outfit who took home all three points after a Cole Palmer penalty sealed the deal for the SW6 outfit. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHere’s how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the players…Robert Sanchez – 7Had one of his best games in a Chelsea shirt last week in the win against Everton, and it looked as though in that game his confidence improved massively. Fans were hopeful it would be the same Robert Sanchez that showed up today, and it was. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSHe was confident coming out to meet the ball, didn’t spill any shots back to oncoming Liverpool attackers, and came up big for his team when required – ending up unfortunate not to get a clean sheet. Most read in FootballDeserves credit for something of a remontada on a personal level, which Chelsea fans will be hoping he can continue. Join SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford BridgeMoises Caicedo – 9M.C. That can stand for Moises Caicedo or Mr. Consistent, take your pick. The Ecuadorian started at right back again today, as he did against Everton, and he is that good he might just displace club captain Reece James in that spot, if Romeo Lavia can stay fit or with the arrival of Andrey Santos next season. Stepped into midfield every time it was required of him, and didn’t give Cody Gakpo or Diogo Jota an inch on Liverpool’s left. Another fantastic, dominant, display rounded off by winning the penalty that saw Cole Palmer end his 18-match goal-barren run. Trevoh Chalobah – 6A largely good performance up against a dangerous Liverpool attack was let down by being beaten in the air at a corner by Virgil Van Dijk when the Reds equalised. Aside from that he was pretty solid, putting in some clutch challenges and notably clearing the ball well when required to get the ball away from danger. Trevoh Chalobah was solid on the pitchCredit: APLevi Colwill – 6Similar to his counterpart in the centre of defence, Levi did what was asked of him for large parts of the game, and was perhaps unfortunate not to walk away with a clean sheet today. Was good in the air and along the ground, although has admittedly had busier days this season. Has a great relationship with Cucurella on the left side of Chelsea’s defence, one which is expected to blossom as the BlueCo project does so in the next few seasons. Marc Cucurella – 8I have said numerous times this season that Marc Cucurella is the best left-back in the Premier League, and it feels like every time I watch him he proves me right. Playing up against Mo Salah is no easy task in the slightest, but Cucu handled it well. With that threat up against him, it nullified his prominent attacking threat a bit, but that allowed Moises Caicedo to invert into midfield on the opposite side, which suits him. Marc Cucurella was impressive at left-backCredit: ReutersRomeo Lavia – 8Romeo Lavia was heavily fancied by Liverpool before joining Chelsea from Southampton, and was last week praised by Enzo Maresca who said he could be one of the best midfielders in the WORLD if he can stay fit. That’s an opinion of the Italian’s that I share, as he started a second successive league game at Stamford Bridge and was fantastic again. He is without doubt a part of Enzo Maresca’s favourite XI, and it’s easy to see why when he is so good on the half turn and able to break the lines with confident passes forward. A transitional machine who didn’t misplace a single pass either. Enzo Fernandez – 9Having his most productive season to date, it took the Argentine midfielder just THREE minutes to settle inside the box and roll the ball past Alisson into the bottom corner. Not only that, he was combative in midfield in his own box and composed in the middle of the park on the ball. His passion and energy is unmatched in this Chelsea squad, and was evident today again as he seems to share the joy of those supporters that have been coming to the Bridge for years – a man of the match display. Pedro Neto – 7Bagged an assist inside three minutes with a run down the right wing before his low cross found the feet of Enzo Fernandez in the box. Came close with a shot in the first half that hit the side netting and remained a threat throughout the opening 45. He was a handful for Kostas Tsimikas to deal with and put in a few good crosses which saw him a bit unfortunate not to get on the assist sheet again. Cole Palmer – 9’Palmer again, Ole, Ole’ chanted the fans as he ended his goal drought. He’s back.After arguably his least impactful game in a Chelsea shirt against the Blue half of Merseyside last time out in the Premier League, Cole Palmer looked like he had a spring in his step today. The attacking midfielder was instrumental in both of the Blues’ goals, breaking Curtis Jones’ ankles in the build up to the first and completing a mazey dribble followed by a dangerous ball into the middle that caused chaos for Liverpool’s defence and ended up with Quansah directing it into his own goal. Finally ended his goal drought with a killer blow at the death from the penalty spot. Noni Madueke – 7Starting on the left again after a great performance against Everton in that position, we might be starting to see a new rendition of Noni Madueke at Stamford Bridge. We know his game on the right, stand up the fullback, beat him, and get a shot off. But on the left he seems a different player, more exciting, with the same pace and power he combined well with Marc Cucurella and tracked back to do his defensive due diligence. Nicolas Jackson – 4If the offside rule didn’t exist, Nicolas Jackson would’ve had a huge impact on this game – unfortunately it does. After just a few minutes he rounded Alisson and would’ve seen the keeper sent off had he not been beyond the last defender. Jackson ran the channels well, and you can criticise his efforts, but was offside too frequently and made the wrong decisions when he received the ball in a good position, namely nutmegging Quansah and taking a shot from an impossible angle rather than squaring it for Neto. Was replaced by Sancho as the first change. SUBS: Jadon Sancho (Nicolas Jackson, 72) – 5Wasn’t able to impact the game in the same way he has lately, in what has been a good run of form for the tricky winger. Didn’t have an awful lot of time to make a meaningful impact, but wasn’t bad by any means. Malo Gusto (Romeo Lavia, 78) – 5Did his part in seeing out the game for Chelsea, making tackles and clearances when needed as Liverpool pushed for an equaliser. Read More on The SunReece James (Enzo Fernandez, 88) – 5Much the same as Gusto, did what was asked of him in limited minutes.  More