He admitted to doing it on purpose
Trent Alexander-Arnold could be punished by the Football Association after he admitted to breaking the rules at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The full-back’s equaliser was enough for Liverpool to come away from Manchester City with a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
After spending large part of the game trying to stop Jeremy Doku, the England international turned up when needed most by his boyhood club as his low-driven shot rifled past Ederson with 10 minutes to go.
Alexander-Arnold then went and stood in front of the Man City fans and put his finger to his lips to celebrate silencing the home support.
After the game, the England international admitted that he enjoyed the reception he received.
“It’s always good to celebrate in front of away fans. Seeing all of the faces is really funny,” he said.
Players are usually booked when trying to antagonise opposition fans however referee Chris Kavanagh didn’t issue the full-back a yellow card and made no mention of it in his post-match report but the FA could still intervene.
Law 12 of the IFAB states that a player “must be cautioned” for “gesturing or acting in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory way”.
It’s likely that Alexander-Arnold would face nothing more than a verbal warning and a reminder about his conduct going forward.
Related links:
- Darwin Nunez and Pep Guardiola involved in heated exchange after Man City vs Liverpool
- Premier League call pilots in to help with VAR communication chaos
- Pep Guardiola confirms what he will do if Man City are charged over alleged FFP breaches
