MANCHESTER CITY manager Pep Guardiola described right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold as one of the best midfielders in the world after City suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

Goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool their first league win at Manchester City since November 2015 and took them 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Alexander-Arnold played a key role in Liverpool’s second goal, steering a long pass over the City defence into Salah’s path before the Egyptian set up Szoboszlai.

Guardiola was pleased with aspects of his team’s display, including the way they dealt with Alexander-Arnold’s constant passing threat, but they still succumbed in that key moment.

“We tried to play good high pressing and clear long balls as soon as possible,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference. 

“That happened, but Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best midfield players in the world. 

“From linking [play] inside to linking in behind with Salah it is difficult to control.”

Much of the focus early on was on City winger Jeremy Doku and his ability to get past Alexander-Arnold with ease.

The Belgian can do this to any full-back, though, and Liverpool defended well as a unit, making sure there was nowhere for Doku to go even after he’d beaten a defender or two.

Though he plays nominally as a right-back, much of Alexander-Arnold’s best work is done in midfield areas. 

He performs the kinds of passes you will only see from the game’s most technically gifted playmakers, and this is what Guardiola was referring to.

The 26-year-old’s contract is up at the end of the season, and there has been constant speculation that he will move to Real Madrid at the end of it.

For now, the focus is on Liverpool’s title challenge in 2025, and this win combined with Arsenal’s loss to West Ham on Saturday puts the club in a good position to claim their 20th league title.