Trent Alexander-Arnold details half-time Liverpool team talk that inspired Newcastle win

Liverpool recovered from a first half mistake from Trent Alexander-Arnold and going down to 10 men after the loss of Virgiol van Dijk, to dramatically beat Newcastle 2-1 on Sunday afternoon thanks to a Darwin Nunez double

Trent Alexander-Arnold has pinpointed the half-time team talk at Newcastle as crucial(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC)

Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold hailed the half-time team talk that inspired the Reds to a dramatic Premier League win at Newcastle on Sunday.

The England international had contributed to his side going behind in the first half, with his poor control gifting Anthony Gordon the opportunity to score. And things went from bad to worse when Virgil van Dijk was shown a straight red card for a foul on Alexander Isak.

But the visitors hung in there with 10-men, and then remarkably sealed three points in an incredible finale. Darwin Nunez came off the bench to fire home an 81st minute leveller, and then repeated the feat in the third minute of injury time to spark wild celebrations among coaches and teammates.

Alexander-Arnold was particularly animated at the final whistle, and later labelled the win one of the side’s best displays under Jurgen Klopp. And he credited the manager for his words during the interval, revealing the players were urged to try and stay in the game until the closing stages.

“We spoke at half time about the belief that we had and what we wanted to do in this game,” he told Sky Sports . “You don’t necessarily believe you are going to win the game but if you stick together you know you’re going to get chances.

“The mentality is not to try and score two goals straight away but to stay in the game until the last ten to fifteen minutes, know the opponent will get tired, and you will have a chance. We executed that change of plan excellently, hit them twice on the counter.”

Match-winner Nunez was one of four second half substitutes, and the vice-captain also hailed the impact of the changes: “The lads that came on were outstanding,” he added. “Darwin, Harvey, Quansah, all brilliant.”

Liverpool players celebrate their win(Getty Images)

HAVE YOUR SAY! Where did Sunday rank in Liverpool comebacks under Jurgen Klopp? Comment below.

And Alexander-Arnold said the three points, taking Liverpool’s haul to seven from three matches so far, would linger long in the memory.

He added: “One of our best performances since the manager has come in, and we’ve had some outstanding performances as a team. We’ll look back on this game as something very, very special.”

The victory came amid a backdrop of speculation about Mo Salah’s future, with reports in Saudi Arabia indicating he’s set to head to the Middle East before the end of the transfer window. But Klopp dismissed the rumours after the game.

When it was put to him that the Salah story “hadn’t gone away” yet, the German boss responded cynically: “For me, it has.”

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