Trent Alexander-Arnold shows up Reece James with rivalry no longer up for debate

Trent Alexander-Arnold proved once again why he is England's best right-back with an almost-perfect display against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Reds defender might not have had a clean sheet next to his name in the 2-1 victory but he certainly topped the charts when it came to fulfilling a number of defensive duties.

Ahead of the game, however, plenty of noise was being made around Chelsea's Reece James, who finally made his long-awaited comeback to the side after more than five months out of action. In fact, it was just his 12th appearance since the start of last season.

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Nonetheless, the 24-year-old was back to captaining his side and hoping to show exactly why he had been thrust straight back into the starting XI by Enzo Maresca, and that he deserves to still be regarded as one the best right-back's, if not the best, in the Premier League .

Unfortunately for James, however, that was always unlikely to happen given he was facing a Liverpool side at Anfield that not only tops the Premier League, but boasts a certain Alexander-Arnold among its ranks.

The 26-year-old had already reminded everyone of his attacking output with five goal contributions for club and country this season ahead of the game, yet took things to the next level with a remarkable defensive display to deny Chelsea a point at best.

Throughout his 81 minutes on the pitch, no player won more duels (5), tackles (4) or made more clearances (4) than Alexander-Arnold, while he even made one block for good measure and racked up a total of 10 defensive actions.

By the time he'd walked off the field, Alexander-Arnold had more tackles, blocks, clearances, recoveries and duels won than James, once again demonstrating exactly why the comparison between the two can no longer be made.

It was already teetering on the edge of absurdity given James' injury history, even if there is no doubting the quality he has when he's fit. But Alexander-Arnold is rarely injured and performs on a consistent basis, making more appearances last season (37) than James has in the previous two campaigns combined (35).

And in Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on September 21, Alexander-Arnold registered his 83rd assist in a Liverpool shirt and 100th goal contribution for the club . In comparison, James has just nine more Premier League appearances than the Scouser has goals and assists combined.

If the debate regarding who is the better right-back wasn't already over, then surely it has to be now. James might be back to full fitness, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter, because Alexander-Arnold has already proved time and time again that it is him who always comes out on top.