Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold was left with the pressure penalty for England, knowing that he could send the country through to the semifinals of Euro 2024 with a goal.
Despite only having been on the pitch for a matter of minutes, he dispatched it with style, prompting the same message from Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice. Alexander-Arnold has been used sparingly by Gareth Southgate at the Euros . He started the first two games for England in midfield, but the manager seemed to lose confidence in that experiment very quickly, and the defender had subsequently been a spectator until being summoned deep into extra time against Switzerland.
Liverpool fans continue to be baffled by Alexander-Arnold's peripheral role. But it nonetheless spoke volumes that Southgate entrusted him with the penalty kick.
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Like Jamie Carragher before him, he had obviously been introduced for England with the shootout in mind. But this time there was a happier outcome for the Liverpool man, as he produced the pick of all the penalties, firing it high into the top left corner.
Belatedly, he earned the adulation of the nation. He posted on social media to celebrate the moment, captioning it "pressure makes diamonds."
Henderson and Rice replied with an identical Instagram comment: "Never in doubt." With all due respect to Alexander-Arnold, I didn't quite share those sentiments as he stepped up, fearing the worst after such a late introduction to the game — but he once again proved his elite levels, delivering in the most pressurized of moments.
Whether Southgate now looks to incorporate Alexander-Arnold more comprehensively remains to be seen. England faces the Netherlands on Wednesday, which will see the 25-year-old come up against club teammates Virgil van Dijk and the in-form Cody Gakpo . Ryan Gravenberch is also with the Dutch squad.
Liverpool.com says: Whatever happens next, at least Alexander-Arnold has had his moment at the Euros. Whatever England achieves, he will have been a meaningful part of it.
Clearly, Southgate should be finding a way to get him on the pitch more often, and it might not have had to go all the way to penalties if Alexander-Arnold's composure and technique had been on the field for longer. But it was nice to see him receive the plaudits at a tournament where he was at risk of becoming the scapegoat ( blame the manager for that ).
For Liverpool, the question of penalty takers will now come up again. Mohamed Salah had some high-profile misses last season, and Alexander-Arnold has certainly proved his credentials.
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