Trent Alexander-Arnold was seen chuckling with his teammates after Jordan Henderson stepped up to take a free-kick for Liverpool in their 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
The Reds moved top of the Premier League table with the hard-fought win, which was far from a thriller at St James' Park. As supporters looked to entertain themselves, eagle-eyed fans noticed Alexander-Arnold's reaction to Henderson's unsuccessful effort from distance late in the first half.
With Jurgen Klopp 's first-choice right-back rested for the trip to Tyneside and set on the bench, the Liverpool captain was on free-kick duty. Unfortunately for Henderson, he could not replicate Alexander-Arnold's set-piece capabilities and his strike flew well over the bar. The miss was at least to the delight of the home crowd, who jeered the former Sunderland star all afternoon and particularly enjoyed that moment.
It was the Reds who had the last laugh, though, with Naby Keita 's delightful goal in the 20th minute securing all three points for the title chasers, whose dream of winning the quadruple is still alive. Klopp made five changes from Wednesday's commanding win against Villarreal in their Champions League semi-final first leg, with Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah headlining the rotation.
Regardless of Klopp's tinkering, Liverpool got the result they wanted and the Reds boss was full of praise for his side post-match. "You can have a team in form, [against] a crowd who are waiting for ages for proper success, so coming here with five changes and building a new set-up is really difficult," Klopp told BT Sport.
"The performance was absolutely outstanding, I loved it. We had some moments when we struggled because it's so difficult. The impact we have off the bench in game is outstanding, We expect a lot but the boys haver to deliver. But Joe Gomez, what a game. Naby Keita, what a game. James Milner, what a game. Andrew Robertson, 93rd minute, running up and down, absolutely brilliant.
Join the debate! Will Liverpool win the quadruple this season? Let us know your prediction below.
"You cannot really defend them properly because it's always just these long balls. Really difficult to get a feeling of the game. I really thought we dealt with it well. We had to adapt at moments, but the most important thing was putting Naby in front. It was good, great atmosphere. Newcastle are a passionate crowd and winning here is special."
The pressure is now on Manchester City, who face Leeds at Elland Road in the evening kick-off. Klopp, however, claims he is more focussed on Tuesday's second leg than domestic matters. "That's what I'm interested in," the Liverpool manager stated. "I haven't thought a second until now about City, but immediately about Villarreal."
After facing Villarreal, the Reds welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield next Saturday. That comes before a reunion with Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa three days later, prior to an FA Cup final clash with Chelsea.
