Trent Alexander-Arnold hails Jurgen Klopp's tactical tweaks in Arsenal win

Liverpool’s dramatic 2-0 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup was thanks in no small part to a masterstroke by coach Jurgen Klopp - that's according to his vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Despite having to absorb persistent pressure from the Gunners throughout the match, Liverpool secured their spot in the fourth round thanks to a Jakub Kiwior own goal and a decisive strike by Luis Diaz in the closing minutes.

That said, the Reds were fairly anonymous in the first half from an attacking perspective - but that all changed after the break thanks to some strategic adjustments that eventually shaped the remarkable victory.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Alexander-Arnold hailed the manager’s tweaks in enabling the side to finally gain a foothold in the encounter: "The change of system made an impact for us."

“At times in the first half we were a bit naive playing out from the back. We stuck with how we play," he explained.

After the switch, which saw Luis Diaz move to the right and Darwin Nunez to the left, he said: "We came out and played football, created our chances. [...] Darwin went out wide and used his speed against their full-back."

Bradley's introduction

However, one change that directly impacted Alexander-Arnold was the introduction of right-back Conor Bradley for the final 15 minutes, pushing the vice-captain (wearing the armband on the day in the absence of Virgil van Dijk) into central midfield with the scores still at 0-0.

Barely five minutes later, he was playing a key part in the goal that finally broke the stalemate, whipping in the freekick that was flicked past his own keeper by Jakub Kiwior.

“With the inswinger you want to hit it as well as possible," he explained, "You want to make it as hard as possible for them to clear.”

A "huge" win

Beyond securing their place in the next round, Liverpool’s victory serves as a statement against a formidable Arsenal side likely to challenge for the Premier League title.

"It’s huge," Alexander-Arnold admitted. "We’ve got a lot of players missing today with the lads on internationals and Virg not in the squad. We dug deep with two late goals."