Following the Real Madrid rumours, Liverpool fans' reaction when Alexander Arnold came on to the pitch

Despite a subdued performance against Manchester United and persistent rumours linking him with Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold received an unconditional show of support from Liverpool fans during the match against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, a match in which Arne Slot opted to rotate the defence, resting key players such as Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who started the game on the bench. However, Alexander-Arnold's introduction in the second half was marked by a warm reception from the Red faithful.

With the score still goalless, Slot decided to bring on Alexander-Arnold to replace Conor Bradley. At that moment, the Liverpool fans present at the stadium chanted in support of the defender, including the popular "He's a Scouser in our team", demonstrating their affection and backing for the player despite the recent controversy surrounding his future.

The changes in defence were not limited to the full-backs. Jarell Quansah also came into the starting eleven in place of Ibrahima Konate. However, a first-half injury forced Slot to replace him with Japanese international Endo.

Arne Slot explained the reasons behind the decision to leave Alexander-Arnold and Robertson on the bench at the start of the match. "It's mainly to do with Trent playing so many minutes because Conor Bradley was injured," Slot told Sky Sports. "Now it's good that we have Conor back, who also needs his minutes. You can see the same on the opposite side with Robertson and Tsimikas. As far as I know, Robertson is not distracted by the contract situations. So that's not in my mind when I make decisions."

Alexander-Arnold's contract situation continues to generate uncertainty. The player has not yet signed a contract extension, and with his current deal expiring next summer, rumours about a possible free transfer to Real Madrid are intensifying. These speculations peaked after Sunday's 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Anfield, a game in which Alexander-Arnold did not perform at his best.

Following the match against United, Slot acknowledged the team's overall poor performance, including Alexander-Arnold's. "We were all disappointed, not just Trent, with the way we played," said the manager. "Firstly, about the result, and parts of the game we could be quite happy with, other parts we weren't completely happy with. It wasn't just Trent, there were more things in the game we could have done better. Trent didn't play his best game, I said that already, but it's not the first time in his life he hasn't played the best game of his career. He's played very, very good games for this club. Now, it wasn't his best, like for others, it wasn't the best of them either."

Slot also added: "We just pick it up, started training again today because these players know if you play 50/60 games in a season, once in a while you don't have your best performance. Maybe you should highlight more how good it is that these players are capable of playing every three days such a good game."

Despite the rumours and his recent dip in form, the support of the Liverpool fans for Alexander-Arnold demonstrates the player's importance to the club. The full-back's contract situation remains a topic to be closely followed, but for the moment, the affection of the Anfield crowd seems to be an important factor for the player.