Trent Alexander-Arnold has explained the devastating tactic he and Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson use of switching the play from one side of the field to the other.

Liverpool's attacking full-backs are among the team's most dangerous threats - and that was never more evident than when they combined for Mo Salah's goal in the Reds' 3-1 win over Manchester City last month.

That win looks set to prove pivotal in the title race, having sent Jurgen Klopp's side nine points clear of the reigning champions.

And Salah's goal - which doubled Liverpool's lead, giving City a huge uphill task - was a classic example of how Liverpool's marauding full-backs can combine to devastating effect.

Right-back Alexander-Arnold swung the ball left-footed across the width of the pitch to Robertson on the left flank, with the Scot taking a touch before firing in an inch-perfect cross which Salah met at the far post.

(Image: Getty Images)

It has been compared to a similar Liverpool goal in a 7-0 thrashing of Tottenham in the late 1970s, which went from flank to flank via David Johnson and Steve Heighway before Terry McDermott headed home.

And Alexander-Arnold said that as defenders, he and Robertson understand just how difficult it makes it for opposition players when they switch the ball from one side of the pitch to the other.

Show Player

"It's great for people to say it's similar," Alexander-Arnold said of the comparisons between the two goals in an interview with the Daily Mail .

"It's very flattering because they were great players back then. The one we scored was a fantastic goal with so many different parts to it and obviously the excellent finish.

(Image: PETER POWELL/EPA-EFE/REX)

"The reason me and Robbo switch the ball across the field that much is because as full-backs you understand how it feels when teams do that so quickly to you.

"Having to shift so much is exhausting. There is so much running involved, an extra 30 or 40 yards to try and close it down. It creates space. That's the idea."

Show more

Last season, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson provided 23 assists between them in the Premier League - accounting for a third of the goals the Reds scored.

Alexander-Arnold's 12 made him the league third-biggest creator, behind only Eden hazard and Ryan Fraser, while Robertson's tally was just one behind that of his teammate.