Paul Merson implied that Jurgen Klopp made a mistake when he removed Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson from the game during the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The pundit claimed Henderson was outstanding against Palace and often helped Alexander-Arnold out at the back whenever Wilfried Zaha got on the ball.
Merson added that when Henderson left the pitch, Alexander-Arnold had no protection, and suggested this led to Zaha scoring in the 82nd minute to give Palace hope of earning a point against the Reds.
“Henderson got brought off for Milner and I thought Henderson was outstanding, in the way he protected the full-back as every time Zaha got the ball, he doubled up,” said Merson on Soccer Saturday (Sky Sports News, Saturday, November 23rd, 17:17).
“When he went off, Benteke sort of drifted out there and there was no protection for Alexander-Arnold, Benteke just cut inside, played a ball and then it came to Zaha.
“Great ball, great dummy, plays it across and smashes it in.”
OPINION
It’s interesting that Merson heaped praise on Henderson with it being particularly interesting that he thought the midfielder leaving the pitch nearly led to Palace taking points from Saturday’s clash. This is because a large number of Reds fans on social media actually ripped Henderson apart for his first-half display against the London club with some even hoping that Klopp removed him from the game. It just shows how the 29-year-old midfielder has a tendency to divide opinion amongst fans and pundits, as some seem to value the job he does, while others are not sure what he offers. Before Henderson was replaced by Milner in the 79th minute of Saturday’s match, the midfielder did do his part for the team. The Reds captain made five tackles, which was more than any of his teammates, and even registered one key pass (Source: WhoScored). So with that in mind, it’s easy to see why Merson believes the Reds looked worse for the midfielder not being on the pitch, as he was helping carry the load defensively.
