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By LEWIS STEELE and SPENCER MORGAN Published: 05: 13 AEST, 12 May 2025 | Updated: 07: 23 AEST, 12 May 2025 121 View comments Andy Robertson admitted it hurt him to see team-mate and friend Trent Alexander-Arnold get booed by the Anfield crowd on Sunday as he praised the departing full-back. Alexander-Arnold confirmed this past week that he has made the decision to leave the Reds with the Englishman expected to join Real Madrid in the summer, a CHOICE that has not gone down well with some Liverpool fans.   The vice-captain was introduced as a second-half substitute in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal and received loud jeers when he touched the ball for the first time. But his good friend Robertson said: ‘There is a lot of emotion around it and I think it’s crucial in these moments that I don’t tell you how to feel and you don’t tell me how to feel about it.   ‘I’m disappointed to lose my best mate in the game. We’ve done it all together. He’s an amazing player, an amazing person, and, yeah, he’s made me a better player and that’s from the bottom of my heart.  He's took me to levels I never knew existed.   'He kept pushing me through the good years and he's made a choice. I think his legacy at the club is there for everyone to see. The trophies he's won, the moments he's had in history will always be there. Andy Robertson said it hurt to see team-mate and friend Trent Alexander-Arnold get booed  Alexander-Arnold was jeered by some Liverpool fans as he came on as a second half substitute A similar reaction followed every time he touched the ball after replacing Conor Bradley  'It is of course an emotional decision and it's not been an easy one. He's made the decision and it's not nice to see a friend get booed but as I said we can't tell people how to act.   'I can tell you how I feel about, I'm extremely proud of what he's done for the club. I love him as a friend and player and he will be missed for me as one of my best friends in the game. ' Slot agreed and said he will continue to play Alexander-Arnold if it helps Liverpool win games. ‘I don't think there's any possibility whatever can happen that can take the edge of us winning this 20th league title. ‘The thing I consider is I want to win a game of football and if we think we can win with Trent, I owe it to his team-mates and to the fans, because they (Liverpool) hired me to win as many games of football as possible. ‘And if I think there's a better chance of winning with Trent, then I will (pick him). ‘If I think it's a distraction or whatever can happen for us not to play a good game of football, then I might, might, might make another decision. But I think Trent showed today why I brought him in because he was very close with a few fantastic crosses for us to win the game. ’ Liverpool went 2-0 up through Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz but Arsenal fought back via Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino. Slot added: ‘It is a privilege to live in Europe where everyone can have his own opinion and express their own opinion and that is what we saw today. Some of them were not happy with him. Robertson hailed Alexander-Arnold's legacy at the club and didn't like seeing him booed  Robertson revealed Alexander-Arnold is his best friend in the game and said he will miss him Slot also defended the outgoing full back and said his pending exit is has not been a distraction ‘All of them are not happy with him leaving the club but a few of them showed it in a way that they booed him and some of them clapped. The only thing I can say is I owe it to the players and staff who work so hard to win a game of football. ‘To try to do that and if, after 70 minutes, Conor can’t continue and I have a world-class full back on the bench I bring him in and it's a big compliment to him. You can understand the mixed emotions going through his head and the fact he can produce a performance like that tells me why I think and everyone else thinks he's a world-class full-back. ‘With him, we were quite close to winning the game and that's what I owe to every player in the dressing room who work so hard every day. ’ Asked if the full back was distracted, Slot said: ‘I am glad you asked this question. That was the positive thing about it. The moment he entered, three or four minutes later, we made the substitution to bring in an extra attacker even though we were not in the best part of our game. We did bring in Diogo Jota to play up front with Darwin Nunez. ‘From that moment, we took the game because it was the yellow card as a result of the red card. I didn’t feel any distraction, that's something I have to give him credit for and also the team. The last 15-20 minutes were the best of the second half but that wasn't that difficult after the first 20. ’

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