In his first England start for almost two years, Trent Alexander-Arnold set up Anthony Gordon to open the scoring against Czechia on Tuesday, which came after a conversation between the pair
Anthony Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold
Anthony Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrate after combining for England's opener against Czechia on Tuesday
Trent Alexander-Arnold revealed how he told Anthony Gordon exactly what to do whenever he got the ball before ultimately setting him up for England's opener against Czechia on Tuesday.
Alexander-Arnold, 27, made his first start for England in almost two years after being named at right-back by Thomas Tuchel for the UEFA Nations League tie in Prague, where he played the full 90 minutes and helped keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory.
Most notable of all, however, was how the former Liverpool defender registered the assist for England's opener as Gordon nodded home from close range less than two minutes after the restart.
Alexander-Arnold had picked out his fellow Scouser with a picture-perfect pass from the right-hand side, with Gordon timing his run to perfection to get his head on the ball after letting it bounce and neatly guide a header pass the rooted Matej Kovar into the far bottom corner.
Following the game, the Real Madrid right-back was asked where he would place that impressive assist on his all-time list, before opening up about how the goal had essentially been pre-planned with the Barcelona attacker at half-time.
"Yeah, it's up there for sure," Alexander-Arnold told ITV Sport. "I spoke to Ant at halftime, and I said if I'm getting in them half spaces and I'm looking to put it in, make sure you get to the back post.
"Of course, you don't expect it to happen that quickly, but it did and it worked."
In his own post-match interview, Gordon had lauded Alexander-Arnold for his technical abilities and said that his England teammate was perhaps one of the few players who can see such a pass, let alone play it.
Responding to Gordon's kind words, Alexander-Arnold was equally complimentary of the former Everton and Newcastle winger, before diving into further detail about the mechanics of the goal.
"It's a great compliment," he said. "I think he's a willing runner. It's great to play with him. So yeah, get the ball, try and look up, see what the best option is, try and play forward and create something, and seeing the run, I was able to execute the pass."
Trent Alexander-Arnold produced an impressive assist for Anthony Gordon
Alexander-Arnold will hope to retain his starting spot for Saturday's game against Croatia(Image: Getty Images)
It comes after Alexander-Arnold was told that he "has a big point to prove" for England, as the defender looks to earn a permanent place in the national team moving forward.
"He has a big point to prove. He has to take his chance with Reece James and Tino Livramento injured," former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor said on TalkSPORT. "There are certain games that will suit him more than others, like this one. He has been harshly treated and deserves a chance.
"The winger can drop back and help him. The right center-back can cover, too. Liverpool did it for years. Klopp didn't not pick Trent in the big games. Ask Mohamed Salah who he would have wanted to play in front of. He wouldn't have picked Joe Gomez."