Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold featured for Real Madrid against Villarreal as he looked to prove a point for Jose Mourinho, in what turned out to be a chaotic end to the match
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid CF greets fans during the LaLiga EA Sports football match between Real Madrid CF and Villarreal CF
Trent Alexander-Arnold featured for Real Madrid against Villarreal(Image: (Photo by Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
Trent Alexander-Arnold was seemingly snubbed by manager Jose Mourinho when he was substituted in Real Madrid's clash with Villarreal on Saturday.
The former Liverpool defender was finally given another chance to start for Los Blancos after a slow start to the season due to the competition for starting places at the Bernabeu, with the arrival of Denzel Dumfries causing plenty of early concern for the full-back.
Being given the nod ahead of his Dutch counterpart will have come as quite a boost for Alexander-Arnold, building on a relatively positive few weeks away with the England national team during the international break, where he started two of the four games available.
In the clash with Villarreal, however, the right-back only lasted 52 minutes, with the game tied without a goal for either team at the time, with Mourinho clearly looking for something different in his team to break the game open.
Alexander-Arnold was replaced by Vinicius Jr, who made a rare start on the bench, with the full-back running off the pitch to make way for the Brazilian.
The 28-year-old was seemingly snubbed by the manager, however, as the two seemingly crossed paths without embracing. While it may cause some concern, there may be an element of Mourinho's managerial style at work, which was on full display as the game carried on.
Ten minutes after Alexander-Arnold's substitution, Real Madrid finally broke the deadlock, as Arda Guler and Federico Valverde combined to tee up Yan Diomande, who slotted his effort into the back of the net.
With the game still in the balance at that point, another ten minutes passed until there was another flashpoint.
Vinicius Jr, who had replaced the former Liverpool defender before the hour mark, thought he had doubled Los Blancos's lead when he went through and found the back of the net.
However, a VAR replay showed that the Brazilian had pulled on the hair of an opposition defender in the build-up, not only canceling his goal but also resulting in a red card for violent conduct.
That sparked protests from the Real Madrid players, and while they eventually saw out a 1-0 victory, those protests clearly continued with the manager after the match.
Jose Mourinho, head coach of Real Madrid CF, gestures during the Spanish League, LaLiga EA Sports, football match between Real Madrid and Villarreal CF
Jose Mourinho cancelled his post-match press conference after Real Madrid's win over Villarreal(Image: (Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images))
Mourinho took drastic action when he decided to cancel his post-match press conference, clearly frustrated by the refereeing decision given against his side on the night.
Mundo Deportivo reports that the manager wants "to be there for Sevilla and Barca", suggesting he was wary of saying anything in his press conference that could result in some kind of sanction.
It means he couldn't offer any insight into Alexander-Arnold's performance or his eventual thoughts on the substitution in the match, which raised plenty of eyebrows.
Next up for Los Blancos is a trip to AS Roma in the Champions League, while those matches with Sevilla and Barcelona in the next few weeks make for some intriguing viewing.