Alan Shearer praised Trent Alexander-Arnold for his performance in Liverpool's dramatic win over Brentford.

The right-back has endured a mixed start to 2025, kicking the year off with a really poor display in a draw against Manchester United before impressing in cup matches against Tottenham and Accrington Stanley.

Alexander-Arnold produced perhaps his best performance since the turn of the year on Saturday as Liverpool moved six points clear at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The right-back produced the assist for Darwin Nunez's decisive first goal and Shearer thinks he deserves plaudits for his contribution to the victory.

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“Trent Alexander-Arnold was brilliant as well, he was outstanding," Shearer said on The Rest is Football. "I know Nunez will get the headlines for the goals, but Trent was superb again, he’s fantastic, really good.”

Steve McManaman was also complimentary of Alexander-Arnold's performance in West London and he praised the 26-year-old for how he has bounced back from his chastening afternoon against United at the beginning of the month.

“He was brilliant," McManaman said, "and I hope people give him the credit he deserves because they’ve been quick to criticise his performance against Manchester United when the entire team wasn’t great.

“But since then, his response has been excellent, he was brilliant against Tottenham, excellent against Accrington Stanley where he got that goal, and brilliant again this evening."

McManaman left Liverpool in 1999 to join Real Madrid and that is a transfer that Alexander-Arnold could make at some point this year.

Madrid has made the Reds right-back one of its top transfer targets in 2025 and he is set to be available on a free transfer when his Liverpool contract expires at the end of June.

The Spanish club approached Liverpool about the prospect of signing Alexander-Arnold for a fee earlier this month amid its ongoing defensive injury problems.

That attempt was rebuffed, but Marca reported last week that Madrid was preparing a second approach for the right-back before the January window closes.

It is claimed that Liverpool has known since mid-December that Alexander-Arnold will leave the club this year, and it is now just a case of whether he can convince the Reds to let him leave this month or if he will end up moving to Madrid in the summer.