Trent Alexander-Arnold names Eden Hazard as toughest-ever opponent

Chelsea winger the toughest opponent Alexander-Arnold ever faced

Liverpool‘s star right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has squared off against the best that football has had to offer on his way to becoming arguably one of the best in his position in all of Europe, but according to the Reds stalwart, it is former Chelsea icon Eden Hazard that gave him the most trouble when the mercurial Belgian was plying his trade at Stamford Bridge.

Alexander-Arnold and Hazard locked horns for three seasons from 2016-17 until 2018-19 before the LOSC Lille academy graduate swapped capitals and moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2019.

🚨 NEW: Trent Alexander-Arnold has chosen Eden Hazard as the toughest opponent he has ever faced in the Premier League.

"Hazard, maybe De Bruyne, but directly against an opponent – Eden Hazard. Speed, agility, mentality, intelligence on and off the ball." #awlive [amazon] pic.twitter.com/4XYVbjIu8q

— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) September 17, 2021

Hazard was at the peak of his powers in 2018-19 before his move to the Santiago Bernabeu, icing 16-goals and adding 15-assists in 37-appearances for the Blues; the fifth season out of a possible seven that the 114-times capped Belgian had eclipsed the 12-goal mark for Chelsea.

At that point in his career, Hazard was a near-perfect blend of technical quality and tactical effectiveness as he terrorized all that challenged his supremacy. The two-times Premier League winner also helped the club bag a pair of Europa League wins, and certainly will go down as one of the most lethal goal-scoring wingers in Premier League history.

A career in decline

Despite the sheer dominance Eden Hazard put on display week in week out during his time at Chelsea, things have not gone according to plan for the golden winger since his move to Real Madrid two seasons ago.

In a storyline that is far from uncommon, his period at a club with even greater expectations than the Blues has resulted in just 5-goals and 7-assists in 47-appearances for Los Blancos. Hardly the return the Spanish giants were hoping for when they shelled out a cool ~£100million to acquire his services.

VALENCIA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 22: Eden Hazard of Real Madrid reacts during the Liga match between Levante UD and Real Madrid CF at Ciutat de Valencia on February 22, 2020 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Morano/MB Media/Getty Images)

Hazard did produce some throwback moments of grace this past summer at Euro2020 for Belgium for Roberto Martinez’s Red Devil’s, but at club level, the son of La Louvière is very much a shadow of himself.

Not all periods of dominance last forever – just ask the Romans – but if Trent Alexander-Arnold’s praise is anything to go by, the effect that Eden Hazard had on the Premier League during his brilliant spell at Chelsea will hardly be forgotten.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester United	4	8	10
2	Chelsea FC	4	8	10
3	Liverpool FC	4	8	10
4	Everton FC	4	6	10
5	Manchester City	4	10	9
6	Brighton & Hove Albion	4	2	9
7	Tottenham Hotspur	4	0	9
8	West Ham United	4	5	8
9	Leicester City	4	-2	6
10	Brentford FC	4	1	5
11	Crystal Palace	4	0	5
12	Aston Villa	4	-2	4
13	Wolverhampton Wanderers	4	-1	3
14	Southampton FC	4	-2	3
15	Watford FC	4	-4	3
16	Arsenal FC	4	-8	3
17	Leeds United	4	-7	2
18	Burnley FC	4	-5	1
19	Newcastle United	4	-7	1
20	Norwich City	4	-10	0

Player	Team	Goals
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	4
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	4
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	3
Lukaku, Romelu	Chelsea FC	3
Gray, Demarai	Everton FC	3
Calvert-Lewin, Dominic	Everton FC	3
Greenwood, Mason	Manchester United	3
Saint-Maximin, Allan	Newcastle United	2
Benrahma, Said	West Ham United	2
Ings, Danny	Aston Villa	2
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	2
Fornals, Pablo	West Ham United	2
Torres, Ferran	Manchester City	2
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	2
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	2
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	2
Wilson, Callum	Newcastle United	2
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	2
Maupay, Neal	Brighton & Hove Albion	2
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	2

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	0	3
Cooper, Liam	Leeds United	0	3
Etebo, Oghenekaro	Watford FC	0	3
Doucoure, Abdoulaye	Everton FC	0	2
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	2
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	2
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	2
Duffy, Shane	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	2
Norgaard, Christian	Brentford FC	0	2
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	2
Rodri	Manchester City	0	2
Rice, Declan	West Ham United	0	2
Struijk, Pascal	Leeds United	1	1
Tanganga, Japhet	Tottenham Hotspur	0	1
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	2
Schar, Fabian	Newcastle United	0	2
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	0	2
Stephens, Jack	Southampton FC	0	2
Marcal, Fernando	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	2
Moura, Lucas	Tottenham Hotspur	0	2

Player	Team	Assists
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	7
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	3
Doucoure, Abdoulaye	Everton FC	3
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	3
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	2
Saint-Maximin, Allan	Newcastle United	2
Benrahma, Said	West Ham United	2
Townsend, Andros	Everton FC	2
Kovacic, Mateo	Chelsea FC	2
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	2
James, Reece	Chelsea FC	2
Gross, Pascal	Brighton & Hove Albion	2
Pereira, Ricardo	Leicester City	2
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	2
Ings, Danny	Aston Villa	1
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	1
Fornals, Pablo	West Ham United	1
Torres, Ferran	Manchester City	1
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	1
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	1