Jude Bellingham’s actions in Anfield tunnel after Liverpool defeat speak volumes

Jude Bellingham waited in the Anfield tunnel to swap shirts with England friend Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Bellingham played all 90 minutes as Real Madrid lost to Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool on Wednesday evening. The two rivals have developed a close friendship since their time with the England national team. Alexander-Arnold could even join Bellingham in Madrid this summer when his contract at Anfield expires.

And although the right-back didn't come off the bench for the Reds, Bellingham was still keen to swap shirts with him.

Footage from the tunnel at Anfield shows Bellingham leaning against a wall outside the Liverpool dressing room doors. Although Alexander-Arnold did not appear, Ryan Gravenberch was happy to fulfill Bellingham's wish.

As the Dutchman walked through the tunnel, Bellingham stopped him and asked him for a favor. The midfielder then walked through the doors and returned shortly afterwards with Alexander-Arnold's shirt.

Bellingham presented Gravenberch with his own jersey in return before returning to the Madrid dressing room. The Madrid star grew close to Alexander-Arnold during England's run to the Euro 2024 final.

It was not a happy evening for Bellingham ahead of his shirt swap. As well as failing to help Madrid avoid defeat at Anfield, he was also booed incessantly during the Champions League match.

Superstar striker Kylian Mbappe was also loudly booed, likely due to both players turning down a move to Liverpool and heading to the Bernabéu instead. A depleted Madrid team had a hard time against Arne Slot's men.

Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Daniel Carvajal all missed the match due to varying degrees of injury. But Bellingham refused to use that as an excuse and instead insisted the La Liga giants needed to improve.

“They were better than us. Sometimes we have to be honest. We didn't dominate the game and the chances we had to damage them weren't clear. It's disappointing. We knew it would be difficult, but we would have liked to have played better,” he said.

“Mbappé gives us a lot and I am sure he will give us a lot in the future. It can happen if you take responsibility. Anyone can miss a penalty and that was not the reason we lost today. It was a collective issue. We win together and we lose together.”

“It's not an excuse. They also had injuries and players who were not 100%. It's part of the game and you have to deal with it. When we had the ball we didn't threaten enough and that's not because of injuries and players not being there. We took no responsibility. We didn't take the bull by the horns, but they did.”