Atletico Madrid put Liverpool to the sword at Anfield last night to book their place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The La Liga giants won 1-0 in the first-leg and came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 on Merseyside after 120 minutes.
England international Kieran Trippier was playing club football in his homeland for the first time since leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Atletico in a £20 million deal last summer, and he had the last laugh against one of his former rivals.
The 29-year-old was linked with a Spurs exit towards the end of last season after he suffered a sharp dip in form and lost his starting berth.
Trippier eventually left Tottenham after four years at the North London club, signing a three-year deal with Atletico and becoming their first English player in 95 years.
He has settled comfortably well in Spain and is Diego Simeone’s first-choice at right-back.
The ex-Spurs star has been widely tipped to return to Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions lineup as a result of his form, and he has admitted that he is thriving professionally and personally since leaving the Lilywhites for Atletico.
“I’m delighted to be part of this team and enjoying every single moment of playing abroad,” Trippier told The Guardian following last night’s win.
“I didn’t want to come to the end of my career and regret not going. It is a big change, different culture, different types of football, but I am loving every minute of it and hopefully my performances for Atlético can keep me in the England squad. I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can in order to play for England. That’s my objective.”
Spurs decided against getting a new right-back following his departure, with the trio of Kyle Walker-Peters, Juan Foyth and Serge Aurier expected to challenge for the starting berth.
The academy graduate is currently on loan till the end of the season at Southampton after joining in January, while the Argentine has struggled with injuries and is yet to impress boss Jose Mourinho.
Aurier has been Spurs’ first-choice right-back, with six assists and two goals to his name in 29 appearances across the Premier League and Champions League.
Trippier has four assists in 24 games across the La Liga and Champions League, but he has been in fine form for Atletico, and a lot of Spurs fans last night would have wished they still had him at their club.
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