Federico Valverde netted a first-half hattrick for Madrid to secure an impressive last-16 first-leg victory.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side have been inconsistent over the past few weeks but delivered their best display of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“(It was a) massive performance, I think a lot of the noise when the draw happened and then leading up to this game,” Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports.

“Especially (given) the way that we’ve been playing the last few games and the results we’ve had, a lot of people just expected us to get battered tonight.

“It just shows the mentality, it doesn’t matter what injuries you’ve got, what players are out, this competition means a lot to the club.”

Madrid were without key players, including Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, among others, but Valverde’s treble secured the record 15-time winners a convincing victory.

“I’m very happy for Valverde,” Arbeloa told reporters after the victory.

“I think he is the Juanito of the 21st century… he is a perfect representation of Real Madrid.”

Juanito, a Madrid icon in the 1980s, was known for his fighting spirit and character.