A deserved victory for Arsenal, a below par performance from Liverpool and a game in which soft soft goals cost Klopp’s men dear.
Virgil van Dijk and Alisson both had games to forget, whilst a blunt attack failed to create anything of real note and, whilst Liverpool remain top of the league, Arsenal are certainly back in the thick of it.
Eyebrows were raised from the outset, as Cody Gakpo was preferred to Darwin Nunez up front and, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold was back in the starting 11, Liverpool were overrun in the first half.
Arsenal, having led through Saka after 20 minutes, dominated an opening forty five minutes and should have been more than one goal in front as half-time approached. Liverpool for their part offered little, but Luis Diaz chased down one of the few forward passes they made. Somehow, via the hand of Gabriel, the ball trickled over the line and the teams went in all square.
Jurgen Klopp must have read his side the riot act in the dressing room, as from the opening second half whistle Liverpool showed a purpose and intent sorely lacking in the opening period. However, despite some shots on goal and more possession in the final third, Arsenal’s defence was largely untroubled. The Gunners began to once again dominate the ball, but it was a comedy of errors that ultimately proved decisive.
A long ball forward was not dealt with by Van Dijk (did anyone else shout ‘don’t let the ball bounce’?), he left it to Alisson and a lack of communication presented Martinelli with an open goal. Klopp looked perplexed on the sideline, brought on Nunez, Harvey Elliot, and later Thiago but, in truth, Liverpool never really looked likely to score.
Perhaps Liverpool’s recent heavy fixture list caught up with a few players, but they ultimately got what they deserved, as Klopp acknowledged post-match. A late red card for Ibrahima Konate, along with a third Arsenal goal, as the ball went through the legs of Alisson, being the culmination of a bad day at the office.
