- Liverpool were well and truly beaten by a ruthless Arsenal side who made sure they have reaffirmed their place in this season’s title race
- Arsenal are only the second team to beat Liverpool this season in the Premier League
The Arsenal vs Liverpool game was undoubtedly the biggest English Premier League fixture played over the weekend. Liverpool were well and truly beaten by a ruthless Arsenal side who made sure they have reaffirmed their place in this season’s title race.
With Mohamed Salah yet to recover and Darwin Nunez only fit enough for a spot in the bench, Liverpool were weak in attack on Sunday. On the other hand, Arsenal came prepared to give Liverpool a dose of their own medicine, having lost to them in their previous encounter.
Arsenal vs Liverpool. Photo/ Citizen Digital.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring for the Gunners inside 14 minutes, converting a rebound after Alisson had saved Kai Havertz effort. The visitors, on the other hand, had to wait until the on the stroke of half time to find their first and only goal of the match, thanks to a Gabriel own goal.
Liverpool would carry more momentum after the restart, but it was Arsenal who found the back of the net first. A terrible mix-up between the usually dependent Alisson and Virgil van Dijk shortly after the hour mark gifted Gabriel Martinelli the opportunity to give his side a 2-1 lead.
With time running out, Liverpool’s frustrations became evident and a red card to Ibrahima Konate was followed by a stoppage time goal by Leandro Trossard that sealed the win for Arsenal.
Arsenal Vs Liverpool
Unbeaten in their past 15 Premier League encounters, Liverpool have been in dazzling form this season. However, a determined Arsenal side badly needed to win against their oppressors to light up the Premier League race.
And for the fourth Premier League clash in a row between these two giants, Arsenal got their noses in front first. Liverpool’s shot stopper Alisson had done his best to stop Kai Havertz strike from going in, but Saka was just at the right place to ensure Arsenal’s attack ended with a goal in the 14th minute.
The Gunners’ dominance grew after the opener and one turnover almost resulted in a second goal as Van Dijk was forced into a vital block from Odegaard. Jurgen Klopp’s side were clearly struggling in this match as Arsenal had completely dominated the midfield.
However, the Emirates was stunned in the 45th minute when Liverpool equalized after a confusion between goalkeeper David Raya and William Saliba led to the ball hitting Gabriel’s arm and into the goal deep.
It seemed the goal was what Liverpool needed as the momentum swung their way after the restart. However, they couldn’t take the lead, with Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones missing chances.
Jurgen Klopp made triple chances shortly before the hour mark, introducing Andy Robertson, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliot in place of Alexander-Arnold, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, respectively. However, the changes didn’t make the desired impact as Arsenal regained their lead in the 67th minute.
Van Dijk and Alisson got in each other’s way when dealing with Gabriel’s cross into the box, allowing Martinelli to just slide the ball into the empty net.
With time running out, Liverpool’s frustration became evident and Ibrahima Konate was sent off in the 88th minute after being shown a second yellow card. Shortly afterwards, Trossard sealed the win for the Gunners with a strike that slid through Alisson’s legs.
Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal scores their 2nd goal. Photo/ Online Gooner.
Not only did Arsenal win 3-1 but also collected three points from an opponent who has been difficult to beat this season. Mikel Arteta’s side are just the second team to beat Liverpool this season in the Premier League (the other team being Tottenham Hotspur back in September in a highly controversial match).
Despite losing the Arsenal vs Liverpool fixture, the Reds are still on top of the table with 51 points. However, Arsenal have closed the gap to two points now as they have 49. Both teams have now played 23 games.
The 2023-24 Premier League race is getting more exciting as Manchester City are also closing the gap on leaders Liverpool. The Cytizens currently have 46 points but have two games in hand, both against Brentford.
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