Josh Sexton’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Arsenal 3 Liverpool 1 in the 2023-2024 Premier League season…
SEVERAL things can be true at once.
It is simultaneously fair to say that Liverpool’s hard lines begin before kick off at The Emirates today.
It is also fair to say that Liverpool deserved nothing from the game and that Arsenal were more than worthy of the three points and their 3-1 scoreline.
It is also, ultimately, fair to say that these lads have more than enough credit in the bank for us to label today’s result as ‘one of them’.
Liverpool’s hard lines begin before kick off at The Emirates today. The rumours started circulating last night that Dominik Szoboszlai hadn’t travelled with the team. At the time, you take everything with a pinch of salt and wait for official confirmation. That confirmation comes shortly before the official team news is reported.
It’s a huge blow and it is compounded by Darwin Nunez’s subsequent selection among the substitutes bench.
Without the two Liverpool lose a lot of physical presence. In the absence of Szoboszlai they lose midfield balance, and an Arsenal midfield that combines the presence of Declan Rice, with the guile of Jorginho, and the combination of both (and much, much more) from Martin Odegaard. In the absence of Nunez, they lose their focal point and a lot of explosiveness.
That all combined to make Liverpool a blunt and slightly out-of-sorts outfit in the first half. It meant that Jürgen Klopp’s message in the week, about how they needed to dominate Arsenal and not play into The Gunners’ hands, became as much about what Arsenal did as what The Reds could do to stop them.
Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0.
Suddenly a team that don’t score a ton of goals, but know how to defend a lead and are an incredibly sound tactical unit, had their tails up and a willing crowd behind them.
From that point all The Reds needed to do was get to half time, because they had Nunez’s explosiveness, combined with the forward-thinking graft of both Andy Robertson and Harvey Elliott waiting in the wings.
Instead, Luis Diaz goes one better. It is the dream scenario for Klopp’s side heading into half time. They look the brighter and more likely team coming out of the break.
The substitutions eventually come, but it’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for Joe Gomez and maybe it just shows a bit too much respect for Arsenal at a time when feet maybe just needed to be on throats.
It meant that Liverpool had gone from arguably not showing Arsenal enough respect in the early exchanges up until the first goal, to getting back control and swagger, and then ceding the momentum again.
However, it is fair to say Liverpool deserved nothing from the game and that Arsenal were more than worthy of the three points and their 3-1 scoreline.
It is also, ultimately, fair to say that these lads have more than enough credit in the bank for us to label today’s result as ‘one of them’.
Virgil van Dijk holds his hands up after the game. He looks gutted standing in front of the away end after watching the points slip through his hands.
I hope he realises just how much credit he has in the bank. Alisson Becker too. Because some days you just don’t get the bounce of the ball — sometimes that happens before kick off. Some days the other team are just better than you on the day. Sometimes you just have an off-day.
All of those things are allowed. The bar Liverpool have set for themselves has raised the expectation levels to a point where days like this feel catastrophic. But there is no shame in losing away to the third best team in the country.
Keep your heads up, Reds. Remember who and what we’re doing this for now. Back home next weekend to put the sword to a side who won’t want a wounded animal running at them with 50,000-odd lunatics behind them.
Into these, Liverpool. No fucking runners.
Josh
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Klopp gets a 2/10 for that game. Outmanaged from start to finish. No press through your the entire match, no fight from the players, no change in that attitude. Looked out of ideas. Out of energy.
Sad but true. Bringing Joe off was a strange one and why use Grav over Harvey when you’ve called for the team to dominate? Grav’s not exactly a bundle of energy. Missed Connor, god love him. We’re top of the league though, still, eh.
This arsenal team will never be better than this Liverpool team and arteta hasn’t a hope of ever coming near Klopp’s level. Thats why it was so disappointing to perform so poorly against them. We’ve dropped five points to them this season – that’s not great. Especially when we got the equaliser and had momentum second half.
We are owed some luck after numerous shockers in the first half of the season, hopefully it’ll come, along with lads returning from injury and returning to form. Let’s get into another brilliant run and win the lot. Especially the big one.
Hey Scott calm down calm down. Nunez and sloz out.
Allison makes his first mistakes in five years. Imagine Arsenal without saka and odegaard.
It’s a set back not a disaster.
Heads up.