Liverpool moved clear at the top of the Premier League after dismantling Arsenal in a top of the table clash at a balmy Anfield on Saturday evening.
Liverpool won 3-1 but at times a dominant display threatened to get silly as Arsenal struggled to cope with a vibrant, ruthless Liverpool.
It was the Gunners though who could have taken the lead when Nicolas Pepe was played through by Aubameyang, but the Ivorian’s tame side foot allowed Adrian to save easily. Aubameyang should also have done better with a lob when Adrian rashly ran from his goal line yet he failed to find the back of the net and Arsenal were left to rue this.
A trademark Trent Alexander Arnold corner found Joel Matip who thundered home a header albeit slightly off the side of his head and any thoughts of an Arsenal comeback were extinguished four minutes after half time when Firmino’s cushioned ball fed Salah through on goal who was laughably pulled back by David Luiz. The penalty was the eighth conceded by Arsenal since the start of last season – Salah himself took the spot-kick and he side-footed high into the corner to give Leno no chance.
At this point, Arsenal were clinging on to respectability and just before the hour mark a Fabinho through ball found its way to Mohammed Salah with his back to goal on the half-way line. One sublime turn and a rash dive in by Luiz later and Salah was scampering in on goal. The Egyptian settled himself before calmly rolling into the bottom corner to end the game as a contest.
From there Liverpool threatened to run riot but mercifully for Arsenal there was to be no repeat of the five and four-goal maulings of previous seasons and indeed Arsenal pulled one back with five minutes to go as an Aubameyang pass found its way to the feet of Torreira who drilled in from the edge of the area.
Firmino a Bobby Dazzler
Whilst it was Salah who stole the headlines with a deadly double it was strike partner Roberto Firmino who laid the basis for Liverpool’s attacking dominance. The Brazilian was an effervescent presence upfront and ran Arsenal’s centre-back pair ragged and created space for Salah and Mane to roam in.
Firmino was merely decent at best last season but looks back to his sublime, busy best. He scored in last weeks 2-1 win against Southampton and whilst last weekend he didn’t get a goal, he was pivotal to the victory. His through ball to Salah to win the penalty was a lovely cushioned flick reminiscent of Teddy Sheringham at his best. He also scooped a ball over Cebellos before shooting suggesting Firmino is at his confident best suggesting another hatful of goals could be on its way for him, Mane and Salah.
Arsenal better but not good enough
Previous maulings at Anfield over recent years have been a mix of incompetence and a lack of steel. Indeed the defeat on Saturday means Arsenal are now 23 games against the top six without victory. Whilst Arsenal were at times outclassed at the weekend they never threw the towel in and stuck to their task and were rewarded with a consolation.
Emery may feel aggrieved at Pepe and Aubameyang’s early wastefulness, whilst the commitment to passing out from the back may need a review against teams of Liverpool’s ability. Arsenal lost possession in their own defensive third eight times in the first half, the most of any team this season or by Arsenal since 2010, and one attempt by Ceballos to play out merely gave Mane a shot from the centre of the penalty area.
However, Arsenal perhaps shouldn’t be judged against the European Champions and the style they demonstrate should bear fruit against the lower sides. If the improved spirit shown is indicative of Emery getting through to his players perhaps the quality won’t be far behind. Defeats of 4-0 and 5-1 in the last two seasons were akin to watching and England’s batting collapse for 67. Arsenal were at least more committed this season even in defeat and whilst they haven’t found a Ben Stokes level of quality they do at least have the beginnings of a Root, Denly and Leach ability to dig in.
Luiz the liability
After a debut that showed the best of both sides of Luiz, his second game was a farce. His shirt pulling of Salah and subsequent denial and blaming of VAR showed such a lack of understanding and self-awareness Prince Andrew would be proud of. To compound this he dived in on Salah a few minutes later only to be turned as Salah streaked through to make it 3-0. Luiz will undoubtedly bring character, leadership and passing ability to the heart of Arsenal’s defence but there will be as many moments of carnage to balance it out.
VAR off to a shaky start
In truth, VAR wasn’t much of a feature in the game but as with many games at the weekend it was used to baffling effect. We saw a three-minute delay in the first half as a possible Luiz stamp was reviewed. VAR was used nearly perfectly at the recent World Cup but last Saturday showed the Premier League has implemented a version that’s still far from ideal. Apart from tight offside decisions, VAR’s role so far has been to back up every on field call right or wrong and fans have already been showing their frustration.
The title race is set to be another epic
After Liverpool raced to 97 points last season only to finish runners up, most observers thought their best chance had gone. But judging by the unbeaten starts of both Liverpool and Manchester City, we could be looking at another season of 98 points vs 97 points. Liverpool looked at their vibrant attacking best as they won their 12th league game in a row – their best run since 1990 – and with Allison to return to tighten up the defence, Manchester City will have to be at their dazzling best to make it three titles in a row.
Up Next
Arsenal will hope their bright start doesn’t fade with the visit of Tottenham next Sunday whilst Liverpool will take their 100% record to Turf Moor and take on Burnley next Saturday tea time.
