Two contrasting home matches on successive weekends, against two sides expected to be right up there pushing for Top 4 at the end of the season. One against a dreary, functional Tottenham who bore the pants off anybody who watches them in action and against whom the result was barely in doubt at any stage. And the second a vibrant, see-saw contest against a team who came to actually play football.
And what a game it was! Liverpool are clearly in a false position in 10th place, with fitness and availability issues - and, significantly, the loss of Mr Elbows (Sadie Mane to most; but ask Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Cesar Azpulicueta, to name but three, what he’s really like) and his importance to their super-effective pressing game - having conspired against them. They are comfortably the best side that Arsenal have come up against so far this season.
The game swung to and fro almost throughout, with at least three of the goals coming against the run of play. On balance Arsenal deserved to win, but it was ‘moments’, mistakes, small margins and a couple of arguably controversial decisions that ultimately swung the game our way.
Taking the lead in the first minute - and against a team with whom Arsenal have appeared for several years to have had a mental block - was especially significant. Whilst a contested ball fortunately fell Saliba’s way to start the move, the speed at which Arsenal moved the ball, stretching Liverpool’s retreating defence and thereby creating a passing lane that the crafty Odegaard readily exploited to send Martinelli (who terrorised Liverpool’s right hand side throughout) in on goal, it really was a superb goal that epitomised just what Arsenal are about this season.
But scoring early doesn’t necessarily define a game, and for much of the first half there was a sense of inevitability that Liverpool could and indeed would strike back. In Thiago, they have a magnificent ball player, and so much of what Liverpool did well went through him. Ultimately, however, it was his inability to cope on the defensive side that cost Liverpool the game. He and Henderson bossed Partey throughout the first half, as the latter was constantly left isolated with Xhaka and Odegaard pushing far ahead of him. But the adjustments Arteta made at half time turned the flow of the game on its head for much of the second half. And that Arteta stuck to his game plan was what led to the win. 'We'll score more than you. He who dares, wins'...
The first equaliser came about as a result of a misjudgement by Gabriel. There has been a lot of debate about how he’s been performing in comparison to the rest of a group that are playing at approaching elite levels - his challenge for the penalty last week, for example. And the fact is that perhaps the performances of the less experienced, but freakishly superb, Saliba alongside him show up some limitations.
Liverpool had a definite shout for a penalty for handball against him early on. Slow motion replays showed that the ball had actually deflected from his chest to his upraised arm, and there was also the question of proximity to the opponent, so it was probably the right decision not to award it on balance. But that could have gone either way. Phew!
Gabriel plays with a passion, whereas his partner is more detached, and his distribution is not quite as good as Saliba’s (although the latter’s passing stats are actually remarkable). But he adds a steel to Arsenal’s defending, and he can’t be knocked for that. And whilst he has improved since he got into the side a couple of years ago, I’d probably describe some of what he does as ‘clumsy’ - indeed, I have done so before now. He needs to sort his feet out a bit quicker, I guess, and it’s that which is holding him back from the 8 and 9/10 performances that others are putting in around him. I don’t think that Arteta is at the point of thinking of shaking things up, but things will have to improve for Gabriel.
Fortunately for the unit, Arteta has several options should he wish to shake things up. The selection of Tomiyasu at left back came as a surprise to everybody, but he did a simply magnificent job in neutralising Salah. The ability of so much of the defensive line to play in several positions will surely be a great help as the season progresses.
Ben White had another superb game, and has made the right back position his own. How Southgate has seen fit to leave him out of his England squads frankly defies belief! Saliba - for all that the second equaliser found him out a bit - has been superb throughout. Zinchenko and Tierney have their own different yet excellent qualities. The key is, of course, to avoid long term injury.
And so Liverpool drew level with a very well taken goal from Nunez, and Arsenal were somewhat under the pump as half time approached. Odegaard took a tactical yellow for the team close to the half way line, and from the subsequent free kick Arsenal pounced with a devastating breakaway. Thiago’s defensive inadequacies were shown up initially, and then TAA made a poor decision in coverage, allowing Martinelli to check back onto his right foot and find Saka at the far post for 2-1; right on the stroke of half time. And so we went in ahead - somewhat against the run of play. But… who cares?!?
The Liverpool injury jinx continued to strike. They’d already lost Luis Diaz (also prompting a change in my FPL Fantasy squad) before the break. They lost TAA at half time (he had an ankle issue following an accidental coming together with Martinelli), but frankly he was being terrorised by the latter. And they’ve now lost Matip for a couple of weeks too. Unfortunate timing for both Liverpool and Arsenal, with Manchester City up next for Liverpool.
Arsenal came out flying at the start of the second half and missed a couple of decent opportunities to stretch their lead. Just as I was saying to those around me that they might regret those missed chances, Liverpool equalised again with a goal remarkably similar to Arsenal’s opener, as the scourge that is Roberto Firmino converted Jota’s defence splitting through ball. This as a result of Partey remaining outnumbered in midfield - although he came to terms with it soon afterwards as Thiago and Henderson ran out of steam, and put in a tremendous shift for the rest of the game.
Arsenal had started to vary their play a little at this point, with Tomiyasu starting to chip the ball into the open spaces behind substitute Gomez for Martinelli to exploit the space behind. With Saka, Odegaard and White terrorising Liverpool’s other flank, and the crowd driving the team on, Arsenal were back on top.
Liverpool need to look at their defending for Arsenal’s winner. They had numerous chances to clear the ball as Arsenal piled on the pressure, but failed to do so. And finally Thiago’s attempt to prevent Jesus from getting to the ball was just a little bit late, he caught the Brazilian’s calf, and as forwards do these days he went down. He’d caught him, it probably hurt him, and thankfully Michael Oliver pointed to the penalty spot. Soft? Perhaps; but we've been on the receiving end of plenty of these. So, again, who cares?
Following a long delay - caused by an altercation between Henderson and Gabriel (escalated by Granit Xhaka) - Saka kept his cool to bury the spot kick. Starboy had delivered again in a pressure situation. He has come back magnificently from his Euros Final disappointment.
I’m not going to speculate on what may have been said by Henderson to cause the altercation, but there are suggestions that he used racist language to Gabriel. The reactions of both Firmino and Xhaka certainly suggested as much. One way or the other, Oliver felt it serious enough to go over to the two Managers to explain, and there’s an ongoing FA investigation now. On a weekend where PL players had once again ‘taken the knee’, this is somewhat ironic at the very least.
The last 20 minutes saw Arsenal manage their narrow lead well, and we went back above City to the summit. And, make no mistake, this was a statement win. The football fraternity are taking Arsenal seriously now, the bookmakers have us down from a pre-season 40/1 to win the title to just 8/1 - City are unbackable at 1/5 - and this win breaks a hoodoo that we can now put back into its box.
The next three games are a little easier, I guess. We need to keep winning, starting at Elland Road on Sunday. Not an easy ground to go to. Before that, there’s the reverse Europa League fixture in Norway. Glimt have a phenomenal home record, and I’d be happy enough with loads of rotation and a draw, to be honest.
Meantime, the bandwagon rolls on. COYG!
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