Liverpool lost 3-1 to Arsenal in unexpected circumstances, suffering a major blow to win the Premier League.A golden opportunity arose in the 15th minute of the first half, with Gabriel Martinelli heading Bukayo Saka just after the end of the first half and Cody Gakpo bursting through the home defense after receiving a pass from Alexis McAllister.
However, it didn’t take long for Arsenal to find the door.Kai Havertz crossed, but the Germans couldn’t find a way past Alisson Becker. But the Brazilian was helpless once the ball fell to Saka and he managed to recover the ball easily. The Reds looked to be behind at half-time but made no progress before equalizing in surprising circumstances.
Luis Diaz was battling William Saliba for the ball, with the Arsenal defender waiting for David Raya to help him.But there was no help and Diaz put his fingers on the ball. The ball bounced off Gabriel’s hand and crossed the line before the Brazilian recovered to give Liverpool a stunning half-time gift.
If the goal was unexpected, the manner in which Arsenal took the lead was unconvincing. Virgil van Dijk’s interplay with Alisson caused him to miss the ball completely, leaving Martinelli with a wide open net to turn the ball over.Liverpool were unable to get back into the game and things got worse until Leandro Trossard sorted it out in stoppage time when Ibrahima Konate was sent off for his second yellow card.
Here are four things Liverpool.com highlighted during the game:Guess who’s backAfter 42 games and 284 days (thanks to Liverpool.com regular David Comerford), Thiago Alcantara is finally back in the Liverpool team. And not before it’s time.There were times when some Reds fans wondered if we would ever see him in a Liverpool shirt again. With his contract expiring this summer and his injury getting worse, it looks like we have seen his last game for the club.
But he could play an important role for the rest of the season, and his return could come at the perfect time. With Dominik Soboslay ruled out and the extent of his injury still unknown, Liverpool are once again lining up an elite option.change of plansWe all got used to seeing Trent Alexander-Arnold in a hybrid right-back/midfielder role last year, and when he returned to the starting line-up it felt like an obvious ruse.
However, Jurgen Klopp thought otherwise.Instead, Joe Gomez appeared to be the man tasked with moving into midfield, with Alexander-Arnold remaining on the right. Perhaps it was because Conor Bradley was rushed to play on the wing and assume his usual role at right-back, but he looked ineffective in a difficult first half.
Gomez’s problem was perhaps summed up when he was shown a yellow card for dragging Declan Rice in the center of the park and leaving him on the ropes for the rest of the game. Alexander-Arnold took the lead early in the second half, which was exciting at the time.Even Liverpool fans may be scratching their heads as to how their team could have gone into the break.
The score of 1-1 was notable for the fact that the Reds did not send a single ball into the goal.In just two games this season, Liverpool have had fewer shots on target in total than in the three games they have had at the Emirates. Coincidentally, one of those games was against the Gunners in the FA Cup.However, after the break, areas for improvement were clearly revealed. Without Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunes and Dominic Szoboslay, there would be no goal threat.
