Mikel Arteta will no doubt be disappointed that the Reds drew, but when Salah is in good spirits defenders will have few chances.The second half was a tight affair with few chances apart from a standout in Trent Alexander-Arnold. Mirror Football takes a look at the winners and losers of the Declan Rice Declan Rice perfectly anchored Arsenal’s midfield. Declan Rice perfectly anchored Arsenal’s midfield.Declan Rice is currently Arsenal’s undisputed star. This is perhaps unsurprising given the £105million transfer fee, but few players have been as successful a signing for the Gunners as Rice.The former West Ham captain kept his cool as he battled through Arsenal’s defence. His ability to sense danger and thwart promising opposition attacks will be invaluable to Arteta’s side’s efforts.Rice was one of the few Arsenal players to recognize the need for quick forward play to beat Liverpool’s pressure and impressed those around him by keeping up the attacking pressure.
Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah’s goal raises Liverpool’s levelThe Liverpool striker knew that West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen was level with him in the points table and had to act accordingly. Salah did just that, scoring his 12th goal of the season in fine style. Salah has shown time and time again during his time at Liverpool that he can make a team pay if given the slightest opportunity. When Alexander Zinchenko planted it on his right foot, there was only one result. He may not have been at his best with Manchester United last time out, but against Arsenal, Salah was once again one of the stars of the show. Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of Liverpool’s special players.The Reds academy graduate produces almost all of his sensational passes, but his outside right-footed curling is particularly lethal. Alexander-Arnold’s assist could have been achieved by several other Premier League players and it even looked easy. His defensive ability is often questioned, but he plucked an Arsenal pass out of the air, set up a counter and roared home with confidence. In the previous editions of this competition, Gabriel Martinelli had a lot of fun with Alexander-Arnold. The Reds right-back had previously struggled to cope with the pace and guile of the Brazilian. This time he took the opportunity to counter-attack before scoring against Arsenal in the 68th minute.That said, when Alexander-Arnold rattled the crossbar after a 4-1 chance, he will be joking that he spurned one of his best chances this season.
Zinchenko Zinchenko had to work hard to prevent Mohamed the ball. Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard didn’t have his best night in an Arsenal shirt.The Arsenal captain was arguably the best player against Brighton last week. But the quality at Anfield has dropped dramatically. Odegaard was typically confident in possession but was unable to hold onto the ball for long periods to help break Liverpool’s momentum. The 25-year-old can count himself lucky not to have been awarded a penalty minutes before Liverpool equalised. Odegaard appeared to catch the ball as he slid and tried to stay upright, but both referee Chris and VAR did not spare him a red. Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli had little impact against Liverpool.Martinelli was a major selling point for Arsenal given the way Liverpool set up. His pace and performance against former Alexander-Arnold will give the traveling faithful some optimism.
Arsenal travel to Liverpool looking to end an Anfield side that have not won a league game in the Merseyside Red Half since 2012.The Gunners got off to a dream start when Gabriel Magalhaes headed home Martin Odegaard’s free-kick five minutes into the first half. The away side were discouraged after the goal went through a simple VAR review but was eventually awarded.The joy was short-lived as Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah equalized with a sensational left-footed strike after beating Alexander Zinchenko.
thrilling game at Anfield.
Arsenal -Babat -praised a lot of attacks, but his protection was completely seen by the Liverpool equalizer.Before he threw his lazy legs to hug the Egyptians in Zinchenko, he had a thin side that could not overcome his wrong side. As expected, it didn’t work and Salah went home to wake up the Anfield fans.There could be an argument that David Raya could have done better, but there’s no arguing how poorly Zinchenko performed against one of the most feared shooters in the league.
However, the young Brazilian failed to show his performance and finished second behind Alexander-Arnold on several occasions. It wasn’t just the right-back, wasted passes and sloppy touches that marred Martinelli’s game. Naturally he showed his number and was replaced by Leandro Trossard with about 25 minutes left in the game. When he was on the end of the ball, his substitutions were much safer.
