Arsenal were brought back to earth by a rampaging Liverpool after an unbeaten streak of 10 games following a poor start to the 2021/22 season.
Liverpool scored four goals to which Mikel Arteta’s side had no reply. The Merseyside team were coming from a defeat to another London side, West Ham United, which ended their 25-match unbeaten streak that spanned seven months.
Their response to the 3-2 defeat at the Hammers stadium was emphatic enough for all other title contenders and crushing for the Gunners who had just hit a good run of form. The loss, however, is only Arsenal’s fourth loss in 21 games, which isn’t a particularly bad record for the Gunners and their embattled manager, Mikel Arteta.
Liverpool forwards remain the deadliest in the league
After a shoddy half-hour of football from both sides, Liverpool finally opened the scoring with a headed goal from Sadio Mane, scored from another brilliant Trent Alexander-Arnold delivery. It was a crushing goal for Arsenal’s goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale, who had been in fine form until that point in the game.
The second half saw Liverpool run riot at Anfield, as wave after wave of attack kept flowing from the Merseysiders. Goals from Liverpool’s other forwards, Digo Jota, Mohammed Salah, and Takumi Minamino who came on for Diogo Jota after he picked up a knock, were the nail on Arsenal’s coffin at Anfield.
The goals from Liverpool’s forwards – with the exception of Takumi Minamino who hasn’t seen much action this season – took their total tally to 30 goals in all competitions this season.
However, with the African Cup of Nations coming up in January, Liverpool will be losing both Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah for at least a month. Jurgen Klopp will have to shore up his attack so that his team do not miss the attacking threat from both superstars.
Arsenal fall to mighty Reds as expected
Anfield has not been a happy hunting ground for the gunners in the past few seasons and not many people expected a different result. However, the scoreline is sure to take all fans by surprise, seeing how well Arsenal have defended during their 10-game unbeaten run.
The game got very intense at one point in the first half as both managers had a go at each other and had to be separated by members of their coaching staff. That fire died down, however, as Jurgen Klopp’s side came out guns blazing after the halftime break.
Arsenal will have another opportunity to regain their confidence as they host struggling Newcastle United in the next Premier League game week, but the players and coaching staff will have to deal with Arsenal’s impatient fans who see this loss as an indictment of the club’s average season.
