Liverpool lost 3-1 to Arsenal in the Premier League with Darwin Nunez missing from the starting line-up. Martin Odegaard and his colleagues had a great time throughout.
The Premier League standings are as follows: Liverpool, 23 games, 51 points; Arsenal scored 23.49 points. Manchester City scored 21.46 points. Pep Guardiola’s first game against Brentford is tonight.
So it’s all for play. But that’s only because Liverpool failed to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. “Overall, we can accept that Arsenal deserve the three points.” Klopp received full time. Had Liverpool won, the Reds would have gone eight points ahead. The sixth point put Klopp’s men two points ahead.
Just as this weekend showed how feelings about Liverpool can change quickly in a single game, there could be even more change next week. The Reds face Burnley next Saturday, while Arsenal face Everton, West Ham and Manchester City.
Darwin Nunez was a big mistake for Liverpool. Klopp said leaving him out was a tactical decision. The 24-year-old was asked if it was a mistake not to start and he said “maybe” but it was the wrong move. In the end, the Reds posed little threat without Uruguay.
Especially in the first half, the Reds did not have a single shot on goal, although they started the half with a 1-1 lead.
Of course Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai were also missing, but there was no focal point in attack. Liverpool’s most important chance came from Gabriel’s freak own goal. Luis Diaz did well in the conditions, but he, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo were very tired. None of the three really impressed me other than a good fight.
The biggest takeaway
Things could come to an extreme in the Premier League title clash between Liverpool and Arsenal with 15 games remaining. Manchester City have two games left (both against Brentford) and will be favorites here. But we might have our first real three-way match in a long time.
Liverpool are still looking forward to the final but will deny their opponents the opportunity to knock them out of the competition. In fact, a win for the Reds means Arsenal are too far behind. Instead, the Gunners are at the center of it all.