Paul Gorst took charge of the big game as Liverpool lost 3-1 to Premier League rivals Arsenal at the Emirates. Isn’t there something about Liverpool, red cards and defeats in the Premier League in north London this season?But unlike the VAR farce of defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the end of September, Jurgen Klopp will have had few complaints as Arsenal revived their title ambitions and opened the door to Manchester City.
After being promoted just before the New Year without getting out of second gear, Klopp’s side changed their style in January, scoring 12 goals in three wins over Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Chelsea.But it gave them a clear chance to move up to eighth and deal Mikel Arteta’s side a fatal blow to their season hopes, but the leaders were left under the evening lights at the Emirates. Fans gathered in every corner of the Emirates as their teams trailed 3-1 with seven minutes of added time remaining, a familiar theme for Liverpool.
But as the thousands in their seats sang along to “Allez Allez Allez”, there were no references to conquering Europe or nods to Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly. Instead, it was a triumph for Arsenal fans as manager Arteta tagged them with the kind of theatrical flourish a self-help guru uses when preaching to his flock.It’s an anthem that has dominated Liverpool’s away games at Anfield for years, but when the Gunners adopt it to sing about their manager, it sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
Arteta’s celebration didn’t give the full picture of how important the win was for the hosts, but Lee Dixon’s electrifying performance on the left bench as part of NBC Sports was a commercial break. made.Even more so when Piers Morgan suddenly appeared in the mixed area after the match, scowling. Arsenal’s top cheerleader patted him on the back and made sure everyone in town saw and heard pictures of him with Bukayo Saka. The Gunnersaurus mascot had to get involved too. Those connected to Arsenal seem to know this is a big deal.
It was a performance that little Liverpool deserved, but their resilience and spirit seemed to steer them in the right direction, at least after Saka’s early effort was canceled out by Gabriel’s outrageous own goal. But the Reds conspired to make an embarrassing concession at a crucial moment. There was little danger as a wayward raider Gabriel Martinelli chased a long shot down the field. All seemed well between Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, but communication broke down between the pair as the goalkeeper waved an apologetic foot at the ball and failed to clear his line.
Martinelli took advantage and it seemed that the guests would never return to that place. Anthony Taylor’s decision to rule out Ibrahima Konate in the closing stages after picking up two of his worst bookings of the season dashed Liverpool’s hopes of a late response. Leandro Trossard rounded off the scoring with a goal and Alisson believes he could have done better. The wry sight of a smiling Klopp giving Taylor the thumbs up revealed his sincerity. He is said to have been furious when Liverpool received yet another red card in this side of the capital.
Jarell Quanza or Joe Gomez are likely to be needed as substitutes in next week’s surprise win over Burnley. To be fair, they are all at Anfield now. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been called up to replace Conor Bradley, who is mourning the death of his father, and the vice-captain, who last made his FA Cup debut last month, has never looked like a 100 per cent disciplined player. Future,He was unable to control play in central areas as he has throughout the season and stuck to his traditional full-back position, with Gomez moving from left to midfield.
It was a decision that backfired and it was clear that Alexander-Arnold, who was replaced by Andy Robertson, was still not back to his shocking best. An extra week of recovery could at least help with that. It would be harsh to criticize a team that still has a lot of work to do as they negotiate injury problems that have rarely been discussed over the past two months and advance with a top position in all three cup competitions. . After our second Premier League defeat of the season, I’m looking forward to this season.
