Arsenal routed; Spurs get a draw

Liverpool take advantage of errors

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND — Humiliation for Arsenal at Liverpool. More Wembley frustration for Tottenham.

The north London soccer clubs had an afternoon to forget in the Premier League on Sunday before the two-week international break.

An error-strewn display by Arsenal was punished at Anfield where Liverpool surged to a 4-0 victory.

At the same time in the capital, Tottenham was heading for only its third victory in 12 matches at Wembley until Burnley struck in stoppage time to claim a 1-1 draw at English football’s national stadium.

Chelsea, which beat Tottenham at its temporary home for the season last Sunday, followed up with a 2-0 victory over Everton as the champions showed they have quickly recovered from a shocking opening-day loss to Burnley.

West Bromwich Albion missed out on a third consecutive win when it was held 1-1 by Stoke. It leaves Manchester United, which beat Leicester 2-0 on Saturday, as the only team with a perfect record after three of 38 rounds.

Ruthless Liverpool

This was the platform for Liverpool’s attacking unit to flourish, and they seized it. There were certainly no signs Liverpool missed Philippe Coutinho, who is embroiled in a transfer standoff, as Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and substitute Daniel Sturridge scored.

Liverpool went ahead in the 17th minute when the opener was gifted. Firmino ghosted into the penalty area to meet Joe Gomez’s cross unmarked and sent a downward header past goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Even after conceding, Arsenal remained as chaotic and lethargic, never looking capable of mounting a comeback.

Tottenham’s travails

The mantra from Tottenham is: Don’t blame Wembley. There’s little point — last season’s runners-up are stuck there for the season while its White Hart Lane home is redeveloped.

Harry Kane’s failure to score in this game, or any game in August in the Premier League, certainly can’t be blamed on Wembley. The league’s top scorer last season, Kane missed several chances to build on Dele Alli’s opener. It proved costly when Chris Wood marked his Burnley debut by striking in the equalizer in stoppage time.

“If some people think about (Wembley being a problem) they need to stop,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “We are responsible to do better and try to win, and the way today we conceded a goal it was not the problem of Wembley.”