Mesut still has a bit of pure magic
Jones seals shoot-out to sink brave Gunners
Substitute Jones, 18, scored the winning spot-kick on his home debut after Dani Ceballos was foiled by keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Unai Emery’s men had led three times in this 10-goal thriller, mainly thanks to the exploits of Gabriel Martinelli, also 18, who scored twice to leave the European champions on the brink of losing at home for the first time in 13 months. But Divock Origi’s last-gasp equaliser in stoppage time – his second of the night – took this crazy dreaded shoot-out.
Jurgen Klopp threw in Harvey Elliott to make him the youngest player ever to appear for the Reds at Anfield. The Reds took just six minutes to go ahead when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst down the right before firing in a cross that Shkodran Mustafi steered past Emiliano Martinez off his knee.
Somehow the Gunners turned the match on its head with two goals in seven minutes to lead. The equaliser came from Lucas Torreira, who bundled home a loose ball from close range after Kelleher had parried Bukayo Saka’s initial shot.
Torreira was in an off-side position, but there was no VAR to review the goal. Home fans barely clash to a had time to digest the blow before the Gunners scored again, with Martinelli slamming in from close range after Kelleher had blocked a cross from Ainsley Maitland-Niles that deflected into his path off Sepp van den Berg.
Things went from bad to worse before the break when Elliott gave the ball away deep inside his own half to Mesut Ozil, who fed Saka, who picked out the unmarked Martinelli for him to make it 3-1. Elliott went some way to making amends for his earlier mistake when he earned a penalty on 42 minutes which James Milner converted to make it 2-3. But the kamikaze contest continued at full throttle and the Gunners’ two-goal advantage was restored 10 minutes into the second half when Milner’s mistake sold Kelleher short and Ozil’s brilliant backheel allowed MaitlandNiles to tap in from close range.
Back came the Reds with two stunning goals in four mad minutes from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Origi to make it 4-4. Then it was time for Joe Willock to nudge the Gunners ahead again on 70 minutes before Origi struck late. When Ceballos missed, up stepped local lad Jones to have the final say.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Kelleher 7; Williams 6, Gomez 6, van den Berg 6, Milner 7; Oxlade-Chamberlain 7 (Chirivella 81), Lallana 6, Keita 6 (Jones, 55, 6); Elliott 6, Brewster 7, Origi 6.
Goals: Mustafi 6og, Milner 43pen, Oxlade-Chamberlain 58, Origi 62, 90.
ARSENAL (4-4-1-1): Martinez 6; Bellerin 6, Mustafi 5, Holding 6, Kolasinac 6 (Tierney 83); Maitland-Niles 7, Torreira 8 (Ceballos 72), Willock 7, Saka 7; Ozil 8 (Guendouzi 65); Martinelli 8. Goals: Torreira 19, Martinelli 26, 36, MaitlandNiles 54, Willock 70.
MESUT OZIL told Unai Emery he was ready to take his chance when they held talks on Tuesday.
Last night he finally got back to do his talking on the pitch.
The caveat has to be that this was against a Liverpool side filled with teenagers and fringe players. But certainly something for his manager to think about now is how to integrate the Germany international back into his first team.
Ozil, below, has been an outcast this season at the Emirates with this just his third start of the campaign.All the while he has been pocketing £350,000 every week in wages.
Not bad work if you can get it, eh? Emery said this was an important night for his misfit.
To some it felt like a move by Emery to placate angry fans after captain Granit Xhaka’s outburst.
Whatever the reason, it was a chance for Ozil to show he can add something to what has been a stuttering season for Arsenal.
He did that when his pass to Bukayo Saka created the equaliser to make it 1-1. His movement was creating space and his link-up play also impressive, showing his quick thinking too as again he found Saka to create the third.
He intercepted a pass and played it first time down the wing and the move ended with Gabriel Martinelli firing home. And his flick back for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to get the fourth for the Gunners was beautiful.
He played for 65 minutes and the travelling fans made their feelings clear about Ozil as they chanted his name.The bigger test will come if he gets a chance against Wolves on Saturday.
But, of course, he will not be able to solve Arsenal’s leaky defence, which cost them here.