REDS NEED TO FIGHT A BORE WAR
JAMES MILNER last night urged his Liverpool team-mates to play “more boring” football after Arsenal went from two down to a goal up in the space of 388 seconds.
The Reds’ fab four ripped the Gunners to shreds, Arsene Wenger’s side produced an incredible fightback then it all ended up even thanks to Roberto Firmino.
Jurgen Klopp’s men remain fourth – a point ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal – after a thriller that produced one goal short of Liverpool’s 4-3 win 16 months ago.
But Milner said: “From a position like we were in we need to see out the game. We need to be more boring and know when to tighten up.
“We have to learn from this for the future. We play such good football but we have to switch it off at times, take it easy and not break every time. Against a good team like Arsenal you get punished.”
Fireworks are guaranteed in this fixture and neither side disappointed in a goalfest that’ll go down as a Christmas classic.
Quite whether either manager will remember it like that is another matter.
Klopp said: “You need to be angry with yourself, not sad or insecure. We came back into the game and scored our third.
“The point is the minimum we deserve. Because of the intensity of the game it was not easy to create clearer chances.
“When you get a point at Arsenal it is usually okay but after this give me a few minutes to get there.”
Arsenal looked a shambles in the first half but Wenger couldn’t have expected much playing a rookie midfielder at leftback against Europe’s deadliest forward.
Hardly surprising then that Mohamed Salah took Ainsley Maitland-Niles to the cleaners. It was the 20-year-old who was caught out of position for a 26th-minute opener as Salah’s cross was deflected off Laurent Koscielny and there – saying everything about Arsenal’s defence – was pint-sized Philippe Coutinho to nod in.
It was no wonder Arsenal were booed off at the break. And when Maitland-Niles was caught in possession seven minutes after the restart, Milner led a break and Salah’s shot deflected in off Shkodran Mustafi, there was a sense it was going to turn toxic inside the Emirates.
But a breathtaking revival started in the 53rd minute when Hector Bellerin’s cross found Alexis Sanchez racing in at the back post, Joe Gomez switched off and the Chilean nodded home.
Three minutes later Arsenal were level as Granit Xhaka hit a swerving drive that embarrassed Reds No.1 Simon Mignolet.
The Emirates was alive as Arsenal won possession and Alexandre Lacazette’s lovely backheel set up Mesut Ozil who somehow kicked the ball into the ground, it lifted up over Mignolet and went in.
Hanging on was another thing though as Salah and Emre Can combined in the 71st minute, the ball was threaded through for Firmino and he smashed a shot that squeezed past Petr Cech.
Wenger said: “We played frozen with fear and not at our level in the first half. In the second half we played at our level.
“It was a thrilling game. I am frustrated at not winning but that is the type of game you want in the Premier League.
“The good thing is overall we did not give up. The spirit is fantastic. On that front I am proud of the players. It shows a strong mentality.
“We have the capacity to respond. What you want is for the team to realise we have to start from the first minute.”