FIRMINO SALVAGES POINT IN THRILLER
Arsenal can’t hold on after fightback
WHATEVER happens over the next 14 days of holiday football, it may just be that we have already witnessed the highlight. This was as good as it gets at the Emirates.
Yes, this game was full of holes and imperfections. In the Sky studios, they probably could have huffed and puffed and pushed gadgets and gizmos around screens all night.
The defending was lousy, the goalkeeping occasionally even worse and to watch both teams attack was, at times, like witnessing two basketball teams just charging relentlessly from one end of the court to the other.
But in terms of the entertainment, excitement and drama, this was the type of game that keeps people awake at night for the right reasons.
Liverpool should have won it. They were two ahead thanks to Philippe Coutinho and Mo Salah with 55 minutes gone. Arsenal had been utterly wretched and, at that stage, it looked as though Christmas may just be cancelled in this part of North London.
Then, incredibly, Arsenal could have won it. Three goals in five minutes flew in to the Liverpool net.
Alexis Sanchez and Granit Xhaka were assisted by Liverpool’s defence and goalkeeper in that order — and then Mesut Ozil scored a truly sublime goal fit to win any game.
It would have been an incredible victory for Arsenal, deserved and not deserved at the same time. But Arsene Wenger’s team always give you a chance, don’t they?
Here, they gave Liverpool several and Roberto Firmino took one with 20 minutes left as Petr Cech couldn’t keep out his powerful drive from the edge of the area.
Recent results between these teams had been one-sided enough to suggest that Arsenal had grown phobic of playing Liverpool.
Certainly, the home team’s first-half performance suggested that Wenger’s players would rather be facing absolutely anybody else.
Arsenal’s home record in the Premier League this season has actually been quite good, with only that crazy defeat here to Manchester United serving as a blot on the record. In the opening 45 minutes here, though, they were utterly dreadful and certainly fortunate to be only a goal down.
Rarely has a Wenger side looked so disorganised and lacking in cohesion.
Arsenal gave the ball up so easily in the centre of the field it was staggering at times, while Wenger’s decision to field young Ainsley Maitland-Niles as left-back in a defensive four exposed him to the merciless pace and trickery of Liverpool’s Salah down that side.
How Liverpool didn’t go in at the break with the game already sealed, only they will know.
Jurgen Klopp’s team were admirable in their build-up play and in the relentless nature of their pressing, but they were quite lousy in front of goal.
More often than not, Arsenal goalkeeper Cech was not required to even make a save, so out of sync was the Liverpool compass inside the penalty area.
The goal Liverpool did score in the first half came in the 26th minute.
Predictably, it was scored by one of their so-called ‘Fab Four’, the impish Brazilian Coutinho, but the real beauty of it was to be found in the pass from substitute James Milner.
Milner, who was called into action early when captain Jordan Henderson limped off, delivered a first-time pass to send Salah away down the right which was perfect in pace and timing.
The Egyptian had the run on Maitland-Niles immediately and though his cross was deflected up into the air, Coutinho had run so hard to get there that he deserved a bit of luck as the ball dropped nicely for him to head it over Cech who had advanced expecting the ball to arrive at the Liverpool player’s feet.
We all knew Coutinho could kick it, but now we know he can head it, too. A goal up, Liverpool looked hungry and Arsenal feckless.
Wenger’s team looked sporadically dangerous on the break but, without the ball, they were drowning.
Firmino had come close with two far-post headers prior to the goal and then curled a lovely right-foot shot towards the top corner in the 32nd minute, only to see the ball keep rising and skim the top of the crossbar.
Arsenal were relieved to see that one miss the target and were even more fortunate soon after when Dejan Lovren slipped as he looked to move unmarked on to a routine free-kick at the far post. Had the Croatian managed to divert the ball square across goal, Liverpool players were waiting to score.
Not surprisingly, the mood was dark at the Emirates. Arsenal fans have been growing tired of seeing their team second best. In the
centre of the field, Arsenal were lacking in competitiveness, while there were accidents waiting to happen all across the back four.
One did occur just before half-time as Laurent Koscielny slipped to allow Salah clear.
He should have scored but Cech managed to save and Sadio Mane, for reasons best known to himself, attempted a spectacular volley on the rebound when he could have taken the ball down and placed it. Needless to say, he blazed over.
A minute later, Liverpool were in again but when Sane squared the ball to Salah he managed to miskick completely just eight yards from goal.
It appeared that another goal would see Liverpool home but, astonishingly, that wasn’t how it turned out. Arsenal actually began the second half as they had played the first; giving the ball away and spending too much time trying to repair damage inside their own defensive third.
They survived one break as Cech saved from Salah, but not another when Firmino led the charge from his own half to feed his team-mate breaking alongside him. Salah’s shot with his left foot found the corner off substitute Shkodran Mustafi and it seemed as though Arsenal were sunk.
Single moments can change the most lop-sided of games, though, and this one arrived almost immediately. Alexandre Lacazette’s cross from the right should not have reached Sanchez but Liverpool defender Joe Gomez hesitated critically and the Chilean pounced to head Arsenal back in to the game.
From here, what we saw was sensational. It was full of holes and full of mistakes, but who really cares? It was terrific to watch.
Simon Mignolet should have saved the equaliser from Xhaka two minutes later. Klopp had warned beforehand of Xhaka’s power, but maybe his goalkeeper wasn’t listening. The shot was struck powerfully from 25 yards, but didn’t swerve that much. Mignolet should have saved it with two hands but waved just one at it and the ball ricocheted past him and into the net.
Cue bedlam at the Emirates. Christmas had looked as it was about to be ruined but now the mood was transformed and now it was Liverpool who couldn’t cope. Ozil’s goal made it three goals in five minutes and this one was a beauty.
The one-two the German played with Lacazette on the edge of the penalty area was sublime enough, but the subsequent finish was even better as Ozil lifted the ball over Mignolet and into the far corner.
Ahead for the first time, it was always going to be interesting to see how Arsenal went about things from that point on. Would they close the game down? Do they know how? Of course not.
So it was that, as Arsenal went for goal number four, Liverpool broke to pick them off. Firmino it was who drove a shot through Cech’s hands to equalise in the 70th minute and, in truth, it had been coming. The former Chelsea keeper must have felt he could have done more to keep it out.
The only surprise was that there were no more goals. At full-time, the aggregate score between these two teams in their last five league games stood at 27-17 to Liverpool. Sadly, we have to wait until next season for the next meeting.