LIVERPOOL...3 ARSENAL...1
Robertson goes from villain to hero for Liverpool... and it’s a sore one for Tierney
ANDREW Robertson overcame a horrific defensive blunder to triumph in the battle of the Scotland left-backs as Liverpool kept up their 100-per-cent start to the Premier League season at the expense of Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal.
The Scotland captain miscontrolled the ball in the 25th minute, allowing Alexandre Lacazette to open the scoring at Anfield. But after a swift equaliser from Sadio Mane, he made amends by putting Liverpool back in front after stealing in at the back post and beating Bernd Leno nine minutes before half-time.
Tierney’s first involvement of the night, meanwhile, was to be struck with a forearm to the face by Mane, who was lucky to escape with a yellow card.
Jurgen Klopp’s champions set a blistering pace last season and are challenging rivals to live with them again. There was even time for new signing Diogo Jota to score his first goal for the club, putting the outcome beyond doubt. Trent Alexander-Arnold crossed, David Luiz’s clearing header did not make the distance and Jota struck a low bobbling shot into the corner.
With the two Manchester clubs dropping points, and Chelsea and Tottenham lacking consistency, ‘catch us if you can’ is the message from Anfield.
Only Everton and Leicester City have stood the pace even at this early juncture.
When Klopp speaks of his mentality monsters, the image is conjured of his team chasing and harrying, the enormous energy that gets them through match after match, challenge after challenge. Yet it is even more than that.
Liverpool’s mentality is bravery and accountability, too, so if a player makes a mistake his instinct is to atone, not to make excuses or shift the blame. That is what Robertson did in the first half. He was at fault for the first goal which put Arsenal ahead against the run of play — but he responded by scoring the second goal of the game, which gave a deserved 34th-minute lead to Liverpool.
There were only nine minutes between the two events. That’s mentality.
Arsenal’s is improving under Mikel Arteta, too. They came to Anfield with resolve, which has not always been apparent in recent visits.
Coming into this game, Arsenal had played 27 away fixtures against fellow members of the big six since they last tasted victory on January 18, 2015 — a 2-0 win at Manchester City that is now so distant only Hector Bellerin remains at the club in a playing capacity from the 14 players featuring that day.
It is an abysmal record. And while they led for only 147 seconds in the first-half yesterday — and scored from their first touch inside Liverpool’s penalty area after 25 minutes — at least there was early evidence of a resilience.
Arsenal were trying to tough it out, even if Leno’s determination to pass to players standing deeper than the edge of his own six yard box borders on self-harm.
Too often, Arsenal were working overtime just to reach the edge of their own penalty area, given Liverpool’s penchant for the high press. It puts the back line on edge, like when Luiz mopped up from a Virgil van Dijk header when his goalkeeper looked to have the danger covered.
Did Liverpool, and specifically Mane, get lucky after only three minutes when he fended off Tierney, striking his face?
Possibly. Mane knew what he was doing and it most certainly was not his shoulder that did the harm, despite what he indicated to ref Craig Pawson. Had the official taken a second look, he might have considered an upgrade. As it was, he decided a yellow was sufficient.
Mane lived to fight another day and, in the 15th minute, almost opened the scoring when he struck a low cross from Alexander-Arnold straight at Leno. Liverpool came close again after 21 minutes — a Robertson corner, cleared and then returned by Alexander-Arnold, his shot deflected onto the bar by Bellerin.
A goal was coming, just not at the end anyone expected. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ cross was, frankly, poor because it went straight to a Liverpool player.
Robertson’s attempt at a clearance was amusingly sloppy, because it went directly behind him, a miskick of mystifying incompetence.
Lacazette would have been offside to any reasonable Arsenal pass, but it didn’t matter as the ball came off a Liverpool boot.
With only Alisson to beat, he miscued completely and dealt the ball a harmless glancing blow into the turf. Fortunately, it didn’t matter because Alisson was already committed, so the ball looped over him into the net.
It stung the champions, hence the revival. From the next attack, less than two minutes later, they were level. Credit to Pawson, because his assistant was flagging furiously for a foul by Granit Xhaka on Naby Keita, which he ignored in favour of a smart advantage.
The loose ball was picked up by Mohamed Salah, who cut inside from the right and unleashed a shot which Leno parried to the feet of Mane for a simple conversion.
Only seven minutes later, Liverpool were ahead. Salah fed the ball back to Alexander-Arnold who crossed. Two men went for this one, neither got it, but the ball clipped Rob Holding’s head.
In swept Robertson, who took a touch to pass Leno before prodding the ball into the net. And that’s how you say sorry. Sometimes, it really isn’t the hardest word. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; AlexanderArnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Keita (Milner 79), Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino (Minamino 90), Mane (Jota 80). Subs not used: Adrian, Jones, Origi, Williams. Booked: Mane, Alexander-Arnold.
ARSENAL (3-4-3): Leno; Holding, David Luiz, Tierney; Bellerin, Elneny, Xhaka (Ceballos 60), Maitland-Niles; Willian (Pepe 68), Lacazette (Nketiah 74), Aubameyang. Subs not used: Gabriel, Saka, Runarsson, Kolasinac.
Booked: Bellerin,Ceballos. Man of the match: Trent Alexander-Arnold. Referee: Craig Pawson.