Salah and Liverpool sweep aside Gunners
liverpool 3 Matip (41), Salah (pen 49, 58) arsenal 1 Torreira (85)
Unai Emery believes Arsenal are closer to Liverpool than last season, despite another chastening defeat at Anfield.
Having lost 5-1 last December, the Gunners were beaten 3-1 this time, but were under pressure for the vast majority of the game.
It took Liverpool until just before half-time to make the breakthrough, Joel Matip heading in. Mohamed Salah’s double early in the second half threatened to make it another battering, but Arsenal rallied and substitute Lucas Torreira scored a consolation.
Emery said: “It was not all we wanted to do in the match because we wanted to keep the ball more, but their pressing was very strong. In the second half the key was the penalty. I think it was soft. “But we continued our way, we opened more and they gave us more space to keep the ball. In the transition they are strong and they scored the third goal. “It was the moment we needed to show something different – not frustration, not heads going down.
I think we showed character, also the impact with Lucas Torreira, with Alexandre Lacazatte and Henrikh Mkhitarayan was good.
“Some players today made one step ahead, like Joe Willock, I think it was a good match for Nicolas Pepe and Matteo Guendouzi. Dani Ceballos struggled more than last week, but it is one more experience for him.
“We need to be optimistic. I think we reduced the distance with Liverpool. At the moment it’s not enough, but I think we can be, in some issues, positive.” Emery admitted full-back Nacho Monreal, who played the full game, could leave the club before the closure of the European transfer window having been linked with a move to Real Sociedad.
“With Nacho, one possibility is open and we are going to speak about that,” said the Gunners boss.
Liverpool are now the only Premier League side with a 100% record this season and extended their winning run to 12 league matches.
The game started at a frenetic pace, with Andy Robertson fizzing a ball across the six-yard area which Roberto Firmino only narrowly missed.
Emery’s tactics were to defend deep with eight men behind the ball in an attempt to draw their opponents in before trying to release the explosive pace of £72-million summer signing Pepe, given a full debut at the expense of Lacazette.
However, a flaw in the plan was that the Gunners never looked comfortable in possession and regularly fell foul of Liverpool’s high press. And the more Liverpool pressed, the more Arsenal were presented with opportunities, with Pepe having three chances and Aubameyang one. Reds goalkeeper Adrian came out of his area to clear, but only found Aubameyang who lobbed the ball back past the far post.
Pepe’s best chance came after Jordan Henderson’s mistake on the halfway line allowed the Ivory Coast international to run past Robertson but in a oneone-one with Adrian he shot straight at the goalkeeper. But the incessant pressure on Arsenal’s defence began to tell and after Salah held off Granit Xhaka to cleverly turn and fire wide, the breakthough came.
From a corner Trent Alexander-arnold finally found his range and Matip powered home a 41st-minute header.
If the interval was a period for Arsenal to clear their heads, no-one told David Luiz who, in a moment of madness four minutes after the break, tugged on Salah’s shirt. The Egypt international confidently dispatched the penalty and added a second by brilliantly converting a three-pass move.
Lacazette, scorer of 19 goals last season and one in one match this, was not introduced until the 81st minute – and even then it was Torreira who eventually found the net, drilling home a loose ball 15 yards out.
Jurgen Klopp felt this performance represented a step up, saying: “I was really happy with a lot of parts of the game. Everything we did well in the first four games we did tonight longer.
“I loved the desire, passion, power and energy we put into this game that made us really uncomfortable to play against. We have a lot to improve but it was a big step tonight and I’m really happy.”