ARE YOU WATCHING, GARETH?
Trent too hot for Gunners as he makes up for his England heartache
LIVERPOOL are back. Not back to their best maybe. That would be absurd. A longer period of rehabilitation will be needed to return to the considerable heights of the last two years. But back in the game, certainly.
On the day they surrendered their title, no longer mathematically able to catch Manchester City, they demonstrated many qualities of old. They dispatched Arsenal with ease. And they ensured that the fight for that final Champions League spot will be an entertaining scramble.
This looked like a Liverpool team again. Whereas recently they have seemed punch drunk, a champion fighter staggering around the ring in a state of indignity, now at least they were back on their feet and throwing punches. Of course, with such inexperienced centre halves, you worry that one hit could floor them again.
But in the opening half Liverpool were so crisp in their passing, their midfield so dominant that Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak had little to deal with. It helps to have Fabinho patrolling in front of you. He exudes confidence and competence.
Meanwhile, Thiago Alcantara and James Milner were switching play at every opportunity, drilling long precision passes into space for Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to run on to.
Arsenal, crab-like, were reduced to hiding in their shell, containing the attacks. They did so at the expense of attacking ambition of their own. As such, they accepted that chances would be conceded and that they would have to rely on Liverpool missing them.
On 29 minutes Thomas Partey misjudged a clearance from Alisson and flicked his header into the path of Sadio Mane. He sprinted clear, looked up and saw his partner Mo Salah racing to goal on the far right, but Mane delivered the pass just behind the Egyptian and the chance receded. Yet a warning shot had been fired.
An even better chance came on 35 minutes when Liverpool worked their way down the right, Alexander-Arnold cut inside and pulled the ball back for Milner. Twelve yards out, Milner took aim but struck wide. Liverpool were at least finding the spaces now, yet were lacking the ruthlessness of old.
Arsenal, missing Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, looked way off the pace. They looked second best all around and all they could offer was energetic running off the ball and containment strategy.
The second half established precisely the same pattern. But Liverpool’s dominance wasn’t cutting through so Jurgen Klopp upped the ante. Off came Andy Robertson and on came Diogo Jota on 61 minutes. James Milner went to left back and Roberto Firmino played behind Jota, Liverpool effectively committing to a front four in an effort to break the deadlock.
Ironically, almost immediately, Arsenal registered their first shot on goal. Cedric Soares, on for the injured Kieran Tierney, cut inside from left back and shot crisply from the edge of the box, though Alisson, sporting a neat moustache, collected it cleanly.
Three minutes after coming on, Jota made the difference. But there was a separate narrative thread to the goal. All evening, AlexanderArnold, dropped by England to the utter incomprehension of Klopp, had diligently demonstrated many of the qualities that made him arguably the world’s best right back the previous two seasons.
Here on 64 minutes, as Liverpool patiently worked the ball out to him on the right, he delivered one of those delightful crosses that are his trademark. Looping over the Arsenal defenders, it still had sufficient pace and spin to be attacked with gusto by Jota, who had pulled away from Rob Holding and held off the challenge of Calum Chambers. He headed home emphatically.
Even better was to come on 68 minutes. Liverpool, now with some reassurance, were hitting their stride. So Fabinho found his range and delivered one of those searching balls beyond the back four that are so irksome to defenders.
Salah pounced and Gabriel, though he slid in to block, over committed and allowed the striker to run on. The denouement though was glorious. Cutting in on goal with Bernd Leno approaching, in the microsecond Salah had to make the decision, he gave the goalkeeper the eyes and then nutmegged him, driving t he ball cleanly through his legs.
On 82 minutes, Liverpool added their third. By now they were relishing hounding Arsenal. So when Leno and Gabriel attempted to play out from the back, the ubiquitous Alexander-Arnold chased down the ball to win it back.
From him to Salah and across to Mane, who with a touch helped it on its way to Jota, who, from four yards out, thumped the ball home.
Liverpool were reacquainting themselves with their synchronicity of old. Arsenal were just a shambles.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 6; Chambers 6, Holding 6, Gabriel 6, Tierney 6 (Soares 45min, 6); Partey 5, Ceballos 4 (Elneny 57, 6); Pepe 5, Odegaard 6, Aubameyang 5 (Martinelli 78); Lacazette 6. Booked: Gabriel. Subs (not used): Ryan, Bellerin, Cedric, Mari, Nelson, Willian, Nketiah. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson 7; Alexander-Arnold 7, Kabak 6 (Williams 84), Phillips 6, Robertson 7 (Jota 61, 8); Fabinho 8, Milner 6, Thiago 6; Salah, Firmino 6 (Wijnaldum 78), Mane 6. Booked: Jota. Subs (not used): Adrian, Tsimikas, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Shaqiri, Keita, Jones. Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire) 6.