Gunners on the road to nowhere...
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
IF this game represented an important test of just how far Arsenal have come under Mikel Arteta, then the full-time scoreline suggested it is not very far at all.
The Gunners headed to Anfield unbeaten in 10 and having won eight of those, while Liverpool looked vulnerable after a home draw with Brighton and defeat at West Ham.
Arsenal headed to Merseyside desperate to finally show their best selves on the biggest stage. The visitors started brightly, and by the half-hour mark, their performance had been good enough to spark hopes of a first Anfield win since September 2012 - a game Arteta himself started.
Unfortunately, the Spaniard was about to underline his inexperience in the most public manner – involving himself in a touchline dispute with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp that earned him a yellow card and served only to rile the home fans and apparently spark Liverpool into life, and they dutifully opened the scoring through Sadio
Mane.
When Liverpool doubled their lead witha delightful finish by Diogo Jota, it was no more than they deserved, with the momentum having shifted enough to make another thrashing in this fixture a possibility.
The hosts gleefully delivered, walking through a previously obstinate Arsenal defence time and time again as the goals piled up, along with the questions for Arteta.
If anyone truly doubted it, the chasm between the two managers and their teams was fully evidenced by the end of this 90 minutes.
For all the praise that Arteta has had in recent weeks, it is hard to shake the feeling that a kind fixture list and some occasional good fortune has led to their recent renaissance.
Not every away game is at Anfield of course, but it will be very hard for Arteta to match the lofty expectations of Arsenal’s fans after he again failed to narrow the gap to the top four.