Arsenal delivered a near-perfect performance against Liverpool and took all three points in a game that was so brutally controlled it didn’t feel like a top-of-the-table clash.
Arsenal recorded the highest xG against Liverpool this season. Sorry, I mean, ever in Premier League history.
Liverpool’s first goal came from zero shots on target.
Their scary comeback in the opening 15 minutes of the first half amounted to a single shot on target for them all game.
Teams don’t do that sort of thing to Liverpool FC. That was not part of the Klopp retirement plan. He was supposed to win that game and make the run in a two-horse race between him and his made-for-tv rivalry with that old dog Pep down the road.
Mikel Arteta and the boys had other ideas. The performance was very similar to what we’ve seen recently, but this time, we took the full compliment of points home with us. Arsenal controlled the pitch, they were more aggressive and dominant in the duels, and the passing through the fierce Liverpool press was simply delicious the whole game.
The leading scorers in the Premier League had no ideas, they were boxed in by our positioning and aggression. Arsenal, once again in a big game this season, fancied themselves as the dominant force – but this time, we didn’t need underlying data to prove what our eyes were seeing.
The first goal was a thing of beauty. Jorginho passed to Kai in the false 9 role, Kai to Gabriel, Gabriel with the one touch to Zinchenko, he cut back into midfield and rolled a simple pass to Odegaard who swept a first-time pass into the run of Kai… it looked like the German was on for the finish, his strike hit the keeper, but fell favourably for Saka who took one touch and swept into a net defended by Konate who couldn’t beat the shot.
So much to love about that goal… but a big part of it was getting the ball up the pitch as fast as possible and being deadly with the finish. Well, the second finish at least.
Liverpool hadn’t hit the target by the 43rd minute and we’d had 4 big chances. Just as I was thinking about putting the kettle on chugging a quart of whisky, calamity struck. William Saliba was shielding a ball for Raya to take, the keeper was never getting it, Saliba chipped at it, it hit Gabriel on the hand and went in.
It was pure dumb. I don’t know what we were thinking. It hurt. The players must have been gutted. All that hard work and once again, Lady Luck was making eyes at Jurgen Klopp on the touchline. How could we be in a top-of-the-table clash where Liverpool had a goal from ZERO shots on target?
The goal we conceded actually turned out to be a blessing. The boys came out for the second half feeling sorry for themselves, Liverpool had a raft of semi chances, and it looked like we were going to let Klopp happen to us again… then we just decided that wasn’t going to be our narrative. Martin Odegaard led the charge and started to make things happen. We found our confidence again and went for it.
Our second goal was all about never giving up. Big Gabi launched a long ball over the shoulder of VVD, and Martinelli chased it down and flustered the Dutchman into a brain freeze with Allison, the ball bounced loose, and the Brazilian speedster finished with a simple pass into an empty net.
Now we were believing. We weren’t finished though. The ref threw up 7 minutes of added time. Every Arsenal fan in the world was worried the team that never dies would conjur some miracle for their departing god… instead, it was Trossard who crafted the black magic. Kiwior found him on the left caught in traffic between Elliot and Dias, the Belgian dropped some twinkle toes, beat both of them, scampered into the box with 7 Liverpool players chasing… and he just buried it under the best keeper in the league.
Absolutely incredible.
So let’s start with the conclusion.
Arsenal is now very much in the title race. We’ve beaten the two best teams in the Premier League this season and we just gave Liverpool their 2nd defeat in 34 games. Arsenal didn’t win a fine margins game. We dished out an annihilation to a team far too many people have lap dancing for. Liverpool are good, Arsenal are a different level I’m afraid.
I do not think we have what it takes to win the league against Manchester City this season, but I’ll say it again, I think we’re the second-best team in the country. Liverpool have been playing at peak all season, every single break has gone for them, they have had all the luck, and they are still in 4 competitions. I’ve seen this movie before and it ends in cup doubles.
There are two teams in the top 5 that are playing basically to their xG at the moment. Arsenal and Manchester City. Everyone else is massively overperforming. City will get back to being xG monsters, the question was… could Arsenal? This victory indicates there’s a chance we are timing our form perfectly. 3 wins in three, 10 goals, 2 conceded. Feels good.
As for the individual performances. Let’s start with the manager. He loses Partey and Jesus before the game and there’s no drop in performance. Jorginho comes into the team and has a worldie. All the melts were telling me Kai was a bad signing. I had to watch him drop a brilliant yet industrious performance as a false 9 / agitator in chief. He drew yellow cards and reds. He was part of the first goal with a great run. He was a monster. Arteta had our wingers inverting to constrict the space when defending. Martin Odegaard was moving the ball quicker and he was more aggressive with his pressing. Every single player was focused and playing at an outrageous level. That was Arteta at his best. Crafting a master plan with lots of devil in the detail.
How about our two under-fire wingers settling the game with goals? Neither is going to win a goal of the month award, but both said something about anticipation and always being prepared for any outcome. A Boy Scout goal, if you will. Martinelli, in particular, seemed on fire. He looked fit and revved up to show Liverpool he wanted to put TAA back in rehab. What a powerhouse.
Jorginho… or Jor-Genius (thanks Patreon Discord). What a game from him. Say it quietly, he’s been superb this season. He never gets the plaudits because of the Chelsea tax… but you can’t avoid it today, he was a 10/10 and our man of the match. He was under brutal pressure, but kept going with the one-touch passing and the lofted chips. When he’s at his best, his body language is like an old pro on the beach dominating a game with the kids while playing with a negroni in hand. He oozed class. Another player who has blown up narratives around his ability.
Declan Rice was sensational again. A friend said he is better than Rodri because his game doesn’t need the dark arts fouls to be good. He times everything to perfection, he can do anything with the ball, and he is always in the right place, two inches from whoever he’s trying to take the ball from. What a player. Can you believe City wanted him to sit behind someone this summer?
Let’s give the fullbacks some credit as well. Ben White – sensational. Zinchenko – disciplined and key in the build to the first goal. Kiwior – came on and delivered with good defending AND an assist. Tomi comes back into the mixer this week, who knows what shape he’ll be in, but he’ll be additive. Hopefully Zinchenko’s early exit was precautionary, but if it was his calf, it’s likely another spell on the sidelines.
Martin Odegaard. That was a captain’s performance. He was everywhere, he led, he took chances, he brought people into the game, and he rallied the boys when they needed it. What’s not to love? Could his output be better this season? For sure. But we can’t all cry about the lack of a finisher then bitch that Odegaard doesn’t have 50 assists. That ball he put into Kiwior would have been finished by Ivan Toney. You don’t need to see hard numbers to understand the value he gives to the team.
Finally, the fans. They brought the goods. The noise sounded great majority of the game. We DO have it in us. It was electric. The game merited it for sure, but no reason we can’t deliver like that for the rest of the season. If the manager and the captain think it gives us an edge… give them the edge.
My only whinge about the day was having to listen to bitter pundits criticize the players and the manager for celebrating. If you can’t lose your mind after beating Liverpool in a table-topping clash, what’s the fucking point? Fans love to see it, even when they’re on the receiving end. The explayers and pundits don’t mind it when it’s their favoured clubs doing it. Trying to shift the narrative away from an incredible performance, to celebration ranking is deeply, deeply cynical. I expect it of Neville. A partisan hack who knows that his ‘I don’t understand the Arsenal strategy’ will be on his punditry gravestone when we win the league. Carragher calling Odegaard ill-disciplined for having fun with Stuart McFarlane? Ridiculous. It’s beautiful to see players treating non-sporting staff with that sort of respect. It shows how good the culture is that they included him.
So in short, Arsenal delivered. We’re back in the race. The naysayers are on the back foot. The people who kept the faith are savouring the W. Let’s see what we can do in the next 6 Premier League games before the City showdown. We need to win them all. If we do, that away game becomes a title decider. Tantalizing.
Let’s see what the boys can do!
Get the latest pod in ur ears.