The Observer - 25.08.2019

The Observer

25.08.19 7

Adrián; Alexander-Arnold,

Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson;

Henderson, Fabinho,

Wijnaldum (Milner 69);

Salah, Firmino (Lallana

86), Mané (Oxlade-

Chamberlain 77)

Subs not used Kelleher,

Gomez, Shaqiri, Origi

Leno; Maitland-Niles,

Papastathopoulos, Luiz■,

Monreal; Guendouzi

(Mkhitaryan 86), Xhaka,

Willock (Lacazette 81);

Pepe, Ceballos (Torreira

61), Aubameyang Subs not

used Martínez, Chambers,

Nelson, Kolasinac

Liverpool Arsenal

Referee Anthony Taylor Attendance 53,298

4-3-3 4-3-3

Once more Anfi eld is

the mirror that refects

all Gunners’ failures

Another trip to Anfi eld, another

heavy defeat for Arsenal. The best

that can be said for them here is

that, emphatic as the scoreline was,

this was not as bad a performance

as many they have produced here

in recent years. In their last seven

visits, Arsenal, unable to cope

with Liverpool’s remorseless, have

conceded 25 goals. Anfi eld has been

a brutal mirror and here again it

refl ected all their shortcomings.

There was at least some

stubbornness and resolve,

exemplifi ed by Lucas Torreira’s late

goal, but the rebuilding of Arsenal

has a way to go yet. There were

moments in the fi rst half, three of

them, when it even seemed possible

Arsenal might take the lead. But the

problem was a set-up so accepting

of Liverpool’s superiority as to make

it all but inevitable that they would

succumb eventually.

By playing a diamond in midfi eld,

Unai Emery in effect surrendered

the fl anks to the forward surges

of the best pair of attacking

full-backs in the Premier League,

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy

Robertson.

To an extent, that’s testament

to the multiplicity of threats

Liverpool pose. As Pep Guardiola

has pointed out, there is probably

no side in the world that attacks

with such fury and such a range

of options from narrow positions.

Especially given how Mohamed

Salah and Sadio Mané tuck infi eld,

it is understandable an opposing

side feels the need to overman in

central areas.

But doing that inevitably meant

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson,

23 assists between them last season,

had a lot of possession. And that

meant a lot of balls into the box.

Again and again crosses fl ashed

across goal. Again and again David

Luiz or Sokratis Papastathopoulos

cleared or made blocks. Perhaps the

plan was to keep the Brazilian so

busy he could not be distracted by

thoughts of glorious sallies upfi eld,

to sit so deep that he didn’t have to

think territorially – something Mark

Schwarzer, his former team-mate

at Chelsea, had highlighted as a

vulnerability earlier in the week –

but could keep fi ghting the duels he

relishes.

Arsenal held out for longer than

they had in any Anfi eld game since

their 2-2 draw here in 2014, but the

sense was always that they would

crack eventually. A second away

clean sheet of the season, exceeding

last season’s total by the end of

August, never seemed plausible.

Eventually a cross, especially against

a team with the quality of delivery

of Liverpool, is going to meet a

forehead and sure enough one did,

shortly before half-time. Joël Matip’s

opener came from a right-wing

corner, the 22nd cross Liverpool had

mustered in the opening 41 minutes,

the 19th from a full-back and the

12th from Alexander-Arnold.

The lesson, it is fair to say, was

not learned. Arsenal emerged for the

second half in the same shape and

within three minutes had conceded

again. Alexander-Arnold was again

left absurdly isolated perhaps 10

yards outside the box and had time

to measure his pass in to Roberto

Firmino. A sharp pass round the

corner set Salah behind David Luiz,

but not far enough behind that the

Brazilian could not grab his shirt

and concede a penalty.

David Luiz is a curious player,

Jonathan

Wilson

Anfi eld

one whose gifts and fl aws are both

vast and manifest. The glee with

which his signing was greeted at the

Emirates was at least partly born

of the realisation that his presence

meant the end for Shkodran

Mustafi , whose confi dence by the

close of last season was almost as

fractured as his relationship with

the supporters. But those who

had doubts would not have been

reassured here.

Perhaps his performance was

nothing unexpected: a midfi elder

converted into a third centre-back as

a 17-year-old at Vitoria in Salvador,

he has never looked comfortable in

a two. His tendency has always been

to charge out in search of the ball,

and it was that fault that brought the

third. It was not so much the ease

with which Salah skipped by him

that provoked concern as the fact he

did it out on the left touchline about

10 yards inside his own half.

Arsenal’s pre-season optimism

need not be extinguished entirely

but this was a chastening lesson

in where they currently stand. At

least the trip to Anfi eld is over early

this year.

Unai Emery’s Arsenal had enjoyed

a promising start to the season before

his side met Liverpool in a ruthless

mood at Anfi eld

BEN STANSALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

area David Luiz was tugging the strik-
er’s shirt so blatantly that he gave a
curt little salute to Anthony Taylor as
an admission of guilt. The Brazilian
then had the nerve to look aggrieved,
along with the rest of the Arsenal
defenders, when the referee pointed
to the spot. The foul was as clear as
it was unnecessary and Salah made
Arsenal pay, smacking his spot kick
fi rmly into Leno’s top right corner.
If David Luiz thought his afternoon
could not get any worse he was badly
mistaken. Salah beat him so com-
pletely on the right touchline he was
left careering off the pitch with his
hands raised in surrender, while the
Liverpool player scampered grate-
fully into an empty penalty area to
beat Leno with a confi dent low shot.

While David Luiz might have done

better, it was risky for Arsenal to play

with such a high line against such a

fast-breaking as side. Lucas Torreira

scored a close -range consolation

goal to deny Liverpool a clean sheet ,

though with Adam Lallana and Alex

Oxlade-Chamberlain getting a run -

out before the end, the league leaders

had little else to complain about.