Arsenal took on Liverpool at Anfield during gameweek 3 of the Premier League. The game ended with a 1-0 win for Liverpool, with the scoreline reflecting what occurred on the pitch.
How both teams lined up:
Liverpool
The Reds were without their new Right-Back signing, Jeremie Frimpong, due to injury. They fielded a strong lineup with Szoboszlai fitting in at Frimpong’s position for the second game in a row. The full lineup:
Alisson
Szoboszlai Konate Van Dijk Kerkez
Gravenberch
MacAllister Wirtz
Salah Ekitike Gakpo
Arsenal
The Gunners started without their captain, Odegaard, who was only fit enough to make the bench. They were without their star winger, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz. The full lineup
Raya
Timber Saliba Gabriel Calafiori
Zubimendi Rice
Madueke Merino Martinelli
Gyokeres
Chess game?
A goal-fest was never the expectation from this game. However, people were expecting a high-quality match between the two strongest English sides, a real contest. That was not the case. Arsenal had an unfortunate start, as William Saliba picked up an injury just minutes into the game and had to come off. New signing Mosquera replaced him, and in all fairness, played a good game.
Forgettable 1st Half
The North London Club’s game plan of not taking risks from open play was obvious from minute one. On the other hand, Liverpool struggled to trouble David Raya. Not enough passes were being played into the attack. Passes that did make it into the attack were not good enough. Florian Wirtz misplaced passes in good areas, MacAllister struggled to stamp his authority, Salah and Gakpo were invisible, and Ekitike was not threatening.
In Arsenal’s case, there was not a single memorable chance either. Declan Rice was struggling to take set-pieces, which included a long-range free-kick that he sent flying into the stands. Noni Madueke looked to threaten against Kerkez, but didn’t really generate anything. Martinelli, going up against a makeshift right-back, was not even willing to attempt 1v1s, while Merino did nothing of note. Viktor Gyokeres was also invisible.
To emphasise just how uneventful the first half was, Liverpool ended the half with 0.09 xG while Arsenal ended with 0.24 xG.
Similar 2nd half
The second half was more of the same. Players were getting into promising positions but often chose to turn back and restart the entire build-up. In fact, the famous Anfield crowd was clearly growing impatient. The fans were audibly groaning in unison as the game was reaching the latter stages.
There were a few promising moments for Liverpool, where the ball was played into Salah at the edge of the box. However, the Egyptian’s first touch failed him in all the instances. Arsenal had more half-chances too, but they were easily sizzled out by Liverpool’s defense.
The second half saw Eze make his debut for the Gunners. Eze came on for Martinelli on the Left Wing, while Odegaard came on for Merino. Eze immediately looked like Arsenal’s most threatening attacker. While Martinelli avoided 1v1s against Szoboszlai, Eze had one moment where he was cornered by the Hungarian but managed to escape with a deft flick.
Sensational Szoboszlai
82 minutes into the game, Liverpool won a free-kick, around 32 yards from goal. From such a distance, the safest option would be to put a ball into the box, as it is fairly far out for a shot at goal. However, Dominik Szoboszlai stood over the ball with only one intention: to shoot. The Hungarian launched a masterfully placed shot with his right foot. The ball curved into the top-left corner of the goal and went in off the post. David Raya, one of the best shot stoppers in the world, could not do a single thing about it.
In a match that seriously lacked quality, one of the best goals in the history of the Premier League ended up making the difference.
Both teams should be concerned
This game made it clear that neither of the title contenders are where they desire to be. The match was between the two best sides in England, but the match itself had the lowest xG of any Premier League game in the last three seasons. Liverpool ended the game with 0.34 xG and Arsenal with 0.39. This match cannot be described as a “chess game” either, as a “chess game” would involve a high-quality game between two teams trying to systematically break down their opponents, something this game didn’t have.
Florian Wirtz has now gone three games without any major contributions or highlights. Sure, new signings deserve time, but it is natural to expect much more from a British transfer record signing and a Bundesliga Player of the Year winner. Similarly, more is expected from Gyokeres, who had just 17 touches and 5 successful passes in 90 minutes.
Both clubs have to improve, and they’ll be hoping that their upcoming signings (Isak and Guehi for Liverpool, Hincapie for Arsenal) will boost their performances.