REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Liverpool turned in a strong performance at Anfield but fell to a second defeat of the season against Premier League champions Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds fell behind early to a Kai Havertz goal, but then created a number of chances and failed to trouble goalkeeper David Raya, as the Gunners held on for their first win on Merseyside in 14 years without conceding a single shot on target in the 90 minutes.
But the feeling after the game wasn't one of such big disappointment for many fans, as they were proud of the performance and they acknowledged that Arsenal are just at a higher level at this stage of their team building.
However, there was one decision by Andoni Iraola that took plenty of people by surprise ahead of the game, as the manager opted to name youngster Trey Nyoni in the starting lineup for the huge game.
It was his full Premier League debut, and the central midfielder turned in a very strong performance against top-level opposition to prove his manager correct, and show everyone that he is more than ready to play a big part in the first team.
He started alongside Alexis Mac Allister, offering protection and quality on the ball behind Florian Wirtz, and last season's player of the year Dominik Szoboszlai eventually replaced him after around an hour, with the team chasing an equaliser and the manager looking to inject a bit more experience into the side.
Liverpool began the 2025/26 Premier League season as defending champions.
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But it was evident during the game that when that substitution was made, Liverpool lost more control of the midfield area and it allowed Arsenal to get a footing on the game a little bit more, and eventually ride out their winning position until full-time.
Even more intriguing was the fact that during the game, Iraola didn't once look towards Ryan Gravenberch to enter the pitch and provide his attributes, and it's very possible that the boss feels the team is better without the Netherlands man being involved.
A Data Table Depicting Trey Nyoni stats vs Arsenal Including Pass Success %, Long Balls Success %, Touches,
Gravenberch Fighting for Anfield Career
REUTERS/David Klein
Gravenberch has been a regular at Anfield since joining from Bayern Munich, and was recently rewarded for his form in the last 12 months with a new contract worth £280,000-a-week, tying him to the club until 2032.
There's no doubting his qualities as a footballer, but this season he has struggled under Iraola and in the new system. He has consistently underperformed when given the chance to play, the structure of the team suffers when he's in the midfield, and he has been making a lot of individual errors, including giving away a penalty in the EFL Cup clash with Chelsea last week.
It now seems as though he is a fourth-choice midfielder in the squad, and there is talk that the club are keen to add another midfielder to their ranks in January. GIVEMESPORT sources understand that AS Monaco star Lamine Camara is a target, while Bournemouth's Alex Scott is also someone being looked at, although Chelsea lead the race for him.
But should someone else join, and Iraola continue to choose Nyoni ahead of him, then it's very possible that Gravenberch's time at Anfield is closer to the end than ever before.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola before the Monaco match
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola before the Monaco match