Arsenal’s uncertainty in central defence dominated the build up to this encounter, however it was a twenty minute display of sheer attacking brilliance from Liverpool that condemned the Gunners to a 3-4 home defeat. A stunning brace from Philippe Coutinho, and goals from Adam Lallana and debutant Sadio Mané gave Jurgen Klopp’s men a memorable victory at the Emirates.
Walcott’s mistake and immediate redemption
Theo Walcott, positioned back on the right side of midfield, squandered the perfect opportunity to put Arsenal in front from the penalty spot, but responded with a calm finish across goal just 68 seconds later.
After Alberto Moreno brought Walcott down in the box, Mignolet palmed away Walcott’s effort with relative ease. However, redemption lay just round the corner, Iwobi’s pass found Walcott in space and his angled drive across the goal beat the outstretched fingertips of Mignolet.
Liverpool in need of a new left back
Alberto Moreno is not good enough to be Liverpool’s No.1 left back. His defensive positioning alone in the first half was proof of that. Consistently caught out of position left the Liverpool defence to had scamper to recover from his mistakes. A double footed challenge, albeit successful, highlighted Moreno’s impetuous nature. James Milner will most likely come in at left back when he is fit, however finding an out and out left back should be on Klopp’s agenda for the rest of the transfer window.
Liverpool have attacking flair, plenty of it
Coutinho, Firmino and Mané are one of the most potent attacking front threes in the Premier League and today showcased it. Playing narrow, to draw out the inexperienced central defensive pair of Arsenal, Liverpool’s front three carved open Arsenal like a knife through butter in the second half.
Coutinho’s individual class was shown in both of his goals – a stunning 25 yard free kick eluded the outstretched Cech and deft volley. While Mané not to be out done, produced an amazing driving run and curling left foot strike into the far corner.
Oxlade-Chamberlain provides reminder of his quality
After spending the second half of last season on the sidelines from an injury suffered in the second leg of Champions League tie with Barcelona, Oxlade-Chamberlain provided a timely reminder to all Arsenal fans of his immense talent.
Coming on at 1-4, Oxlade-Chamberlain immediately changed the mood of the entire stadium. A jinxing run at the Liverpool defence culminated in a a deflected shot past Mignolet. After a disappointing 2014/15 season all will be hoping Oxlade-Chamberlain can build on the promise he showed in this game.
Pressure mounting on Wenger
It seems impossible but already pressure is building on Arsene Wenger in his 21st season in charge of Arsenal. An extremely disappointing defeat was made worse by the enforced withdrawals of Ramsey and Iwobi due to injury. Wenger and Arsenal were booed off by supporters at the final whistle, and today was a costly reminder of the need for further investment in the transfer market. Although Holding and Chambers were not at fault for the goals, a commanding centre half would have brought stability and calm to a fragile Arsenal side, especially in the second half.
