Liverpool Match View

DICK VAN DIJK

ARSENAL 2 LIVERPOOL 1

ARSENAL CAME FROM behind to beat champions Liverpool at the Emirates last night to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for Europe via the league.

After Sadio Mane had deservedly fired the champions ahead just before the first half drinks break, Mikel Arteta’s team capitalised on some uncharacteristic defensive uncertainty from Liverpool to lead at half time thanks to opportunist finishes from Alexandre Lacazette and Reiss Nelson, the youngster’s first Premier League goal.

It was the perfect illustration of our new early press forcing mistakes from the opponent, Liverpool on this occasion the victims of their own pressing style.

The second half saw a throw back to the 1980s as Liverpool dominated possession and chances, but Arsenal defended for their lives and held out for a big victory ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final meeting with Manchester City.

We now sit three points behind Wolves in sixth place but with just two games remaining.

Arteta was clearly delighted at the manner of the victory and the way his team bounced back from Sunday’s defeat in the North London derby. He told Arsenal.com:

“I am extremely happy, mostly for the players because it was a big blow when we lost to Spurs, the way we played.

“But tonight, they came back again. We beat the champions of the Premier League and the champions of the Champions League and you know dominant they are.

“They control every aspect of the game. It is not a coincidence what they’re doing so I am extremely happy.

“Liverpool are probably the best team at forcing mistakes and errors the way they play, the way they push you around and the way they are always in between you. 

"We did really well, and I’m pleased. It’s great to have the points.”

Arteta caused a stir by making five changes to the side that had thrown away the lead at Tottenham three days earlier.

Out of the back three went Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac, replaced by Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney, while Cedric Soares and Buyako Saka started in the wing-back positions. 

Meanwhile, Lucas Torreira was recalled in midfield with Nelson brought into the right of the front three and Nicolas Pepe preferred to captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left.

It was certainly a gamble but once again Arteta showed that he is not afraid to make big decisions at big moments.

Despite the freshening up of the side we struggled to settle, and Liverpool dominated the opening twenty minutes. They were rewarded for that pressure with an opening goal of real simplicity.

A neat interchange of passes down the left between Roberto Firmino and Andy Robertson saw the Scot’s pull back turned home by Mane, the Senegalese’s 21st goal of the season.

Again it showed our tendency to get pulled out of position against good, quick movement so the worrying signs were already there, especially as we were offering no attacking threat whatsoever.

But the match turned on a mistake from the normally super-human Virgil van Dijk. Put under pressure from Nelson, the Dutchman’s back-pass fell woefully short and Lacazette pounced to round Alisson Becker and roll in the equaliser.

One shot on target, one goal.

Then just before half time the turnaround was complete. 

This time Lacazette was quick to cut out a pass from the Liverpool goalkeeper directed towards Robertson and the Frenchman's low cross was fired home by Nelson, his third goal of the season but first ever in the Premier League.

The second half saw almost non-stop Liverpool pressure, but this was an Arsenal defensive performance straight out of the George Graham manual. 

Bodies were thrown on the line to protect the lead and when the champions did get through our rear guard, Emi Martinez continued his great form. One save from Mo Salah’s close range effort was particularly impressive.

While this was far from a slick attacking performance it did show the work Arteta has been putting in on the training ground. 

Granit Xhaka has become crucial to this early press and his outstanding performances and leadership qualities on the pitch surely means the time has come to give him back the captain’s armband.

Elsewhere there were outstanding performances from Holding and Tierney. The left centre back role seems to really suit the Scot, who’s defensive strength and awareness gave us a better balance and solidity. 

It also allowed Saka to play in his preferred position on the left, although he was not able to get forward with any freedom last night due to Liverpool pressing us high up the pitch.

Holding has struggled to get game time this season but after an outstanding performance at Southampton last month this was another classy display. In fact, he had a look of the great Tony Adams about him and that is some praise indeed.

Of course, we must not allow this victory to cloud the fact we are still massively short of quality within the squad. 

We need a commanding centre half, a strong defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder who can score goals, and more strength in attacking areas.

Arteta made a clear plea to the board in his television interview after the full time whistle last night. 

When asked if he will get the finances he needs in the summer he replied, “I don’t know.”

He then confirmed that it would be a concern if he does not as it is clear how far behind the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City we are, despite this result. With this pressure now on the board from the head coach it will be interesting to see what the summer transfer window brings.

The club need to remember that Arteta is an ambitious man. He did not walk away from the City job to not be given the backing he needs. My fear is that if he is not allowed to make the signings he wants he will walk away and we will have lost the best thing to have come to the club since the early days of Arsene Wenger.

But that discussion is for another day. For now, let’s just enjoy this victory and look ahead to what will be another massive test on Saturday at Wembley.

Qualifying for Europe via the league is out of our hands now. We need Wolves, Tottenham and Sheffield United to all drop points, assuming we win our last two matches. That is a big ask.

The FA Cup could therefore provide our only path back into Europe so we must do all we can to win it. And how good would it feel to lift a trophy after the season we have had to endure? 

It would also put Arteta in a much stronger negotiating position when it comes to summer recruitment.

To beat City however, we will need to be at least as strong again defensively. Although they have finished a distant second this season, I believe City are a better team than Liverpool, certainly from an attacking point of view as their goal tally demonstrates. We will therefore need to switched on for 90 plus minutes.

The flip side of that is defensively City are vulnerable and our early press could cause them problems. 

Nicolas Otemendi, John Stones and Benjamin Mendy all have a mistake in them so if we put them under pressure we might well have some joy.

Whatever happens though the one thing you can sure of is that we are set for another tense afternoon watching our beloved Arsenal. But then again we would not want it any other way.