Liverpool trash Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield

Another disappointing result for Arsenal fans, the team failing to offer even a little resistance in their road match against Liverpool, falling 4 – 0 to the Reds.

The Gunners, after going on a 4-game winning streak, certainly had enough confidence traveling to Anfield, but what happened there should keep Arteta sleepless until the home game against Newcastle on Saturday.

Although in whole honesty, the start of the match against Liverpool was hardly a harbinger of the final score. Both teams started the first half cautiously, without many opportunities on either side. It wasn’t until about 5 minutes before the half time whistle, when Mane found the back of the net, capitalizing on Alexander-Arnold assist. Arsenal went to the locker room a goal down, but nothing the Gunners couldn’t manage.

After the game was restarted, Jota was quick to double Liverpool’s lead, scoring in the 52 minute. The game, however, was not devout of controversy. After a challenge by Sadio Mane on Tomiyasu in the 33rd minute, Mikel Arteta went ballistic on the sideline, which in turn fired up Jurgen Klopp and the two managers had to be separated by their respective staff. Ref Michael Oliver ended up showing a yellow to both, and that was the end of it.

The scuffle, however, seemed to light a fire under the Liverpool players, who went on to score another quick two goals, one by Salah in the 73rd and another by Minamino in the 77th minute of the match. “I don’t know, I’ll have to watch it back – if that was the case I’ll do it more often! Of course that’s not possible, you can’t act like this it just happened in the moment,” Klopp commented when asked if the exchange with Arteta helped fire up the team. 

Punters tried to blame the Arteta-Klopp scuffle for the final score, but truth be told, Arsenal’s defensive failure and the lack of sharpness upfront is the more likely culprit. The Gunners will welcome bottom-of-the-table Newcastle United on Saturday at Emirates Stadium.