Arsenal rebooted their Premier League title hopes in a big way on Sunday, beating Liverpool 3-1 at Emirates Stadium in a match full of defensive errors.
The Gunners dominated throughout and picked up an early lead courtesy of Bukayo Saka, who scored from close range in the 14th minute. Despite not taking any shots on goal in the first half, though, Liverpool were able to go into halftime level after a defensive miscommunication led to Gabriel scoring an own goal just before the break. Liverpool came out more energetic in the second half but it was Arsenal who scored twice before the final whistle, first through Gabriel Martinelli in the 67th minute and then Leandro Trossard in the 91st.
Ibrahima Konate also picked up two yellow cards and was sent off in the 88th minute, which means he will miss Liverpool's clash with Burnley on Saturday.
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Liverpool are still top of the Premier League table but their lead has been slashed to just two points after Arsenal's win. The Gunners now rise to second place, within touching distance of top spot.
This was Liverpool's first loss without Mohamed Salah since he joined the club.
Arsenal hand Liverpool their second defeat of the Premier League season in a match that was a contrast of two teams. The Gunners looked eager and the scoreline ultimately reflects that, while the Reds appeared a bit flat for the first time in a few weeks, their 11 game unbeaten run officially coming to an end.
90'+1 Trossard seals the deal for Arsenal by making it 3-1 in stoppage time. He receives the ball from Kiwior near the halfway line and runs down the left flank, makes his way close to goal, shoots from an angle and scores. The three points are certainly heading Arsenal's way now.
88' Konate is booked after tackling Havertz, which is second yellow of the day and now Liverpool are down to 10 with a few minutes left on the clock.
85' Odegaard and Kiwior combine for a shot that could have seen Arsenal secure the win but Alisson handles it with relative ease. Liverpool go for goal on the other end soon after, but Nunez shots the ball way over the net.
77' Liverpool are on the search for another equalizer, this time through a corner. The ball eventually lands in a crowded box and finds Mac Allister, who hits it on the volley and nearly scores but the ball rolls wide of the net.
So just as that goal went in I was gearing up a blog post along the lines of "what does Arteta do when his team are playing well, the individuals are excelling but fresh legs might help?" That got bunged on the burner for a while but his second change of the game is a near like for like as Trossard replaces Martinelli. The Belgian doesn't have electric pace down the flank but he is very secure on the ball and will do the same covering that the man he's replacing did. By the way Martinelli looks devastated and no wonder. That was his game of the season.
67' Liverpool give Arsenal a gift with a mistake at the back and Martinelli scores to make it 2-1. Van Dijk and Alisson both hesitate to claim an aerial ball and so Martinelli has the perfect opening to pounce once the ball gets near the ground and with basically an open goal, the Arsenal player finds it easy to finish from close range.
63' Arsenal want a penalty after Havertz and Mac Allister collide in the box but after a review, it's clear the moment wouldn't warrant such a call and play resumes.
62' It took two-thirds of the match but Liverpool finally forced Raya into a save. Jota carves out some space and sends the ball towards Diaz, who takes a shot from distance that lands fairly comfortably for Raya.
58' Nunez, Elliott and Robertson are on for Gakpo, Gravenberch and Alexander-Arnold as Klopp switches things up midway through the second half.
It's rare that the substitution of Trent Alexander-Arnold is anything less than great news for Liverpool's opponents but it says everything about how he has fared today that Klopp has opted to keep Gomez, on a yellow card, on the pitch instead. Arsenal have been rifling through the Liverpool right at will and Alexander-Arnold had absolutely no answer. Now they've lost that advantage. It could have been the one that won them the match.
53' A little bit of pressure from the Gunners allows Odegaard some time and the opening to take a shot from some distance, but a tiny deflection off of Konate means the ball falls wide of the net.
48' The visitors already look more energized to start the second half, and have a couple of meaningful looks at goal to back up the claim. Diaz took a shot from the left side of the goal but the opportunity was blocked by White, and a Mac Allister shot from distance landed just wide of the goal a little bit later. Diaz also combines with Joens for a promising opportunity.
Arsenal makes one sub at halftime - Kiwior for Zinchenko.
The Arsenal hitting Arsenal over the head with a piece of lead piping marked Arsenal meme is alive and well then. An almighty mess up has cost the Gunners after maybe their best half of the season. Who is responsible? Some with say Saliba for not just hoofing it, others Raya for not being out quick enough. Then again if you don't get a shout from your goalkeeper, you should hoof it. But surely Raya should have shouted? It has been a really good half from the Spaniard, who has had a solid run of form of late, but he simply does not seem to impose himself on a contest in the same way that Alisson does in the other box. Easy to say that Arsenal should have a goalkeeper of that quality, easier to find one.
Arsenal dominated throughout and had the 1-0 advantage to back it up until moments before halftime, when a mistake in the back meant Gabriel's own goal leveled the score. Liverpool are even despite not taking a single shot on target in the first half and just three shots overall, while Arsenal eight shots and four on target are so far not enough to give them an advantage.
45'+3 It may have been all Arsenal this half, but Liverpool find an equalizer just before the break courtesy of an own goal from Gabriel. Things get messy in the box and there's miscommunication between Gabriel and Saliba as Diaz hovers around them, and Diaz's slight touch comes off of Gabriel to go in the back of the net.
39' With arguably the most promising chance for either side since Saka's goal, Gabriel takes a shot from the edge of the penalty area after Rice's short freekick but Alisson makes the stop. Not long after, Arsenal are once again going for goal and after a game of pinball in the box, Alisson collects the ball and the flag goes up after offside is called.
34' Liverpool are slowly clawing their way back into this one and are actually finding some meaningful possession, but haven't added much to their shot tally other than a decent attempt from Gakpo. Despite the improvements from the Reds, this match is still very much in Arsenal's control and have really stumped Liverpool's attacking ideas.
One brilliant sliding tackle from Rice, the sort that he does as well as anyone, gets Arsenal in position to break away and they look so dangerous when that happens. On this occasion Gomez concludes that the best bet is to foul Havertz but that comes at a cost. For however long he's on the pitch (Robertson was named among the subs as he works his way back to fitness), he'll have to defend Saka with a yellow card to his name.
24' Liverpool make their way towards goal but Diaz's chance from an angle is successfully blocked. It's perhaps the lone notable forward movement from the Reds in the last 10 minutes, which Arsenal have dominated in just about every way.
14' Arsenal quickly make another run at goal and Havertz finds himself in between the center backs and takes a shot, which Alisson blocks. The ball is spilled right back into play and a nearby Saka makes no mistake from close range.
13' Jones and Gomez work well together on the left flank, with the latter sending in a nice cross that Raya eventually claims with little issue. The goalkeeper then sends his teammates on the counter, with Martinelli dashing down the opposite flank and beats Konate to send a cross into the center of the box, but Saka can't get a good touch. A moment later, Liverpool are charging forward again and Gakpo wins the ball and runs toward the box but his shot from distance sails a little wide of the net.
Arsenal really are priming themselves to unleash Martinelli. Even from a fairly routine throw in on the opposite flank they're delaying play as Odegaard instructs the Brazilian to move infield, between Alexander-Arnold and Konate. You see why a few minutes later when Raya claims a catch and Martinelli flies forward like he's been shot out of a cannon. His cross is a good one but Saka only flicks it wide. On target and it was in.
6' No shots yet, but the first meaningful attacking motion of the match comes from Arsenal, when Odegaard and Saka combine for a promising play. It's still early, but the right flank seems to be an area of success so far the Gunners.
Play is officially underway and Liverpool are already making their way up the pitch.
You could feel the tension in the air on the way into the ground but that has been combined with exhortations from everyone associated with Arsenal, urging the crowd to get behind their side in the biggest game of the season. That is maybe a reflection of the tension and expectation that has engulfed the club this season, a year ago they were in raptures of ecstasy on a weekly basis, now Arsenal fans have to accept that high-stake games are the norm.
A huge roar greets the players as they take to the pitch, followed by a curious silence. It is as if the Emirates, en masse, just took its last deep breath. Into the deep end...
Liverpool's hit-and-miss forward may be starting today's match on the bench, but it does not answer the big question about him: Which Darwin Nunez will show up? Here's Chuck Booth's assessment of the player.
"But always getting into good positions, Nunez commands so much attention from defenses that he creates space for everyone else to make things happen elsewhere. Likely being tracked by William Saliba, Nunez will be up against a formidable center back and the winner of that battle will likely win the game."
Arsenal's counter-ops this morning raised hopes that Jesus might shake off the knee injury that he had carried into the win over Nottingham Forest. The Brazilian striker joined the squad in a very visible pre-match walk in Islington but ultimately is not even in the squad as he battles with that issue.
Mikel Arteta said of the injury: "Unfortunately, he had a setback in training and he wasn't fit to play. It's something related to his knee, but I think it's a short-term thing."
The striker who has "changed Arsenal's world", in Arteta's words back in September, has played just 43 Premier League matches since arriving in north London at the start of last season and has started only 37. He has fewer starter minutes than Ivan Toney. How can Arsenal win a title when such a vital cog in their side is so infrequently present?
