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A kick from Granit Xhaka was supposed to change the complexion Thursday's first leg of the EFL Cup semifinal between Arsenal and Liverpool in a big way. Instead, a 10-man Arsenal squad withstood an attacking onslaught that featured 17 shots from Liverpool to secure a clean sheet and a scoreless draw at Anfield, setting themselves up for a dramatic second leg at the Emirates next week.
Xhaka received a straight red card for kicking Diogo Jota in the chest while going in for a tackle in the 24th minute. To cope, Mikel Arteta brought in Rob Holding for Eddie Nketiah after already losing Cedric Soares due to a hip injury early on. From there, Arsenal put 10 men behind the ball and dug in to defend. Thanks to the work rate and strong running from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, they held on. It's worth pointing out that Arsenal should consider themselves lucky to not be facing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as Liverpool lacked a cutting edge despite the barrage of shots and 78% possession.
It felt like Jurgen Kloop resigned to a draw in the 75th minute when he made a triple change, removing Fabinho, Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold for Nexo Williams, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin and Joe Gomez. While the switch did bring on fresh legs, he took out his best attacking player left in Alexander-Arnold and failed to leave much out there.
Saka need to be withdrawn for Nuno Tavares in the 79th minute after registering the only shot on target of the match due to exhaustion. With the North London Derby on Sunday, Arteta will hope it is nothing more than leaving it all on the pitch as Arsenal could be down to 12 outfield players due to the Africa Cup of Nations, injuries, and Covid cases.
Takumi Minamino may not sleep well knowing he missed the best chance of the game in the 89th minute with a shot on an empty net. The 26-year-old Japanese forward skied it into the nosebleeds. It was a missed opportunity for Liverpool, but a draw that shows just how far Arsenal have come under Arteta.
