Match 9: Arsenal 3 - 2 Liverpool

Setting the scene

Arsenal's last 4 outings against Liverpool in the Premier League have been defeats and coming up against one of the best teams in recent football is always going to be a test. Liverpool have so far struggled this season, winning only two out of their first 8 matches. They have not been in the worst of scoring form but they have been poor defensively. With the injury of Andrew Robertson and the poor run of form from Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool's defensive unit has come unstuck this season and their scoring form has not been enough to remedy their defensive woes. Arsenal on the other hand come to this fixture off the back of a midweek win in the Europa and a North London Derby win the previous weekend and as opposed to Liverpool, Arsenal have been deadly down the wings with Saka and Martinelli this season. Arsenal were without Zinchenko for this fixture as well as the long term injury to Smith Rowe and therefore opted for a surprise choice at left back with Tomiyasu starting his first game of the Premier League season. Liverpool on the other hand have multiple injuries to Robertson, Jones, Arthur, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita and have been struggling to find a consistent midfield pairing. With the return of Thiago from injury, Liverpool were able to give him his third match of the season and pair him with Henderson as he has done twice prior. This is how both teams lined up:

Slightly differently to normal, Arsenal opted for less of an aggressive back line, both on and off the ball. It was still similar to the 2-3-5 seen against Tottenham but with wider and deeper fullbacks, Arsenal played more as a 4-1-5 with Partey acting as the single pivot:

This subtle shift in tactical setup was vital in being able to prevent Liverpool from building play down the wide areas. With Liverpool able to occupy each of the Arsenal defenders with Díaz, Salah, Jota and Núñez, it was extremely important that White and Tomiyasu did not get drawn too far forwards and risk Salah or Díaz having a free run at a centre back.

How it played out

Arsenal came straight out the blocks looking to exploit Liverpool's weaknesses straight from the start. As Liverpool look to build wide, Tsimikas tends to drift high and wide leaving space between himself and Van Dijk which Saka was able to exploit in the first minute. As Saka picks up the ball in the space, Liverpool track back in a back three with Ødegaard drifting into the space created by playing with a deep defence. When the ball is played into the Arsenal captain, he is able to turn and play a through ball past a flat-footed Alexander-Arnold into Martinelli who is able to find the corner after just 56 seconds.

This prompted Jürgen Klopp to shift to a higher defensive line in order to try to control the game by being compact. As Arsenal wanted to play with quick breaks against Liverpool, they were happy to give away some possession and ended the game with 32% less time on the ball than Liverpool and 36% less completed passes. However, this compactness also meant that Martinelli was more easily able to occupy the space between Alexander-Arnold and Salah, the prior of which he was marking. This resulted in Liverpool finding a lot of difficulty in building play down the right hand side and the selection of Tomiyasu, as an inverted full back meant that Salah had trouble cutting in onto his left foot (and Tomiyasu's right) and as a result he was only able to have one touch in the Arsenal area all match.

As Liverpool struggled to build down the right hand side, they decided to play more direct long balls from Alisson and balls over the top for Núñez, Díaz or Salah to chase. On the third goal, this tactic coupled with Arsenal's high line resulted in a ball being played over the top for Núńez which Gabriel miscalculated and couldn't control, allowing Díaz to take the ball wide before putting in a low cross for Núńez who could score very easily. Much of Arsenal's defensive frustration also originated from the positional interchange of Díaz and Núńez, causing Saliba and Gabriel switch around and to move out of position.

On the brink of half time, Arsenal counterattacked with four players against a Liverpool back three of (from right to left) Henderson, Alexander-Arnold and Tsimikas. With Arsenal charging at pace, Alexander-Arnold focusses on the already tracked Martinelli, leaving space in the centre exposed. As Martinelli progresses into the wide area he is able to turn and take Henderson and Trent out of the situation while Tsimikas lines up against Gabriel, Saka and Ødegaard in the penalty area. A low cross is drilled towards the back post, which finds Saka via a dummy from Gabriel and the Englishman is able to slot it away easily.

Liverpool once again equalised when Roberto Firmino used his. movement to exploit the Arsenal back line with a run from deep which was not adequately tracked. He was able to get onto the ball from Jota and find the bottom corner with a very accurate finish. Arsenal were able to grab a winner after a foul in the area allowed Saka to score a penalty in the 76th minute.

As Liverpool went this final goal down, they threw a lot at Arsenal for the final fifteen minutes but were unable to get any shots away until the 90+8th minute as Arsenal essentially shifted to a back seven in order to keep Liverpool out. Arsenal showed fantastic character with their maturity to bounce back and the ability to see the match out against a tough opposition.

Goal & Big Chance Analysis

1st Minute: Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool (Martinelli Goal)

Snapshot 1:

Arsenal win the ball back and Ben White plays a simple pass into Saka in an advanced position, beyond Tsimikas who has pushed up high and Ødegaard begins to peel away from Jordan Henderson.

Snapshot 2:

As Saka advances deeper into the Liverpool half Liverpool form a back 3 and combine Henderson to create a diamond. However, Ødegaard is able to take up position around the space and wait for a pass while Martinelli makes a run from deep at the back post.

Snapshot 3:

Ødegaard has drifted further from Henderson as Saka plays a pass into the space. Jesus has taken up position to occupy Alexander-Arnold while Martinelli continues his run to the back post.

Snapshot 4:

As Martinelli arrives to the play, Alexander-Arnold is caught flat footed and unable to track Martinelli's run. Ødegaard plays a perfectly weighted pass into the space.

Snapshot 5:

Martinelli is able to calmly find the far corner and put Arsenal ahead in the first minute of the match.

34th Minute: Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool (Núñez Goal)

Snapshot 1:

As a ball is played over the top, Gabriel is unable to bring it down under control and Díaz reacts quickly to close down the loose ball.

Snapshot 2:

Díaz takes the ball out wide, dragging Saliba out of his central space and creating a large gap for Núñez to run into.

Snapshot 3:

Díaz is able to play a low cross into the space to put it on a plate for Núñez beyond Gabriel who is unable to keep up.

Snapshot 4:

Núñez has an easy finish as he receives the ball around the six-yard box.

45th Minute: Arsenal 2 - 1 Liverpool (Saka Goal)

Snapshot 1:

Off the back of a cleared free kick from Liverpool, Martinelli receives the ball on the half way line. Henderson, Alexander-Arnold and Tsimikas form a back three as Liverpool retreat with Martinelli, Gabriel and Saka sprinting towards them. Trent and Henderson are both tracking Martinelli.

Snapshot 2:

As Martinelli notices a numerical advantage in the centre, he pushes out wide, dragging Henderson and Trent with him whilst Ødegaard joins in the centre.

Snapshot 3:

Martinelli turns and cuts back, taking Henderson and Trent out of the equation before he plays a drilled low pass towards the back post which Gabriel dummies and lays off for Saka.

Snapshot 4:

Saka manages to reach the ball with an outstretched leg and get the touch to put the ball in and take the lead just before half time.

53rd Minute: Arsenal 2 - 2 Liverpool (Firmino Goal)

Snapshot 1:

As Liverpool enter the Arsenal half in a compact shape, Firmino has dropped off the front line and occupies the deeper space with Jota. Arsenal hold a high back line with Gabriel marking Darwin Núñez. Henderson plays a short pass to Jota as Firmino begins a run at the defence from deep, pulling away from Xhaka.

Snapshot 2:

Saliba turns to face the pass ready to attempt an interception as Firmino runs past him into the space in behind the Arsenal defence where he can receive a through ball from Jota.

Snapshot 3:

As Firmino reaches the ball, he is able to pull off a fantastic low drive into the bottom corner and equalise for Liverpool.

Prominent Arsenal Performances

MotM- Gabriel Martinelli:

Martinelli had an instant impact on the game, scoring within the first minute and grabbing an assist for Saka in the first half. He was a constant attacking threat throughout the game having the most touches in the attacking third and the most progressive carries on the pitch showing his ability to constantly run at the Liverpool defence. Combined with the support from Tomiyasu, Martinelli was able to control the left wing throughout the match and often bypass Alexander-Arnold to create an overload in attack as he runs at the rest of the defence supported by his Arsenal front-4.

Key Performance- Takehiro Tomiyasu:

Tomiyasu was given a difficult role for this fixture, playing an unfamiliar left back role and tasked with containing Mohammed Salah. Before the match, Tomiyasu had only played 78 Premier League minutes across 7 matches and had not yet started a Premier League match. The tactical move from Arteta paid off as it Arsenal took more of a defensive and deeper fullback setup which allowed Salah little space to operate as he was dominated by Tomiyasu on the ground as well as in the air exemplified by Tomiyasu winning the most aerial duels on the pitch.

Disappointing Performance- Gabriel:

Gabriel had an underwhelming performance this time out. Playing against a physical player like Darwin Nunez, Gabriel often faced difficulty when on the ball, making eight clearances throughout the match, the most out of any player on the pitch. Additionally, compared to his defensive partner Saliba, Gabriel did not show the aggression or determination to get to the ball on a few occasions, most notably for Liverpool's first goal whereby he was unable to control a long ball which allowed Luis Díaz to gain possession and play a low cross for Darwin Nunez, with whom Gabriel was unable to keep pace.

Area to improve

1. Tracking runners with a high defensive line: Uncharacteristically for teams playing against Liverpool, Arsenal decided to play in a very compact style and pressing high up the pitch, forcing Alisson to play long passes to start play. This resulted in much of Liverpools play focussing in the midfield and playing longer balls in behind the Arsenal defence. Although Saliba was largely effective in covering the space, with enough attempts, Liverpool were able to find a way through and cause Arsenal issues at the back. Much of these issues came from Firmino dropping deep and being able to fluidly exploit the space ahead of him. His forward runs from between the lines often caught the Arsenal defenders on the back foot and he was able to get to the ball before the Arsenal defenders on more than one occasion.