Liverpool continued their difficult opening stretch of fixtures taking on perennial runners-up Arsenal. In a shocking turn of events, Mikel Arteta lined his side up to clog the middle and slow the match down to nullify Liverpool’s attack while playing for attacking set pieces. Oh wait, that’s just Arsenal on a day that ends in “y”. Honestly, it wouldn’t really be a talking point if this wasn’t how Arsenal play pretty much every match regardless of the opponent.
Liverpool for their part played very
well defensively themselves but struggled to take advantage of the space when they had it in the first half. The Reds saw several passages of play that has brief moments of brilliance undone by a poor touch or a poor decision. Liverpool stepped it up in the second half and began to consistently find their way forward to generate shooting opportunities from open play, but it was a moment of magic on a direct free kick by Dominic Szoboszlai take a late lead. Beating Arsenal was great, but doing it with a set piece was a chef’s kiss. Below, we take a look at some winners and losers on the night, and attempt to disentangle narrative from fact.
Winners
Dominik Szoboszlai
The Hungarian was already have a fantastic day, playing out of position as a right back again where he was putting in a fantastic shift shutting down the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Eberechi Eze. Then he went and scored on an absolutely sensational free kick from 35 yards out to give Liverpool the late goal that would win them the match. On the day, Szobo had 2 tackles, 1 interception, and 6 clearances and a fantastic showing.
Defensive Solidarity
As a unit, Liverpool looked much better than they have all season. Virgil van Dijk was imperious as usual, but Ibrahima Konaté and Milos Kerkez both put in very strong performances after struggles in the opening two matches of the season. Kerkez was much better positionally and made some key tackles to limit the impact of Noni Madueke. Konaté easily outpaced Victor Gyokeres time after time and showed off his impressive strength to shut down any Arsenal attempts through the middle of the pitch. Joe Gomez made 7 clearances and win 3 aerial duals to lead the team in both categories after coming on as a sub for Konaté. Alisson Becker should also be commended for making a great diving save on the one shot on goal he faced, and was quick to come out and clean up a couple of balls played in behind the defense.
Curtis Jones
Liverpool looked much more composed and in control after the introduction of the Scouser in the second half in place of Alexis Mac Allister. For the second match in a row, Jones played within himself and made the smart decision pretty much every time he got on the ball or decided to press.
Losers
Alexis Mac Allister
The Argentine midfielder looked like a player who was sleep deprived after the bringing a newborn home and also just coming back off an injury. He was a half beat off with his decision making and just couldn’t find the right touch with his passing, leading to turnovers when Liverpool were finally able to find space in the attack. I fully expect Mac Allister to get back to his best after some time to adjust and build up fitness, but it was a rough outing on the day.
Center Back Depth
While Liverpool are said to be intent on bringing on Marc Guéhi, the Reds are still only have Joe Gomez (for now) and 18 year old Giovanni Leoni as depth. Seeing Ibrahima Konaté limp off and have to be replaced in the second half drove home how thin the Reds are right now. Gomez was fantastic in place of Konaté to finish off the match, but reinforcements are needed for the long season ahead.
From The Manager
︀︀“Listening to Jamie [Carragher]. He thought we were far too open against Bournemouth so we thought let’s make it a boring game. On a more serious note, they took the risk of going 1v1, this was hard because they brought all the midfielders so close to the defense. Then in the second half we went 1v1 but with Szoboszlai playing close and three midfielders. In the second half we pressed really well so for me after 45 minutes we got the upper hand. In the end we needed a moment of magic.”
-Arne Slot
What Happens Next
Liverpool head into the September international break as the only side with a perfect record. Now we wait with baited breath for the end of the transfer window tomorrow and to see if we can make it through an international break unscathed by injuries. After navigating a very difficult opening trio of matches, Arne Slot will have promoted side Burnley to prepare for directly out of the break before the club enter Champions League play a few days later when hosting Atletico Madrid.
