Liverpool have booked a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with an important victory over Arsenal at the Emirates, courtesy of an own-goal from Jakub Kiwior in the 80th minute and a fine Luis Diaz strike deep in second-half stoppage time.
It was the second time these two teams met in two weeks, after drawing 1-1 at Anfield in the Premier League on December 23rd, and they’re set to face each other again at the Emirates on February 4th in what’s likely to prove a crucial encounter in the race for the league title.
The teams
Both Arsenal and Liverpool missed a number of key players for this clash. Arsenal’s Tahekiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny were absent through their engagements with Japan and Egypt, respectively, while Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko missed out through injury. Meanwhile, Liverpool were without Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo, who respectively joined Elneny and Tomiyasu on international duty, and Virgil van Dijk was rested amid an extremely busy schedule. Left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are still injured, while midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic are yet to play this term. The season is over for Joel Matip.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta chose to leave Gabriel Martinelli on the bench, giving a chance to Reiss Nelson to show what he can do on the left attacking flank in such a big game. Eddie Nketiah, who might have been expected to start upfront in the absence of Jesus, was also among the substitutes, with Kai Havertz chosen to lead the line instead, and Bukayo Saka on the right. Declan Rice expectedly anchored the midfield, joined by Jorginho and Martin Odegaard, while at the back, Kiwior played on the left with both Zinchenko and Tomiyasu unavailable, completing the line made of Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Aaron Ramsdale was given a start in goal in the place of David Raya.
For Liverpool, Alisson Becker was in goal, with Joe Gomez on the left, Jarell Quansah replacing Van Dijk alongside Ibrahima Konate, and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right. Alexis Mac Allister was at the midfield base, with Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo in more advanced roles. Darwin Nunez led the line upfront, flanked by Harvey Elliott and Diaz.
The game
Arsenal entered the contest strongly, and for the opening 20 minutes or so, they had the visitors practically on the ropes. Their first chance came in the third minute already, but having gone around Alisson, Nelson got himself into a very tight angle from where he could only hit the outside of the net. In the eighth minute, a nicely worked combination created an opportunity for Havertz to shoot from distance, but Alisson was equal to his effort. Three minutes later, Gomez made a big mistake and lost the ball just outside his own box, creating a situation from which the home side had several chances. Havertz teed up Nelson at six yards but Konate made a timely tackle, Odegaard smacked the rebound off the bar, and Alexander-Arnold eventually stopped Saka’s shot before clearing the ball from the box.
The first sign of Liverpool threatening at the other end came in the 22nd minute, when Nunez met an Elliott corner in the air only to head wide. A similar chance with the same outcome came for Havertz in the 39th, after Saka and White each forced a good save from Alisson. With less than two minutes of the half remaining, Liverpool lost the ball in their own half again and eventually Havertz’s deflected shot gave Alisson another moment to shine. That moment saw the visitors respond quickly, and after a cheeky turn by Gakpo in the middle of the park, Alexander-Arnold rattled Ramsdale’s bar from the edge of the box.
The picture was somewhat different in the second half, with Liverpool growing into the game by the minute. Both Gomez and Nunez narrowly missed the target in the first 10 minutes, but soon after Arsenal had their best chance yet with Havertz making use of a craftily taken free-kick to tee up Saka. Unfortunately from the home side’s perspective, the England international failed to control his volley and sent the ball over the bar from six yards. The Gunners came close again on the hour-mark as a cross attempt from Havertz nearly went in, but Alisson was there again to save his team before Saka scuffed the rebound into the stands.
Liverpool threatened very seriously in the 77th minute. Alisson’s trademark long pass got them under way and substitute Diogo Jota set Diaz up, but it was Ramsdale’s turn to show his quality in goal as he diverted the Colombian’s low drive around the post. The ensuing corner saw Jota head onto the bar, before Nunez shot wide from 10 yards.
But three minutes later, the deadlock was finally broken. Liverpool were awarded a free-kick wide on the left, and Alexander-Arnold put in cross of superb quality towards the near post, putting just enough power and spin on it to make it very difficult to head away from the goal. Kiwior got to it ahead of the onrushing Ramsdale, beating his own goalkeeper to give the the visitors a relatively late lead.
While the finger of blame understandably goes straight towards the young defender, the question of why Ramsdale left his line when he clearly had no chance of reaching the ball first should also be asked. The 77th-minute save may have gotten the England goalkeeper high on confidence, but this goal will have given a good reason why David Raya remains ahead of him in Premier League matches.
Frustration and desperation engulfed the Arsenal team from that point on. They pushed their lines forward and attacked in search of an equalizer, but it only left them open at the back, and in the final seconds of the match, Jota again took advantage of the available space to take the ball to the edge of Arsenal’s box, before laying it on for Diaz who smashed it into the top corner. There was nothing Ramsdale, or any other ‘keeper, could’ve done about that one.
The numbers from the game indicate that the Gunners were the better team in most areas. They had more possession (55%), more shots overall (15-13) and more on target (5-3), more corners taken (5-2), committed less fouls (12-15) and attempted more passes (481-412). The only area were they were outdone, obviously apart from the goals scored, was passing accuracy, and that by the narrowest of margins (81%-82%).
And yet, failing to convert their chances, most notably Nelson in the third and Saka in the 58th minute, proved fatal for their aspiration in the FA Cup this season.
Conor Bradley to allow Klopp to make Alexander-Arnold midfield move permanent?
In the 62nd minute, Arteta decided it was time to unleash the pace of Martinelli, pulling Nelson out to make way. The Brazilian quickly showed his ability, getting past Alexander-Arnold with ease on several occasions, and only the alertness and timely reactions of Konate prevented serious damage for Liverpool.
Klopp obviously noted the problem, and his response may have surprised many. Some 13 minutes after Martinelli’s entrance, Jones and Elliott made way for youngsters Bobby Clarke and Conor Bradley. Clarke stepped into the midfield, where he was now joined by Alexander-Arnold, whose position on the right defensive flank was covered by Bradley. The 20-year-old Northern Irishman, who spent last season on loan at Bolton Wanderers, proved remarkably capable of neutralizing the threat of Martinelli.
It was a top-class performance from the young right-back. With calls for Klopp to permanently move Alexander-Arnold into the midfield section growing louder and more frequent by the week, the emergence of someone like Bradley will have come as a welcome boost to the German’s options in that regard. It should also be said that the long-awaited return of Robertson, and then Tsimikas as well, will free up Gomez to step into the role as well.
As was the case a number of times already, Alexander-Arnold stepping into the midfield helped Liverpool take some control over the game, and his permanent shuffle there does make sense for Klopp’s team.
Toney to solve Arsenal’s scoring issues?
This game saw Arsenal suffer their third defeat in a row in all competitions, after they were beaten by West Ham and Fulham in the Premier League. The woeful three-game losing streak saw them score only once, highlighting the problem with converting chances for Arteta’s team.
The Gunners have been credited with strong interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney, currently suspended for betting-related offences and set to return to action next week. The 27-year-old has so far scored 68 goals and provided 21 assists in 124 games across all competitions for the Bees, and his form there had him break into the England squad before the suspension hit.
Toney is obviously a goalscorer proven in the English game, and despite the presence of Jesus and Nketiah, his proposed arrival would surely bring another type of attacking threat into Arteta’s ranks.
According to reports, the biggest issue regarding his proposed transfer to the Emirates is the fee, with Brentford believed to be asking a lot for the player whose current contract runs until the summer of 2025.
Looking ahead
With hopes of winning either domestic cup this season now gone, Arsenal will look to bolster their position in the Premier League title race, before continuing their adventure in the Champions League round of 16 against Porto.
The defeats against West Ham and Fulham, preceded by the 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, have pulled the Gunners down to fourth place in the league standings, trailing Liverpool at the top by five points, and with Aston Villa and Manchester City in between. They also need to be looking over their shoulder, because arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur are breathing down their necks as well.
Arsenal will face Crystal Palace at home and Nottingham Forest away before the month is out, and they will surely aim to break the current underwhelming line of results against those teams, being strong favourites in both matches, before welcoming Liverpool again.
And as for Liverpool, their schedule is far more closely packed this month. They will be back in action on Wednesday already, when they host Fulham in the first leg of their clash in the Carabao Cup semifinals. On Sunday, they play away to Bournemouth in the league, where they’ll be looking to strengthen their hold on the top spot. Then it’s the rematch against Fulham, and the last day of January will see them host Chelsea, before going to the Emirates four days later.
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