Liverpool shook away any fears of burnout and crushed Premier League rivals Arsenal 3-0. Mikel Arteta’s men were helpless against the Reds, who rode to victory on a Diogo Jota brace. The Spaniard – who is in his first full season at the club – took full responsibility for the defeat.
Arsenal were comfortably beaten by Liverpool when the two sides met in their latest Premier League encounter. The Gunners went three goals down to their rivals, but there wasn’t a heroic comeback this time around – similar to the one they had achieved against West Ham United just before the international break.
We completely deserved to lose the game,
Arteta said after the match.
They were better in every department and deserved to win the game with the margin they had, or even more. I accept responsibility for the way we played today.
They made the right decisions, we didn’t. It is my fault. I have to set the team up to perform in a different way and that is it. Congratulations to Liverpool because they were exceptional today. That showed the difference between the two teams – that when they play at that level, the margin is incredibly high.
I don’t have to use any excuses – that we don’t have five or six players – the standards are much higher at this football club and I have to get them to perform at that level. It was technical as well.
At the moment I am in shock. I didn’t expect that because of the way the team trained.
Liverpool were in control of the match right from kick-off but were unable to find a breakthrough in the first half. James Milner came the closest to score for Jurgen Klopp’s side but his effort went agonizingly wide of the post.
Klopp introduced Diogo Jota in the second half in place of Andrew Robertson. The tactical shift worked wonders for the German, as Jota put Liverpool ahead shortly after with a good headed finish. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was left out of the England squad for the international window, provided a pin-point assist which the Portugal international directed goalwards.
Mohamed Salah scored Liverpool’s second goal of the night. The Egyptian was played through on goal, and he kept his composure to slot the ball past an onrushing Bernd Leno. Jota then grabbed his second of the night – and Liverpool’s third – when he smashed the ball in from close range after the Reds had pressed the Arsenal defence into making a mistake.
As a result of their win, Liverpool moved to fifth in the league table – just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. They were helped by the Blues’ capitulation earlier in the day, as they shipped five goals at home to relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion. Both Liverpool and Chelsea, however, have played a game more than West Ham United. The Hammers could go fourth should they beat Wolves in their encounter.
Arsenal remain ninth after their loss. The Gunners are now level on points with Leeds United, who beat Sheffield United in their match. They could slip further down the table should Aston Villa win their game in hand. Furthermore, Arteta’s side has lost as many games as it has won this season (12). They will still hope to finish in a European spot but are losing ground on their opponents.
The Gunners will play Slavia Praha in the midweek European fixture before visiting bottom club Sheffield United next weekend.
