Arsenal faced Liverpool in another thrilling Premier League encounter, as it ended 4-3 for the visitors who had a terrible record at the Emirates. The Reds had won only once in their last 20 league encounters at the Emirates but emerged victorious in a topsy-turvy encounter which has been a regular case for both the teams in recent years when they have come up against each other.
Liverpool equalised through an exquisite Philippe Coutinho special after Theo Walcott had given the hosts the lead just 90 seconds after missing a well-earned penalty. Arsenal were the better team in the first half and scored a much-deserved goal through Walcott after a great run by the youngster, Alex Iwobi.
Coutinho received a freekick well out of his reach but scored his first freekick goal in the league by beating Cech handsomely in the dying moments of the first half.
The Reds started the second half strongly and delivered a performance like they did against Barcelona when they scored three quick goals courtesy of Adam Lallana, Coutinho and a debut goal from Sadio Mane.
But as usual, the Reds showed their other side which was on display against Mainz, as they conceded two quick goals thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Callum Chambers.
It was a game of two halves as Arsenal dominated the first half but conceded a goal through Coutinho's brilliance. The second half showed Wenger's shortcomings as opposed to Klopp's strengths as he took the game out of Arsenal's hands.
This game announced Liverpool's summer signings on the big stage and has proved that they can garner results against the top sides. Let's take a look at the five talking points from the game between Arsenal and Liverpool :
1. Liverpool are genuine title contenders
Liverpool produced a result against a side at their home ground where they had a miserable record over the years. This speaks volumes about the impact that Jurgen Klopp has had over the squad in his first full summer at the club.
The team has been reacting according to the manager's demands and though were the second best team in the first half, the Reds must have had a stern half time talk as they looked rejuvenated and completely destroyed an Arsenal team who had previously conceded 3 goals at Emirates in August 2013.
Liverpool completely outperformed Barcelona and showed glimpses of it against the Gunners and with plenty of time available for the Reds between the games this time around, Liverpool can definitely be a challenge for the contenders
2. Alex Iwobi is going to be a good player for Arsenal
Though Iwobi struggled when he had to cover his fullback, the youngster did his primary work which was to create chances for the likes of Walcott and Sanchez. He provided a delightful assist for Walcott to give Arsenal a lead in the first half but was substituted in the 59th minute when the Reds were dominating Arsenal and needed a more direct option.
His replacement Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain performed well and scored a stunning solo goal which brought the Gunners back into the game. His arrival brought the energy that was needed for a revival but the Gunners just fall short of another epic 4-4 draw between the two sides.
3. Ragnar Klavan is going to be a first team player this season
The first impression for every Liverpool supporter after Klavan's signing was that the Estonian was brought as a cover in the coming season. Seeing his performances in the preseason and against Arsenal, it is confirmed that Klavan is a brilliant acquisition for the Reds and is going to be an important player in the coming season.
Klavan performed well against the likes of fast paced Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez while forming a stellar partnership with Dejan Lovren who won 100% of his aerial duels in the first game of the season. Klavan at under £10 million is already looking like an astute buy that will prove to be a mastermind by Jurgen Klopp.
4. Arsenal lack a leader at the back
There is no hiding from the fact that Arsenal need a defender this month as they are lacking in number with the injury of Per Mertesacker and the fitness issues of Laurent Koscielny. The Gunners are targeting Shkodran Mustafi and Jonny Evans where they are expected to sign at least one of them by the end of this week.
The game against Liverpool exposed their deficiencies as they were totally opened up in the second half after Liverpool pressed incessantly and scored three goals in a gap of 20-25 minutes. Chambers scored a goal but was hardly convincing as was the case with new signing, Rob Holding.
5. Liverpool need a new left back this summer
Jurgen Klopp has kept his faith with the Spaniard, Moreno although almost all of the fanbase is pleading him to sign a left back this summer. The manager has trusted Moreno to improve on his deficiencies but his weaknesses were proved yet again today as he was the culprit for the first goal that the Gunners scored.
Though James Milner is a viable second option at the fullback position, Liverpool still have time to get an upgrade on a position that has been an Achilles heel for them in the recent years. Moreno has time and again proved to be a liability for the Reds and gave an average performance today.
