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Not many teams revel in the opportunity to play at Anfield but Arsenal had to play there twice in one week. Having lost here on Monday night, Mikel Arteta’s men were determined to make amends for the manner of that defeat. As for Liverpool, the Carabao Cup is a competition they regard as the least of their worries but they still consider it an opportunity to win silverware.
In contrast to Monday’s meeting, this match started cautiously with both teams feeling each other out for the opening 15 minutes. As Arsenal began to come out of their shell, Liverpool responded with subsequent periods of dominance.
Despite this being a notoriously high-scoring match-up, the two teams would finish the 90 minutes level, resulting in a penalty shootout. In the end, penalty misses from Divock Origi and Harry Wilson would give Joe Willock the pleasure of sending Arsenal into the quarter-finals.
Here are the hits and flops from Arsenal’s 0-0 (5-4) win over Liverpool.
#5 Hit: Gabriel Magalhaes
Many Arsenal fans watched Monday night’s defeat and asked the same question, where was Gabriel Magalhaes? That’s how much of an impression the Brazilian has made since arriving in London. Once again at the back, the centre-back was a solid rock that hardly allowed anything to get past him.
Even with Mohamed Salah cutting inside to occasionally target him, the 22-year-old kept his nerve and maintained his position. In his first appearance at Anfield, Gabriel made 4 clearances, 2 interceptions, 2 tackles, won 3 duels and wasn’t dribbled past once.
#4 Flop: Takumi Minamino
Things have not been smooth sailing for Takumi Minamino since arriving in England. Although he was only signed for £7.25m, Liverpool fans had high hopes for the Japan international but he has failed to meet those expectations.
In a rare start for the 25-year-old, Minamino failed to make any kind of impact against a makeshift Arsenal defence. The striker often had to drop deep to get the ball as he was being marked out of the game by Gabriel Magalhaes. In a rather forgettable performance, he missed an open goal, lost the ball 9 times and created 0 chances.
#3 Hit: Neco Williams
When you’re the understudy to Trent Alexander-Arnold, game time is pretty hard to come by. Neco Williams is an exceptional talent in his own right and would start for nearly every other team in the league. He is top quality both offensively as well as defensively and showed his quality against a tricky Nicolas Pepe and an intelligent Bukayo Saka on Thursday.
Liverpool wasn’t the most potent in the final third but a lot of what they did well came from Neco’s side. The Welsh youngster had 95 touches of the ball, won 9 duels, intercepted 5 passes, made 5 tackles and created 2 chances for his teammates in an encouraging performance.
#2 Flop: Nicolas Pepe
It’s no secret that Nicolas Pepe has found it tough to adjust to life at Arsenal. His first season flattered to deceive while he’s struggled to get into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI this season. He was trusted with a rare start against Liverpool and in an unfamiliar position at LW.
Some credit must be given to the 26-year-old as he caused Liverpool’s defence some problems with his movement and his trickery on the ball. However, his end product wasn’t good enough for a player of his calibre or price tag. Overall, the winger lost the ball 15 times, completed 2 dribbles and attempted 2 shots.
#1 Hit: Bernd Leno
Since the unexpected emergence of Emi Martinez, there has been somewhat of a weird rivalry between him and Bernd Leno. Granted, this narrative has been mostly forced by Arsenal fans, with the two keepers always maintaining a public friendship. Against Liverpool on Thursday, Leno put all questions about his ability to bed.
Against a free-flowing Liverpool side, the German was called into action on several occasions. If it weren’t for his brilliance in between the sticks, the scoreline would have been significantly different. In a near-perfect display, the 28-year-old made 7 saves to prove Arsenal made the right choice in the summer.
