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Liverpool ended the year on a high as they routed Arsenal 5-1 with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah getting on the scoresheet. The win opens up a nine-point gap at the top of the table with Tottenham placed second behind Jurgen Klopp's side.
In a one-sided first half, Arsenal took the lead through Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the 11th minute. The hosts hit back in the 14th minute after a confusion among Arsenal defenders in the box saw Firmino tap in from close range.
Firmino doubled Liverpool's lead shortly after the equalizer as he glided his way past Arsenal's centre-backs and slotted the ball past a helpless Leno. Matters got worse for the Gunners after Sadio Mane and Mo Salah scored in the 32nd and 45th minute respectively, giving the hosts an unassailable 4-1 lead before the interval.
The Reds scored their fifth goal in the 65th minute after Roberto Firmino completed his hattrick from the penalty spot in front of the Kop. On that note, let us take a look at the hits and flops from the game between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.
#5 Hit: Xherdan Shaqiri
Xherdan Shaqiri appears to look the real deal after joining Liverpool from Stoke in the summer transfer window for a fee of £13 million. After impressing against Manchester United and Newcastle, Shaqiri continued his rich vein of form against Arsenal.
Shaqiri tormented a below-par Arsenal midfield and defence with his nimble footwork and brilliant link up with Salah, Mane and Firmino. His work rate and pressing forced the likes of Torreira and Xhaka to concede possession in the opposition half. This allowed the front three to bomb forward and create a wealth of chances for Liverpool.
The Swiss international could have had an assist to his name early in the second half when Salah's attempt was well saved by Leno. Shaqiri ended the game with a pass accuracy rate of 84%, made two interceptions and recovered possession on nine occasions.
With such performances under his belt, Shaqiri is proving to be a valuable asset for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.
#4 Flop: Shkodran Mustafi
Unai Emery started the game with the centre-back pairing of Mustafi and Sokratis, with Kolasinac and Lichtsteiner operating from left-back and right-back respectively. In what was a horrible performance from the Arsenal rearguard, one man had an evening to forget and he was Shkodran Mustafi.
Mustafi was continually caught out of possession by Liverpool's front three and looked petrified whenever one of Salah, Mane and Firmino made an advance towards Arsenal's penalty box. He was neither composed nor commanded his defence.
The German international was left bamboozled by Firmino during the build-up to Liverpool's second goal and also at fault for not tracking the run of Sadio Mane during the build-up to Liverpool's third of the night.
In short, there was no communication between Mustafi and Sokratis which led to the German being hauled off after the first half and Liverpool's front three wreaking havoc in the opposition half.
#3 Hit: Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah put in a real shift against the Gunners and his impressive link-up play with the Mane and Firmino left the Arsenal defenders on their trails.
The Egyptian often played on the shoulders of Sokratis and Mustafi and his searing pace caused a plethora of problems for Arsenal's rearguard.
Salah exhibited his class on the stroke of half-time when he slalomed his way past Sead Kolasinac, only to be brought down in the box by Sokratis. Salah showed great composure from the spot and gave his side a comfortable 4-1 lead while heading into the interval. He showed some great off the ball movement by escaping Lichtsteiner's marking during the build-up to Sadio Mane's goal.
After the interval, Salah had a few chances to heap more misery on Arsenal as an exquisite link up with Shaqiri lacked the telling touch to round off a brilliant move. Overall, it was a brilliant performance for last season's top scorer who terrorised Arsenal's back line and his efforts were rewarded with a goal and an assist to his name.
#2 Flop: Stephan Lichtsteiner
Stephan Lichtsteiner was abysmal on the right side of Arsenal's defence as the former Juventus man was constantly harassed by the duo of Sadio Mane and Andrew Robertson.
Arsenal's right-back was at fault for the first goal as his attempted clearance bounced off Shkodran Mustafi which allowed Roberto Firmino to literally walk the ball into an empty net. There was no communication between Lichtsteiner and Mustafi, which led the Brazilian to equalize.
Lichtsteiner was also at fault for conceding Liverpool's third goal as he did not pay attention to Salah's run before the Egyptian assisted Sadio Mane. The outcome would have been better had the Swiss international been alert to Salah's run instead of being preoccupied with Virgil van Dijk.
There was no attacking threat offered by Lichtsteiner and he was also caught out of position on countless occasions which gave licence to the likes of Mane and Robertson to run riot down the left flank.
#1 Hit: Roberto Firmino
In a man of the match performance from Liverpool's workhorse, who put Arsenal to the sword with a fantastic hat-trick.
Firmino, often played in a deeper role compared to last season, has had a slow, yet impactful start to the season. Arsenal were on the wrong side of Roberto Firmino who punished the Gunners for some abject defending. The Brazilian equalised for the hosts after capitalising on some shoddy defending from Lichtsteiner and Mustafi.
The highlight of Roberto Firmino's performance came just two minutes after the equaliser as he dribbled his way past Sokratis and Mustafi and placed the ball past a static Leno for Liverpool's second goal of the evening.
Firmino linked up seamlessly with Shaqiri, Salah and Mane to trouble Arsenal's defence on several occasions. He completed his hattrick in the 65th minute after sending Leno the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Such a performance against a quality opposition deserves massive plaudits and also highlights the class of Roberto Firmino and the qualities he brings to this Liverpool side.
