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Courtesy of goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, title aspirants Liverpool registered a clinical 0-2 win away at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
The victory not only extended the Reds' Premier League winning run to eight games, but also took them to within a point of league leaders Manchester City. Arsenal, on the other hand, saw their five-game winning streak in the league come to an abrupt halt.
Playing away from home, Jurgen Klopp’s side were on the lookout for a quick start. They won a corner inside a couple of minutes, which led to their first shot on target. Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk dispatched a powerful low header, but it wasn’t enough to beat Aaron Ramsdale.
Following the corner, Arsenal got a foothold in the match and started troubling the Liverpool defense with their clever movement and pace. In the 15th minute, Gabriel Martinelli outdid Trent Alexander-Arnold to provide a low cross inside the box. The delivery was only narrowly ahead of an onrushing Alexandre Lacazette.
After enduring a disappointing first-half, Klopp’s men came out of the tunnel with a vengeance. In the 47th minute, Sadio Mane wheeled away in celebration upon finding the back of the net. Unfortunately, the linesman raised the offside flag to cut his joy short. Their go-ahead goal finally came through Jota in the 54th minute, as he converted from Thiago Alcantara’s through ball.
The Merseysiders' second of the night came eight minutes later through substitute Roberto Firmino. The hosts tried their best to crawl back into the game, but the two quick goals took the wind out of their sails.
On that note, here are five Liverpool stars who helped the Reds secure a crucial win over an in-form Arsenal team:
#5 Thiago Alcantara
The Reds’ midfield general Thiago Alcantara had a slow start to the game but improved dramatically as the match wore on.
In the second half, he popped up in important areas, won most of his battles, and assisted Jota brilliantly with a perfectly weighted through ball.
The vision he showed to slot the ball between Cedric Soares and Ben White was sublime, to say the least.
Apart from the assist, the Spaniard completed 51 passes with 86.4 percent accuracy, provided three key passes, won nine duels, and registered six recoveries.
He also attempted (6) and won (3) tackles in the match.
However, he was lucky as Arsenal failed to capitilize on his wayward backpass, with Alisson Becker doing brilliantly to deny Martin Odegaard from close range.
#4 Diogo Jota
Truth be told, Diogo Jota did not have the best game on Wednesday night. He was wasteful in possession, dropped too deep at times, and did not create a single chance for his teammates.
Yet, despite enduring a dreadful first half, he picked himself up in the second 45 and broke the deadlock for the Reds with his first shot on target.
Latching on to Thiago’s perfect through ball, the Portuguese beat Ramsdale at his near post with a clinical strike. It was his 13th strike of the season, taking him into second place in the Golden Boot rankings.
A couple of minutes later, he was replaced by Roberto Firmino, who scored Liverpool’s second.
#3 Roberto Firmino
Despite scoring the opener only a couple of minutes prior, Diogo Jota was subbed off for Roberto Firmino in the 56th minute. It took the Brazilian only eight minutes to prove why Jurgen Klopp made the bold call.
In the 62nd minute, Firmino put pressure on Gabriel inside the Arsenal box, leading to a shot from fellow substitute Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian's effort, however, was blocked but Liverpool kept the attack alive through Andrew Robertson.
The left-back dashed down the left channel and drove in a low cross for Firmino. Cheeky as he is, the forward deftly flicked the ball past Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale to double the Reds' lead.
The goal aside, the Brazil international did not do much, making only 15 passes and winning two ground duels.
In all honesty, he did not need to, either.
#2 Alisson Becker
Against an in-form Arsenal, Liverpool shot-stopper Alisson Becker was always going to have a busy night. He was called into action quite a few times over the course of the match and did his job brilliantly, devoid of nervy moments.
The Brazilian keeper’s positioning was superb in the first half and managed to collect through balls behind the Liverpool defense with ease. His first big save of the match came in the 51st minute, courtesy of a disastrous back pass by Thiago.
The Spaniard’s pass went straight to Alexandre Lacazette, who found Martin Odegaard in space. The Norwegian went for goal without taking a touch, forcing Alisson to make a fine save.
A minute later, Bukayo Saka dispatched a low drive at the Reds’ goal. Alisson was quick to get down and save it. Against Arsenal, the 29-year-old made two saves, performed two sweeping actions and registered eight recoveries.
A solid outing by Liverpool's undisputed No.1.
#1 Andrew Robertson
Left-back Andrew Robertson was arguably the best player on the pitch for Liverpool on Wednesday night. He was rock-solid at the back, pressed relentlessly and did superbly going forward.
His brightest moment of the match came in the 62nd minute when he set up Firmino for the Reds’ second goal of the night.
The Scot put pressure on Bukayo Saka down the left flank, winning the ball back from him. He then stormed into the Arsenal box and provided an inch-perfect low-cross for Firmino. The Brazilian took care of the rest.
Over the course of the match, Robertson made four clearances and three interceptions, won all five of his ground duels, and attempted four tackles, winning two. Going forward, he accurately delivered two crosses and provided two key passes.
An impeccable performance by arguably the best left-back in the business.
