Arsenal 4-1 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points

Arsenal continued their good run of form by trouncing Liverpool 4-1 at the Emirates courtesy of goals from Hector Bellerin, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud. The win propels the Gunners into the second spot in the league table behind Chelsea.Liverpool’s miseries continue to pile on as they lost their second game on the bounce. Jordan Henderson got a consolation goal for the visitors from the spot which gave Liverpool some credibility. The Merseyside club were reduced to ten men for the second league game on the trot as Emre Can saw red after clattering Danny Welbeck, which lead to a second yellow.Here are the five talking points from this match:

#1 Arsenal continue to march on

Arsenal’s domestic form is the best in the country since the turn of the year. 14 wins from 15 games is title winning form and today they proved that by trouncing Liverpool. A rejuvenated Olivier Giroud, with solidity from David Ospina has given this Arsenal team a bit more bite. And not to forget the brilliance of Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

The Gunners are currently in second place and are closing in on Manchester City, who are having problems of their own. Arsene Wenger has brought a renewed sense of vigour in this Arsenal side, who are blamed for perennially underachieving.

There is a huge question mark looming over the North London club’s title credentials, but if they carry on with this kind of form over the final games, we will have a crackerjack of a title race to witness come May.

#2 Liverpool\'s defence in tatters

Liverpool came into this fixture on the back of a morale-wrecking defeat handed to them by their arch-rivals Manchester United. The Merseyside club’s defence has always been subject to scrutiny ever since Brendan Rodgers has taken over the reins of the club.

With the absence of Martin Skrtel, the recently used 3 at the back, which worked so well for them, looked disjointed. Kolo Toure was the worst of the lot as he looked very nervy when in possession and was easily fended off by Olivier Giroud. Emre Can, who saw red for his needless challenge, was another major letdown. The German was all over the place as far as his tackling and positioning were concerned.

Sakho was the best of all the defenders, while Alberto Moreno also let the team down. The back-three experiment is slowly starting to show cracks as teams have started to figure them out. Jordan Henderson starting out as a wingback was also a baffling decision.

Liverpool’s defence crumbled under Arsenal’s high-pressing tactic and this gives a lot of food for thought to Brendan Rodgers, if he wishes to persist with the 3-5-2 formation without the Slovakian.

#3 Liverpool gunned down in midfield

If Liverpool’s woes at the back are primary, then their muddles in midfield are slowly creeping up. Rodgers preference of a midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen/Lucas eiva and Philippe Coutinho is failing to stamp any kind of authority in their recent games.

The absence of a strong leader in the midfield along with any sort of steel has given their opponents an easy way to get past them. Steven Gerrard has always held this midfield together and now in his absence other players have failed to step up. Even Henderson, who is considered as a replacement to Gerrard has failed to live up to his billing. He may have scored goals in the recent games, but his contribution in midfield has been fairly mediocre.

Arsenal’s midfield bossed in the middle of the park and their attacking players supported the act commendably by pressing high up the pitch. The duo of Coquelin and Ramsey were absolutely bullish as they bulldozed Liverpool’s attackers barring Phillipe Coutinho, who was the only shining star on a stormy night.

#4 Unstoppable Giroud

Olivier Giroud has been consistently banging in goals for the Gunners since his return in December. He went into top gear last month, when he scored five goals in the month of March. He was rightly awarded the Player of the Month and he didn’t disappoint against Liverpool tonight.

He relentlessly harassed Kolo Toure and the ex-Arsenal defender was clearly uncomfortable against him. His clever runs off the back line and his aerial presence gave the hosts an edge over an uncertain Liverpool defence, which looked very vulnerable when they dealt with the Frenchman.

Ultimately, he got a deserved goal in the dying minutes of the match which was a scrumptious finish from distance. He consistently worked under the radar and gave the three magicians, playing behind him, both time and space to maneuver. He did what Raheem Sterling and later on, Daniel Sturridge failed to do for the visitors and that was to link up the play with his fellow attackers in the final third.

The French forward is slowly proving to be a vital cog of this Arsenal juggernaut and if at all they harbour any hopes of giving Chelsea a stiff run-in for the title charge, he will have to perform at the peak of his prowess.

#5 Sterling\'s flop show at Emirates

There was a lot of buzz around Raheem Sterling post his shocking interview with BBC, where he stated his will to leave Liverpool at the end of summer. And there were rumours of him moving back to London, to be precise north of London. This was bumped by the British media as the ‘audition’ of Sterling at Emirates.

If this was an audition by any means, Raheem Sterling failed miserably. The 20-year-old was preferred over Daniel Sturridge up top, but looked lacklustre the entire afternoon. Sterling was wriggled off the ball easily by Laurient Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. He was even worse out wide as Bellerin gave him a torrid time. Although he drew the foul which earned Liverpool a penalty, that was his only telling contribution in the entire game.

Are all these off-field issues affecting his performance on the field? Maybe, maybe not! All in all, it was a shoddy afternoon for the youngster.