Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal: Szoboszlai’s Stunner & Gunner's Deadline Day Departures

     Sighhhh... that was a chess match. A very cagey affair for the most part, with both teams prioritizing a "don’t lose" mentality. Arsenal, however, leaned a bit more into this from the starting lineup. More on that later. This made it crystal clear that the game would be decided by fine margins, and boy did Szoboszlai deliver with that worldie of a free kick from 30-something yards. Some fans are talking about how Raya should’ve saved it. Really, guys? I get it—you can complain about the mistimed tackle in a dangerous area within the final 10 minutes of the game, but saying "Raya should have done better"? Maybe some folks need to watch it again and then again. The shot went in off the post, top corner. A free kick that probably doesn’t go in 7-8 times out of 10 if taken from the same spot under the exact same conditions by the same guy. Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat to the opposition when they produce moments of brilliance and say well done lad(s). That’s what big games are about.

Szoboszlai's 83rd Minute Stunner

    Both managers summed it up nicely. Arne Slot said, “It was such a tight game that if played 10 times, 8 times you’d get a draw, Liverpool win once, and Arsenal win once.”

Mikel Arteta echoed a similar sentiment, saying, “They did it for a period of 15-20 minutes in the second half, and then there were no margins left, so the game was going to be decided by an individual error, which didn’t happen, or a magic moment. Unfortunately, they delivered with Szoboszlai taking an incredible free kick that gave them the game.”

The 5 Things We Need to Talk About

Now, let’s address the not-so-great parts.

    Losing at Anfield for the first time in over three seasons is painful, but were we the architects of our own downfall? The answer is NO. There’s absolutely no shame in how we lost, but yeah, still gutted. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, and at the risk of jumping on the hindsight bandwagon, one question I have for Mikel Arteta is: why wait so long to bring on the attacking cavalry? It turned out to be a little too late. To be fair, the midfield trio of Merino, Rice, and Zubimendi did a good job of nullifying the KOP’s attacking threat for most of the game. Mosquera was solid at the heart of the defense alongside Gabriel. My only gripe with Arteta is that he didn’t make those changes sooner, especially as it became clear the Anfield crowd was starting to lift the Liverpool players. You could feel the tide turning just after the 60th minute. Not sure if it was the introduction of Curtis Jones for MacAllister that sparked it, but Liverpool was playing better, and Van Dijk was cutting through our midfield press with some long passes.

Eze showed us what we’d been missing during that short spell, and this isn’t meant to shade Martinelli. For all his industry—tracking back, defending, going forward—he didn’t do enough to make Szoboszlai (a makeshift right-back) uncomfortable that night. Gabby needs to shake the cobwebs off and get back to the 2022/23 Martinelli urgently.

Key Takeaways

LivArs Stats

    This isn't a title decider. Even with the loss at Anfield, we’ve improved our results against Manchester United and Liverpool compared to last season. This season, we’ve got 2 points from both (2 draws), and now we have 3 points from both (1 win, 1 loss). That said, Arteta needs to take the handbrake off a little more. Hey Mikel, you now have the tools! The team barely created much for Gyokeres, and I say that because Eze, Ødegaard, and Ethan were all on the bench, while Madueke was our only outlet. His battle with Kerkez was an interesting one, with the right-back often coming out on top. It’s clear that Noni is better on the right, and our right-hand side was more threatening. Again, we need the 2022/23 Martinelli back urgently. Liverpool may be fearsome going forward with Isak joining on deadline day, but their achilles' heel could be their defense, especially now that Guehi didn’t join. They created fewer chances, were mostly contained at home, and really didn't threaten us that much. They did win, which is what counts the most, but it has to be said, their defense can still be exposed. As for us, bad news with Saliba’s injury (injury gods, please be kind), but Mosquera is looking like a steal at less than £20 million and just 21 years old. If we can keep teams at bay like we have so far this season—just one goal conceded, 6 points from 9, with two of the toughest grounds out of the way—then Arsenal’s defense could very well be the key to winning trophies this season. The million-dollar question is, how do the gunners get the best of Victor Gyokeres, Arteta, over to you!

  Squad Depth & Deadline Day Deals

    Let’s quickly touch on the deadline day deals. Yes, Liverpool closed the deal for Isak, but does that mean we hand them the league title now? I hope the mentality of the boys is a firm HELL NO! The squad depth is being tested, with Saliba picking up an injury to add to the tally of  Havertz, NØrgaard, Saka, and Jesus. For once, the international break may be a blessing in disguise—hopefully, the lads return injury-free and ready to go. Noni, MLS, Rice, and Eze all got England call-ups, while Ødegaard was named in Norway’s squad. Fingers crossed that Saliba doesn’t play during the break... touchwood.

Before we wrap things up, let’s talk about the transfer window. As expected, deadline day saw a lot of departures from the Emirates. Reiss Nelson went to Brentford on loan, having been courted earlier by Fulham and Crystal Palace. I wish we had gotten a straight sale instead of another loan. We need to take a leaf out of Stamford Bridge’s book on how to do this—Nicolas Jackson for over £70 million in total? Really??? Chelsea is having a good laugh to the banks. Zinchenko was also loaned to Nottingham Forest, while Lokonga and Vieira joined the Bundesliga, with Hamburg securing them on loan.

The only significant fee Arsenal made from player sales was for Kiwior at less than £25M total package. Honestly, not good enough for me. But credit where credit’s due: the incomings by Andrea Berta and his team have been nothing short of outstanding. It’s been a solid 7-8/10 transfer window, though I’m still disappointed by the lack of significant return on player sales. But hey, we’re not bean counters, are we? On that note, I'd say that's it from me and the crew at #anaijagunner. Don't forget to comment, like, use the hashtag #anaijagunner, and share the post just to support the channel. Until the next one.... ciao!

 

Hincapié to Arsenal Done, Eze to Start & Liverpool vs Arsenal Preview – Early Marker Laydown!

 Hincapié to Arsenal is done, Fabrizio "here we go", confirmed! Eze is settling in quite nicely after that remarkable unveiling at the Emirates last week, just before the Leeds game. 5-0 to the Arsenal, by the way! Viktor Gyökeres got off the mark after his trademark inside-left channel run, burying it at the near post. He then proceeded to smash home a penalty, won once again by Max Downman, who’s quickly making a habit of getting fouled with his direct, forceful runs. That was a very long sentence, wasn’t it?

So, let’s rephrase the 5 things:   

Eze Unveiling

It’s done, Gooners. Hincapié to Arsenal. "Here we go," confirmed. Eberechi Eze is settling in beautifully already. That unveiling at the Emirates Stadium before the Leeds game? Pure class from Arsenal. Applause, standing ovation, you could feel the excitement as Eze strutted onto the pitch wearing the number 10 shirt. Fans lapped it all in with adulation. The vibe was 10 out of 10. If you had any doubts, cue Tottenham copying Arsenal with their unveiling of Xavi Simons before their game against Bournemouth — a game Spurs lost  0-1, by the way. It’s a wonder how they escaped with such a low score, because the Cherries were absolutely dominant. Spurs only had their first shot on goal in the 69th minute. Wow, is it too early to say Spurs being SPURS are BACK?! Okay, okay, enough of the jabs, let’s get back on track. Then came the match itself. Arsenal 5, Leeds 0. Statement win, nope but same 3 points nonetheless.

Viktor Gyökeres opened his account with his classic move — drifting in from the inside-left channel and burying it at the near post. Cold finish. He completed his brace later, smashing home a penalty won (you guessed it) by Max Downman, who’s quickly turning his direct running into a reliable penalty trigger. It's becoming his thing. Timber got a brace for the first time in his career. Yes, Arsenal won, but Leeds were in it for a bit, especially in the first half. Raya made a good save from a header after a Leeds corner to keep things at nil-nil. We got the trademark set-piece FC goal — Ole ole! — and then killed it off just before halftime with a high-press turnover that Saka smashed into the net with his weaker right foot (ironically, nothing weak about that shot).

Bar that, it was a comfortable game for the Gunners. We barely had to get out of gear 3, let alone 5. What I didn’t like was that we’re still ponderous in possession at times, with Ødegaard guilty of delaying passes just a tad too much. Calafiori showed the lads how it’s done, with the Gyök-9 up top.

As for the not-so-good news, Saka pulled a hammy, and Ødegaard left the pitch with a shoulder injury. Combined with Kai’s knee issue against ManU, and injuries to Norgard, Ben White, and Gabby Jesus, it’s not looking good. But their replacements? Exactly what the team has been crying for — solid floor-raisers. The Arsenal squad now has the right mix of needle movers and floor-raisers, which bodes well for a team seeking to challenge for trophies on all fronts. Let’s hope we keep this momentum going.

Now, onto Sunday’s big matchup at the Scousers. Let’s show respect to the defending champions. Arteta said, "They are champions for a reason. They deserve to be champions. They were the better team last year, the most consistent one, the one that found ways to win in many different ways. We want to be that team this year. We need to go to Anfield with that spirit and that conviction." While some might feel it’s too early in the season for these big matchups… we can agree to disagree that, pedigree-wise, ManU is still a big team, right? I’m really not fussy about when we play these teams. It’s the same 3 points, win or lose, now or later. As for me, I'd say we get these games over with rather than kicking the can down the road.

On injuries — I’d say there’s an inevitability to that. Saka’s obviously a miss for us, but I believe having a deep squad with close-quality players helps mitigate it. Liverpool isn’t without their own issues, especially at the back. Kerkez is looking shaky, Frimpong is out injured, Wirtz hasn’t quite caught up to speed, and Konaté is looking like he’d rather be concentrating on defending somewhere in the Spanish capital alongside a former teammate. Their midfield currently looks easy to play through, having conceded 2 goals in each of their last games.

It feels like, without McAllister and Gravenberch playing together, it’s a coin toss for both teams and their issues. Up front, Liverpool have shown to be clinical, with Etikité ticking well and scoring in his last 3 games. Here's hoping our very stingy defense can keep a clean sheet against Salah, Hugo, and Gakpo. I know it’s a tough ask, because you'd have to go all the way back to the 1924/25 season when we won our first three matches without conceding. That said, if there is a team that can shut out any other team with a masterclass in defensive display, it is Arsenal FC, no questions asked. Our midfield needs to tick well. I’m talking a disciplined performance from Declan Rice and Zubimendi, giving the creators the freedom to wreak havoc on Liverpool’s shaky defense. Not a rope-a-dope, end-to-end, pound-for-pound game like Liverpool vs Newcastle… Nah. Stay compact, pick your moments, and spring our front 3 with the right passes. Mikel Arteta has some decisions to make: Does he start Eze in the 10 role or stick with Nwaneri? Does he go with Martinelli for his speed and defensive abilities on Salah’s side, or use Eze there? Will Calafiori be picked over MLS at left-back? Does Max get a look-in at 70 minutes to have a crack at Kerkez? Interesting propositions, but Mikel knows.

As for their manager, Slot says: "In the beginning of the season, normally teams don't play their best game unless you keep the same squad completely and you add three, four, five, six or seven players, then you can maybe expect the team is growing even further. If you look at our situation, we have lost a few and we have added a few". 

Mo Salah has also been speaking on the title challenge, picking the Gunners as favorites. Salah’s an absolute legend, but I see him trying to deflect pressure from his team with these comments:

"Arsenal are the favorites because they have a team that has played together for five or six years, so they understand each other’s game."

I won’t quote the whole line, but he’s forgetting that Arsenal replaced a couple of outgoing players with about seven new signings. That’s a lot of change! Compare that to Liverpool, who’ve basically kept most of Klopp’s squad intact, aside from Trent and Diogo Jota (God rest his soul in peace). My team sheet would look as follows: yes, I am starting Dwonman over Noni Madueke, he is an unknown quantity against Kerkez. I know he is only 15, but he is a bet I am willing to take, the bench will still be quite stacked with: ( Trossard, MLS, Madueke, Nwaneri, Merino, Keppa, Mosqera)

#LivArs Team Selection

It's going to be a tough game, Anfield has never been a walk in the park, still, I fancy us to do it this time (touch wood), let's hope the lads have the belief to win it and lay down a marker... #COYG. That's it from us, but before we go, who do you think will win the Liverpool vs Arsenal match? Like & share the post, let us know your predictions in the comments, and use the hashtag: #anaijagunner on X. Lastly, please don't forget to follow us on Facebook, see you in the review.....Ciao