Arsenal's Injury Crisis Deepens as Liverpool Delivers Crushing 1-0 Blow
Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the new campaign, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Within just five minutes of kickoff, Arsenal faced another injury setback as William Saliba was forced off. Mikel Arteta introduced summer acquisition Cristhian Mosquera, presenting a significant challenge for the 21-year-old defender.
Liverpool applied intense high pressure to unsettle the young defender, backed by an energetic home crowd on Merseyside. Arsenal attempted to gain control of the match but struggled with fluidity in their transitions, with Mikel Merino starting ahead of Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze.
Viktor Gyökeres found it difficult to receive quality service early on due to the midfield configuration. Liverpool almost capitalized on a wayward pass from David Raya at the back, which Virgil van Dijk intercepted from Martín Zubimendi. However, Arsenal's defense regrouped effectively to thwart Alexis Mac Allister. The tactical approach appeared to focus on exploiting Liverpool's wing-backs, with Noni Madueke having more success in his battles with Milos Kerkez compared to Gabriel Martinelli's encounters with the improvised Szoboszlai.
Both sides headed to the dressing room without truly hitting their stride.
Arne Slot and Arteta opted against making substitutions at the beginning of the second period. It wasn't until the 60th minute that Hugo Ekitiké found the net, but the French forward was ruled offside in the buildup, sparing Arsenal.
Liverpool finally broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute following a foul on Curtis Jones in a promising position. Szoboszlai took responsibility and delivered a superb strike over the defensive wall, finding the inside of the left upright.
Arsenal increased their intensity after conceding, but their efforts came too late. Questions regarding team selection will inevitably surface. This marks Arsenal's first defeat against a top-six opponent in 23 matches as Arteta's quest for victory at Anfield persists.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (4-3-3)
*Ratings provided by Fotmob
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 6.2 |
RB: Jurriën Timber | 6.4 |
CB: William Saliba | N/A |
CB: Gabriel Magalhães (c) | 6.5 |
LB: Riccardo Calafiori | 6.8 |
CM: Mikel Merino | 6.3 |
CM: Declan Rice | 6.9 |
CM: Martín Zubimendi | 6.0 |
RW: Noni Madueke | 6.0 |
ST: Viktor Gyökeres | 6.1 |
LW: Gabriel Martinelli | 6.3 |
SUB: Cristhian Mosquera (5' for Saliba) | 6.6 |
SUB: Martin Ødegaard (70' for Merino) | 6.2 |
SUB: Eberechi Eze (70' for Martinelli) | 6.3 |
SUB: Max Dowman (89' for Madueke) | N/A |
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Myles Lewis-Skelly, Andre Annous, Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard
Arsenal Player of the Match: Declan Rice
Overall Player of the Match: Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Hugo Ekitiké
Subs: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Andrew Robertson, Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endō, Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha