Kevin Whitcher
Where to start? Well, let’s begin with a very healthy crowd for this game on the Friday evening before Christmas. I reckon only about 3,000 didn’t turn up. Maybe it was too late in the day to affect the Xmas shopping. Nevertheless, most people didn't manage to arrive until the 15 minutes before the kick-off, so there were the usual large queues and people arriving for the first 20 minutes of the game. Everybody was in by the time Liverpool took the lead though, as Mohammed Salah played havoc with Arsenal’s defence, and his deflected shot fell fortuitously for Coutinho to send a looping header over Petr Cech.
Jurgen Klopp’s team weren’t done yet, and could easily have been three up by half time. Arsenal, defensively, were caught out far too easily by Liverpool’s speed on the counter attack and in the opening 45 minutes, failed to register a shot on target. Pantomime booing accompanied the team as it headed for the dressing room.
Nacho Monreal picked up a knock in the first half, so Shkodran Mustafi was a substitute at the start of the second half. It didn't make much difference to Arsenal’s defensive solidity, as Mohammed Salah picked his spot on another break. 2-0.
Then something very strange happened, with three cracking goals in the space of less than five minutes. Sanchez stole in ahead of his marker to convert a Bellerin cross with his head, Xhaka took a long pot shot which confirmed what a poor keeper Mignolet is, and Ozil combined with Lacazette before chipping the keeper. The mood changed in the space of the time from depression to ecstasy. The third goal was an example of Wengerball at its best, but it was interesting to see the first two goals were nothing to do with the short quick passing. Sometimes, it’s good to mix things up. It was an excellent period of attacking play and real determination. One does not expect to see this kind of quality for 90 minutes – the players were hunting down the ball with genuine purpose and determined to move it on quickly for the first and third goals – but one can only wonder why we don’t see it a little more frequently. It was as if it took the 2-0 deficit to awaken the team.
So, in the lead after giving the opposition a head start, but this is Arsenal we are talking here. No chance of controlling the game and playing out the remaining half hour to secure the points. And sure enough, after 71 minutes, Liverpool scored their third, a Firmino shot almost saved by Cech, but the ball agonisingly looped in after Cech had got a hand to it.
Danny Welbeck came on for Alex Iwobi – who is not looking the player he was when he initially appeared in the first team, and with a couple of minutes of normal time, Walcott replaced Sanchez. There were further chances for both sides to score, and the result could have gone either way. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain entered to more panto boos. Please people, the guy took a drop in wages because he wanted to work under a coach he believed would improve him as a footballer. His faith in Arsene Wenger had elapsed. Get over it. 90% of Arsenal fans feel the same and last night was merely confirmation of why the club needs to try someone different in the dugout.
So, a cracking game for the neutrals, but both managers will have concerns about the goals conceded. In terms of playing the other members of the ‘top six’, Arsenal’s record continues to be disappointing. A home win against Spurs – good. An away draw against Chelsea – good. But the rest of the results – the two matches against Liverpool and those against the Manchester clubs, have seen one point from 12, two of those fixtures at the Emirates. So five points from 18. Title form, it ain’t.
Still, let’s look for a silver lining. At least the Gunners do not go into the Christmas break off the back of a defeat. And, aside from an early lapse that allowed Firmino a header, Ainsley Maitland-Niles – in contrast to my own fears – had a decent match at left back. If anything, Koscielny looked our worst defender, and central defence will presumably be an area where the club look to do some business in the summer if not before. This of course assumes the manager is not about to promote Holding or Chambers. There is an argument that either could do a better job than the fading Koscielny.
Palace and West Brom away before Arsenal entertain Chelsea. Who knows what those three fixtures will bring? The first two can’t surely be as bad as last season…
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