Anguish at Anfield

Anfield has been a place that has brought much misery throughout the years. Most certainly one of the hardest grounds to go to in the world and attempt to come away with anything more than your dignity. Having said that, Mikel Arteta has orchesrated a couple of decent results in the last couple of years, but hasn't managed to obtain the holy grail, three points. There was a quiet optimism seeping into the Arsenal fans in the build up to this fixture as Liverpool themselves had been on the receiving end of a couple of nail-biting results. They came out on top in both, but looked quite vulnerable. The only issue from a Gunners perspective is losing Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz in consecutive game weeks.

The game itself was incredibly cagey. A fixture that will not go down in the history books as an all time great, not even a consideration of such. The match saw a grand total of four shots on target, from both teams combined. That will give you some understanding of how this heavyweight clash unfolded. It was one of those games that a commentator will mention the phrase 'it'll take a moment of magic to decide this one...'. Up stepped Dominik Szoboszlai who crashed in a free kick from 35 yards away. That was it, that's all Liverpool needed to win the clash. Arne Slot even suggested that it was a game that would be a draw 8 out of 10 times, a Liverpool win once and an Arsenal win once. Nothing separated the two sides, it was as even as you can get without mirroring each other's stats.

Arteta has held an incredible record against the big six that has stood for over two years, so he clearly knows how to not lose against them. However, he receives criticism for setting up his team to make sure they don't lose. That doesn't sound like a bad thing at all, until you understand that it means a very defensive looking side no matter the condition of the other team. It means that fans will have to endure a game of very limited amounts of success and enjoyment. This game was one of those times and it unfortunately ended in a loss so Arteta will be under scrutiny for his selection process.

Mikel Merino certainly saved our skin a few times last season, playing as an auxillary striker, but with Gyokeres now in the side his game time will be limited and closer to his natural position. Against Liverpool he played in the 'Odegaard' role which didn't particulalrly work out so well for our attacking intent, partner that with a less than inspiring performance from Gabriel Martinelli and that was a recipe for boredom. I can understand going to Anfield and not going for an expressive team full of attacking hope, but he picked a player that hasn't started a game yet and someone that's so ridiculously out of form. I get that it was Eberechi Eze's first game with the squad, but he's had a full pre-season and even started on the opening day, so his fitness is there. Then you look at how Ethan Nwaneri played against Leeds and it's a wonder why he didn't get more minutes. Anfield is an absolute cauldron, but you have to be brave sometimes. Arteta has to trust that our defence is very good, even Cristhian Mosquera was a brilliant substitute for the injured William Saliba.

It's moments like that Szobozslai goal that make you realise that you can perfectly execute a game plan, but still not come away with the intended result. I wasn't mad with the performance, I think we stifled them and tried to create our own chances. Virgil Van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahim Konate and Szobozslai had incredible games and that's just what it was. We actually created a higher xG over the course of the game which shows that we had some intent. With that being said, Arsenal needed a player that could add a different dimension in attack. Noni Madueke tried, but it felt like he was a one man army up top.

I think whichever way you want to slice it, it's a loss for Arsenal and it's at a ground we always drop points at. I quite literally predicted a loss and I think when the fixture list was announced and the first six games were revealed we all expected dropped points somewhere along the line. The injuries to Saliba, Saka and Havertz are worrying, but that is why Andrea Berta targeted depth. I can understand the frustration of losing a game, we want to win every game, but it's a long season and there will be so many more twists and turns. We have a great squad full of exciting players and they'll all push each other to do better, no one has a spot completely nailed down and that's what we need.

1-0 Liverpool at Anfield, let's just make sure we beat them at the Emirates to balance it out.

Player ratings:

David Raya - (5) - I don't think he could've done that much for the goal, perhaps slightly better positioning required. However, he put us under pressure a couple of times with wayward passes. Not at his best.

Jurrien Timber - (7) - He had a hell of a job on his hands to contain Cody Gakpo, but did keep him relatively quiet. Had a couple of good moments going forward. Solid, but not much more.

Cristhian Mosquera - (9) - Despite a couple of cameos, this was his first real minutes and it was at the hardest ground in the league. Not only did he have to step into Saliba's shoes, he also had to deal with an inform Hugo Ekitike. He did masterfully and was our best player.

Gabriel - (7) - Strong as always, but a couple of wobbly moments. Overall he kept their attack quiet.

Riccardo Calafiori - (8) - He wasn't the preferred option to come up against Mohamed Salah, considering how the Italian was left chasing shadows against Bryan Mbuemo. However, he was resolute and kept Salah very quiet. He was even a threat going forward still.

Martin Zubimendi - (6) - It felt like I was watching his opening half against Manchester United again. He looked shaky and not as strong minded in possession. However, he was still part of a team that reduced Liverpool to very little.

Declan Rice - (7) - The strongest midfield option we had out there, but still struggled to make his mark on the game. Sometimes a passenger, but still fought hard and tried to drive the team forward.

Mikel Merino - (6) - He's good as making a nuisance of himself, especially at set pieces, but offered very little beyond that. A couple of penalty shouts, but to no avail. Timid is a way to describe that performance.

Noni Madueke - (8) - It's one of those games in which both Milos Kerkez and Madueke had good games in equal proportions. Madueke drove at him as much as he could and created a few half chances, but Kerkez did well to stand up to him on a few occasions.

Gabriel Martinelli - (5) - It's getting very hard to see the good in his play, to try and take the positives. He's very quick, but he hardly ever gets in behind. I seriously think if we're going to get the best out of him then he cannot be a left winger. He's easy to defend against and Konate had no trouble with him. Szobozslai even pushed up in the second half as he was comfortable leaving Martinelli on his own.

Viktor Gyokeres - (6) - I think it's becoming clear that Gyokeres is a striker we're going to need to feed in order to get the best out of him. He's not going to create chances for himself apart from the odd few. Gyokeres is trying to do the right thing and trying to get into the right positions, but our team aren't finding him and he's picking up the ball in areas of the pitch he doesn't want the ball in. Very reminiscent of his debut against United. Get that man in the box and get the ball into the box with him in it and we'll get the striker we want.

Substitutes:

Eberechi Eze - (7) - Maybe this is me looking at a player that isn't Martinelli, but he looked very lively when he came on. He actually gave the Liverpool defence something to worry about from the left. There was a moment which could have defined his debut, but opted to wait for contact from a defender to go down instead of shooting. He did go down, but from hardly any contact, not enough to warrant a penalty.

Martin Odegaard - (5) - We needed our captain to apply pressure to Liverpool and try and capitalise on them becoming braver in possession. He didn't and only had flashes of danger about him.

Max Dowman - (N/A) - Not on for long enough to get a rating, but interesting he came on above Nwaneri and Leo Trossard.