Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool: The Debrief
Arsenal make a statement with a complete performance against the League leaders
I don’t like to delve too much into what the media says but it is funny and a bit annoying that the big thing that seems to have come out of Arsenal’s win is the over-focus on the team celebrating afterwards.
I don’t know if it is the case but it feels like some pundits came in with the idea that they were going to be critical of Arsenal and when they couldn’t do it with on-field performances (because it was excellent) so have instead shifted gears to this.
This attitude is so silly.
The TV networks pump out these matches as BIG EVENTS, this was billed as a potentially season-defining match for both clubs, and above all else this is entertainment.
I want to see people happy or sad at the end. That shows they care and it means as much to them as it does to us. I don’t think I have ever gotten mad when another team celebrates at Arsenal’s expense, my thought is and has always been if you don’t want to see it play better and stop it by beating them. Fun and celebration is a vital part of the game.
Rant over, let’s dig into what was a phenomenal performance worthy of celebration and praise.
Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool: The Graphics
Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool: The Debrief
10 - Shots for Liverpool, the 3rd fewest they have had in a match this season
1 - Shot on target for Liverpool, tied for the fewest they have had this season and the first time since the first match of the season
0.46 - Expected goals for Liverpool, the lowest they have had this season
3 - Times this season Liverpool have been held under 1.0 xG, two of those have been done by Arsenal.
Normally I like to start these with Arsenal’s attacking numbers but I think highlighting just how good the defense was in this match was something that merited a change to the normal procedure.
Arsenal was excellent at denying Liverpool access to where they wanted to play. Coming into this match Liverpool averaged 35 touches in the box per match and had only been held under 20 once and that came in a match where they played with 10 men for 60 minutes. In this match, they were held to just 12. They will often hit that total with time to spare in a half and that is all they managed in a full 90.
Looking at the pass map I think paints a nice picture of the lack of access that they had to the front three and how deep they needed to come to get on the ball.
The Liverpool forwards in this game managed just 45 combined touches in the final third and 10 touches in the box. One of the things that stood out in the match was just how effective Arsenal were at getting into shape if the pressing opportunity broke down. It reminded me of the comment that Peter Bosz said after playing Arsenal in the Champions League.
“Me and my coaches studied them. What is it that they do differently to us? The answer is that they are outstanding in the opposition box but also their own. They get a lot of players behind the ball as soon as possible. They do it with 10 or 11 but we only did it with six or seven and then the distances are bigger. It’s the transition.”
Liverpool ended up with more passes in this match (568 to 421) but they were in areas dictated by Arsenal with their defensive shape and played at the pace that Arsenal wanted them to be played at. The map of where threat was created passing really illustrates this, Liverpool got almost nothing in the zones outside of the box and not much from the area the Trent Alexander-Arnold loves to operate in.
Some of this is certainly being down Mohamad Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Darwin Nunez (at least from the start) but it was still mighty impressive from Arsenal.
The other part of this is that Arsenal dictated the tempo of this game. Liverpool are one of the best transition teams and plays at a pace that is an outlier among teams that have their level of possession. Coming into this match Liverpool had the 7th quickest progression up the field, averaging 2.3 progressive yards per second of possession, here they were slowed to a relatively glacial pace of just 1.75 progressive yards per second by far the slowest they have moved the ball up the field this season.
One of the things that I didn’t love about Arsenal’s performance away from Liverpool was that it felt like the team ceded dictating how the game would be played, over the last two matches (both at home so a bit easier) that has been the exact opposite, forcing Liverpool to play how Arsenal want to play.
Liverpool, even in a weakened state, are one of the best-attacking teams in the world. Arsenal didn’t just hold them to one of their worst performances ever under Klopp but still managed to beat some of their own already impressive defensive numbers in this match.
A masterclass of defending.
15 - Shots for Arsenal
7 - Shots on target for Arsenal
6 - Big Chances for Arsenal, the most non-penalty big chances Arsenal have had in a Premier League match this season
2.9 - Expected goals (3.5 on Opta’s model)
0.19 - Arsenal’s xG per shot in this match
The defense was excellent in this match, but the attack was no slouch either. Arsenal created several good chances here and on another day of playing against a keeper not quite as good as Allison, this turns into 4-5 goals.
The goals ended up needing a bit of good fortune to be converting but it did seem like Arsenal creating enough pressure that it demanded perfection to keep them out and even with how good Liverpool are, they couldn’t manage that.
Jorginho a deserving MOTM
52 - Pass Attempts, 1st among Arsenal players
86.5% - Pass completion %, 3rd among Arsenal players
104.2% - Pass Efficiency (actual pass% compared to expected pass %)
6 - Final 3rd Entry Passes completed, 2nd among Arsenal players
7 - Progressive Passes, 2nd among Arsenal players
1 - Key Pass
0.08 - xA
2 - Times Fouled
3 - Progressive Carries
2 - Tackles with a 50.0% Tackle %
4 - Interceptions, 1st among Arsenal players
3 - Blocked Passes, 1st among Arsenal players
2 - Ball Recoveries
4 - Second balls won, 1st among Arsenal players
2 - Clearances
3 - Aerial Duel Won at a 75% rate
2.89 - Fields Gained with his ball progression
Jorginho has come away from this match with a lot of praise and he earned all of that with his performance. He put together an excellent partnership with Declan Rice here with them complimenting each other perfectly. His passing is as advertised excellent, his awareness of space is top-notch, his physical limits are present but covered with a partner like Rice next to him.
I was a big booster (kind of against the grain) of him when he was signed last season because I hoped he could provide moments like this.
Arsenal sign Jorginho
Arsenal have signed Jorginho from Chelsea on deadline day. The news of this breaking was enough to turn Arsenal Twitter toxic but this is a prudent move for Arsenal and I will do my best here to try and convince you of that. The first and most obvious reason that this make sense is the injury to Mohomed Elneny that will see him likely miss the rest of the season after knee surgery.
I might have even underplayed the impact that he could provide to the team. He has been a special signing for Arsenal.
Kiwior impresses
12 - Pass Attempts
83.3% - Pass completion %
106.5% - Pass Efficiency
2 - Progressive Passes
1 - Key Pass, 0.14 xA
1 - Shot, 0.12 xG
3 - Tackles
0 - Times Dribbled Past
1 - Interception
4 - Clearances
Kiwior has shown flashes of what was possible for him but he has always been in a tough spot finding himself behind Gabriel at left center back and behind Oleksandr Zinchenko (and perhaps Takehiro Tomiyasu) at left back. That has left him getting just scraps of minutes, and often having a hard request placed on him to fill a demanding role.
The last two matches that he has played for extended minutes I think he’s been significantly better and I think part of that is down to his role. Rather than trying to replicate Zinchenko’s midfielder from left back, he’s played a more traditional left-back role. It is still more reserved without too many overlaps but a much more traditional operating range.
This was one of the things that even with Zinchenko in the game hat Arsenal sprung on Liverpool.
Arsenal played an almost strikerless look with a 4-2-2-2 type shape and I think this suits Kiwior at this stage of his development.
Bonus stat
+26.7 - Arsenal’s expected goal difference, the best in the Premier League
Seeing the pass maps, I wonder if Havertz deployment as an 'inside left' was as much about occupying the space that TTA excels in as much as how we wanted to play forward ourselves, as having players around TTA when he has the ball is good, so is having players in his area of the pitch to attack his defensive weakness.
perhaps this is a blueprint for other teams to follow, personnel not withstanding..