First thoughts: Liverpool (A)

My reaction to Liverpool vs Arsenal

Arsenal’s performance at Anfield seemed to further divide the multiple camps among club supporters, if that was possible. The club left with a 1-0 loss and sit third in the Premier League headed into the first international break of the season (hooray!)

Let’s cut the chit-chat and get into it - here’s my reaction.

Main takeaway: Arsenal have evolved beyond a complete reliance its stars, while Liverpool need to get theirs sorted out

At the end of the day, this was an Arsenal side that didn’t have Bukayo Saka, quite literally Arsenal’s best player. Kai Havertz didn’t make the trip, nor did Ben White. Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze didn’t start for different reasons, and William Saliba, who’s probably top-three for Arsenal at worst, lasted only five minutes. And it still took Liverpool, they of the €220 million in attack and €90 on fullbacks summer, a worldie freekick in the 83rd minute to break the seal while playing at home.

But, at this point in the Arsenal experience, we don’t do moral victories.

For Liverpool, this was a big three points but one where you surely come away feeling better about the result than the process. The club went into half with less than 0.1 xG for the second consecutive Premier League match, and Mohamed Salah has continued to look less effective in attack at the outset of the season, with a lot of his production coming in lower-stakes moments. I thought Ekitike and Wirtz struggled to produce much danger for a third consecutive match, with a couple of moments (or against Bournemouth, a weird bounce of the ball) helping folks overlook an otherwise…kind of small impact. They’ll need both of those players to produce more and fast.

Anyway, on to Arsenal, which is why you’re here.

Positives: