The Premier League title race was blown wide open after a dominant Arsenal secured a 3-1 win against Liverpool.
Goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and substitute Leandro Trossard sealed an impressive win for the Gunners, who were by far the more dominant side on the day.
Here are five things we learned from a huge Arsenal win in the fight for the Premier League…
Saka delivers in another crucial game
Bukayo Saka has arguably Arsenal’s player of the season thus far, with the England star continuing his return to form with another goal. The 22-year-old had the better of Joe Gomez throughout the first half, and was influential to everything the Gunners did well. Saka finished off Arsenal’s electric counter attack early in the first period for his eighth goal of the season, taking the winger to 24 goal contributions in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal will be sweating on his fitness after coming off late in the second half with an injury.
Havertz makes sizeable impact as the front man
A lot has been said of Kai Havertz since his big money move to Arsenal in the summer from Chelsea. The German has been used in a variety of positions by Mikel Arteta and has done a reasonable job, but is not quite hitting the heights Gunners fans had of him. However, on his return to the starting eleven, this time being deployed as the lone striker in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus, the 24-year-old performed exceptionally well. Providing the assist for Bukayo Saka’s opener as well as making himself a nuisance to Liverpool’s towering centre backs.
Liverpool unable to deal with Arsenal’s high press
Liverpool have been fairly formidable this season, dealing with most teams that they play with relative ease. They’ve played Arsenal twice already this season, with a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the league before dispatching a ruthless display at the Emirates despite being second best for most of the match. But it was third times the charm for the Gunners as they put in a ruthless display of their own. The high intensity press from Mikel Arteta’s side was too much for Liverpool to handle, with Jurgen Klopp’s side playing themselves into mistakes.
Defensive mistakes galore
Arsenal were cruising heading into half-time, but with less than a minute until the interval, the Gunners defence went into self-implosion. The usually astute William Saliba was caught in two minds, shielding the ball from Luis Diaz and the Colombian pounced, anchoring the ball onto the arm of Gabriel, before the ball trickled into the net. However, the Reds repaid the home side by successfully replicating the mistake that got them the equaliser. Under pressure from Gabriel Martinelli, Virgil van Dijk and Allison came to blows on the edge of their own box, allowing the Brazilian winger to tap into an empty net to give Arsenal the lead again.
Martinelli hits top form at the right time
It has been a rather disappointing season for Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian winger has struggled to match the impressive form that saw him score 15 goals in the Premier League last season, looking a shadow of his former self. But the 22-year-old has seen an upturn in his form, with his strike against Liverpool taking his Premier League tally for the season to five, with three of them coming in the last three matches. The entire Liverpool backline struggled to deal with the pace and skill exhibited by the Brazilian, with the pressure put on Virgil van Dijk and Allison leading to a well deserved goal.
