L4L Match Report: LIVERPOOL 0 v 2 Arsenal

AFTER the Liverpool board’s failure to sanction a deadline day signing to replace Andy Carroll, there was only ever going to be two schools of thought after today’s game.

In the event of victory, deadline day would have been largely forgotten, but a Liverpool draw or loss would serve to magnify the club’s bizarre failure to bring in attacking reinforcements. Unfortunately, it was the latter result which transpired after a lame 2-0 loss to Arsenal.

All things considered, the best team was victorious, but the first quarter of the match suggested that it would be a cagey affair, where both teams were afraid of defeat after a stuttering start to their respective league campaigns.

Liverpool’s passing was effective enough until their play reached the final third; as soon as the ball went remotely close to the Arsenal goal their moves completely broke down, and ironically, it was Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez who were the worst culprits.

Arsenal looked slightly more dangerous going forward and by the time Lukas Podolski opened the scoring on 31 minutes, there was an air of inevitability about Liverpool being caught out on the break. Indeed, Gerrard gave the ball away cheaply in an attacking position, Santi Cazorla broke and threaded it through to Podolski who struck the ball low into the bottom right hand corner.

Liverpool’s response lacked conviction and penetration, but Raheem Sterling did manage to fire a shot against the outside of the post after a lovely turn and shot from eight yards. Arsenal then went close to extending their lead when Olivier Giroud missed a great chance from ten yards after an Abou Diaby through ball.

The intensity improved in the opening stages of the second half and Liverpool had a penalty claim turned down by Howard Webb after Per Mertesacker looked to have upended Suarez.

Much has been said and written about Webb’s performances against Liverpool and (without the personal benefit of a replay) this appeared to be a cast-iron penalty and possibly a sending off. Sometimes referee bashing can appear childish and paranoid but Webb has indeed made several bad decisions to the detriment of Liverpool, especially at Anfield. One wonders whether he over-compensates because Anfield is considered an easy ground in which to make a ‘home’ decision. The incident could have been a game-changer, but it wasn’t to be.

It was Arsenal who missed the first chance of the half – again after a counter-attack – when Kieran Gibbs had a low shot saved well by Pepe Reina after ghosting inside unchallenged.

Then, on 68 minutes, Arsenal made it 2-0 when Santi Cazorla squeezed a near post shot under Reina from roughly twelve yards. The Liverpool stopper made contact with his compatriot’s shot, but he could and should have done better. After his mistake against Hearts on Thursday, Reina’s form is now an ongoing concern for the club.

In response, the home side huffed and puffed in search for a momentum-inspiring consolation goal and their attacking play improved slightly after Arsenal’s back line dropped deeper as time passed.
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Suarez had the best chance to score on 85 minutes when he fluffed his lines from about eight yards; instead of firing it at goal with his instep, the Uruguayan chose to attempt a chip over Vito Mannone and got it horribly wrong, the ball floating over the bar.

Jonjo Shelvey – who impressed again after replacing a largely anonymous Nuri Sahin – had two long range efforts saved, the latter of which was a particularly good strike that forced a spectacular save from Mannone.

In summary, it is safe to say that Liverpool’s league season has got off to a terrible start. Confidence will now be at a worryingly low ebb and playing Sunderland away in the next fixture isn’t exactly ideal.

There was a sense of edginess about Liverpool today and their best players performed badly. Early reaction to today’s defeat in this mad world of social media is incredibly panic-stricken given we are only three league games in (with a new manager and radical ideas). However, there will need to be an improvement quickly because the tough run of opening fixtures hasn’t come to a conclusion.

What won’t help Liverpool at all – with specific reference to the club’s owners and Managing Director – is that the difference between the two teams today was in the final third. There was a massive gulf in class in this department and it’s frightening, at this moment in time at least, to think that Liverpool almost certainly need to finish above the Gunners to gain a Champions League spot (barring a poor Chelsea campaign).

After several windows of wasted cash and three years without Champions League football, it would be foolhardy complaining about the level of money spent this summer, but in the context of today’s inefficiencies, the strange non-replacement of Andy Carroll with a cheaper alternative to Clint Dempsey looks even worse.

Man of the Match: Joe Allen. Raheem Sterling was the only other contender, but the Welshman was head and shoulders above anyone else in a red shirt. He looks to be far more than a ‘pass it sideways’ midfielder. His reading of play, choice of pass and tidy technique suggests that he could become a permanent fixture in Liverpool’s midfield for several years to come.

Catch Antony on Twitter @antonyjlfc

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