Match Report – Post-Match Press Conference
Final Result: Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool (Kiwior OG 79′, Diaz 94′)
Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Kiwior (Smith Rowe 88′), Saliba, Gabriel, White; Rice, Jorginho (Nketiah 81′), Odegaard; Nelson (Martinelli 62′), Saka, Havertz (Trossard 88′)
When Arsenal took on West Ham in the Premier League, the stats showed that Mikel Arteta’s side had 30 shots, 18 shots inside the box, eight shots on target, five big chances – no goals. The Fulham game was quite an aberration in every sense of the word, but Arsenal mustered 13 shots, with 10 shots in the box, three shots on target, two big chances and one rather sloppy goal from Bukayo Saka, which showed a recent trend – Arsenal is failing to convert their chances woefully.
Arteta shook up the side that has been on the slump, handing starts to Aaron Ramsdale, Jorginho and Reiss Nelson. Jakub Kiwior’s entry to the team was rather enforced with Oleksandr Zinchenko suffering a recurrence of this calf strain, but nobody saw Arsenal going into the game without Gabriel Jesus, that was reported to have suffered a knee injury.
With the manager not trusting Eddie Nketiah to take Jesus’ spot in attack, Kai Havertz was tasked with leading the line, thereby opening a window to bring Jorginho to the side to play in the double pivot alongside Declan Rice, which made sense in the grand scale of things.
Early on, Aaron Ramsdale sent a delicious punt to Reiss Nelson that saw him clean on the Liverpool goal. A more intelligent forward would have chipped Alisson with the first attempt, bearing in mind that he was miles away from his goal. Not Nelson. The English winger skipped past the goalie with a first touch Romelu Lukaku would have been proud of, making the angle more acute. Bukayo Saka was on the far side to receive a pass that would have seen him place the ball to an unguarded net, but Nelson fired his shot to the side netting.
This shocking miss set the precedent to what we were going to witness on the night.
Barely minutes after his last wasteful effort, a quick throw in from Ben White picked out Martin Odegaard in the byline that cushioned a pass for Rice who teed up Nelson but his effort was blocked for a corner kick. Havertz fashioned a chance for himself with a tame curling effort that was smothered by Alisson.
The chances kept coming for Arsenal and everyone was frustrated to see Odegaard smash the cross bar from point blank range after a goalmouth scramble. Yes, there were a lot of Liverpool bodies protecting the goal, maybe a carefully threaded pass to Jorginho would have been a better option.
When you keep wasting chances against an elite side like Liverpool, the potential existed that they would punish you. However, Arsenal continued piling the pressure with White blasting a shot that was parried by Alisson and Havertz unleashing some of that disgusting Chelsea form when he dallied on the ball for ages when he was sent through on goal by Odegaard. I recently read an article on Sky Sports regarding Odegaard’s chance creation, which highlighted that Arsenal’s captain that has created loads of chances for his teammates, but they are faltering with their finishing efforts.
Odegaard’s last registered assist was the looping cross that was thumped home by Gabriel at Anfield, but he created six chances against West Ham, three chances against Fulham and four chances yesterday. In his last six Premier League games, Odegaard had created 22 chances but only two turned out to be assists.
The first warning sign from Liverpool arrived against the run of play when Gabriel was slow to close down Trent Alexander-Arnold and like the game at Anfield, TAA blasted his effort to the cross bar, sparing Ramsdale’s blushes.
Liverpool grew into the game in the second half but Arsenal had the chance to take the lead when Odegaard threaded an intelligent pass to Havertz in-behind the Liverpool defense and the German schemer dallied on the ball a bit before dinking it to the danger area. Gabriel attacked the ball with intent and missed entirely, but Saka was on hand to side-foot the ball over the bar.
With Arsenal creating a plethora of chances and failing to take initiative, the wind left their sails and like a pendulum, moved to the direction of Liverpool. Luis Diaz forced off a good save from Ramsdale at his near post, and the shaky defending from set pieces was on show again, as Diogo Jota outjumped William Saliba, yes, Rolls Royce Saliba, to the ball to the cross bar, and Darwin Nunez missing the rebound.
When Odegaard fouled Ryan Gravenberch at the edge of the box, Alexander-Arnold fired an in-swinger that was nodded to his own net by Kiwior. Ramsdale was on his way to anticipate the cross but for some strange reason, Kiwior, who was under no pressure whatsoever, managed to nod the ball into his own net. A sucker punch.
Arteta sent in Emile Smith Rowe and Leandro Trossard to add some firepower, but they offered minimal attacking impetus. With Arsenal going for broke, Liverpool hit them on the break with Jota teeing up Diaz at the edge of the box and the Colombian winger found the roof of the net with a precise strike to send a dagger to the hearts of everyone connected with Arsenal.
18 shots, 12 shots inside the box, five shots on target, four big chances – no goals.
In over 60 shots in the last three games, Arsenal has scored only one goal. The atrocious form in front of goal has come at the worst possible time, derailing their fledgling title challenge and crashing out of a very winnable domestic competition.
Fun fact, since winning the record 14th FA Cup title in 2020, Arsenal has failed to make it past the Fourth Round in each of the last four seasons, and they have failed to score in every defeat. In 2021, Gabriel scored an own goal in the Fourth Round defeat to Southampton. 2022 saw the Gunners wear this all-white kit for the first time, and a Lewis Grabban goal in the 83rd minute was enough to see lower division, Nottingham Forest oust Arsenal in the third round. Last season was a fourth round defeat to the eventual winners, Manchester City, courtesy of a Nathan Ake goal.
With no football for the next two weeks, this warm weather training as come at the best possible time for the lads to recuperate, recalibrate and come out all guns firing against Crystal Palace at home. The rut has to stop and I believe that the lads have what it takes to do it.
However, like in recent games, profligacy took center stage as the toothless Gunners sank without trace.
Sayonara.
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