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Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-1 in the English Premier League third-round derby at Anfield Stadium.
The champions played a very strong first half, in which they totally dominated (10: 1 shots and 70% ball possession), but Alexander Lacazette put the Gunners ahead after a blunder by Andy Robertson.
Sadio Mane, however, was quick to equalize, and then Robertson himself retaliated for the mistake and sent the ball into the guests’ net.
After the break, Arsenal also had their opportunities, but the superiority of the hosts was maintained and in the 88th minute the new addition Diogo Jota put an end to the dispute with a debut goal of the ‘reds’ in the championship.
This was the 61st straight game in which Liverpool were undefeated at their stadium in the championship, and during this time period the team led by Jurgen Klopp has achieved 50 victories.
Thus, the champion Liverpool collected a maximum asset of nine points and rose to second place, while Arsenal is fifth with six points.
Unsurprisingly, the locals applied deep pressure after the referee’s initial signal and the match was played in the Sofia half, which was nevertheless well grouped and defended successfully.
Interesting moments appeared ten minutes after the start of the match, as first David Lewis blocked a Virgil van Dyke shot, and immediately afterwards Rob Holding did the same with Nabi Kate’s shot.
The first clear goal position came a quarter of an hour after kickoff, when Alexander-Arnold crossed from the right and Sadio Mane masterfully intercepted a play. However, Bernd Leno followed the situation and managed to defend himself.
Alexander-Arnold was definitely under pressure and was able to find the result in the middle of the first half. This time he had a chance to shoot, but the ball bounced off the crossbar!
In the 25th minute, Arsenal surprisingly took the lead with a quick counterattack from the left. However, the credit for the goal went to Andy Robertson, who gave Alexander Lacazette a rare gift. Instead of clearing the ball, the defender returned it to the Arsenal forward, who was left alone against Alison and scored, despite poor contact.
Liverpool’s response was quick. Keita fought for the ball and then Mohamed Salah burst into the penalty area shooting diagonally. Leno saved, but in front of him was Mane, who made a successful addition.
Andy Robertson retaliated for his blunder and in the 34th minute his goal took a complete turn. The left-back received a pass from Alexander-Arnold, stopped well and with a technical blow with his left foot brought Leno down.
The Londoners looked a bit better after the break, but their crosses became easy prey for Liverpool’s defense. An hour had passed when Virgil van Dyke stepped forward and fired a cannon shot, but Leno saved.
The Gunners could have tied seconds later when Lacazette got behind the champions’ defense with a superb pass from Sebayos, but Alison came out and blocked the shot. A fresh attack from Liverpool followed, but Manet’s shot went over the crossbar after a spin.
As expected, the high pace was replaced by a lull in which both teams gathered their strength for the final sprint. The Reds’ defensive pull was caught again, but Alison came out of the penalty area and punted. At the front door, Roberto Firmino won just a corner after a rebound.
Ten minutes before the end of regulation time, Liverpool’s newcomer Diogo Jota decided to try his luck with a shot outside the area, but did not hit the target. He had a new chance in a much better position, but he would be off the grid! Soon after, Jota didn’t get along with Salah and Liverpool missed another golden opportunity.
In the 88th minute the logical thing happened and Jota scored from a much more difficult position. The ball was not cleared well by the Arsenal defense and the striker scored from the edge of the penalty area, finding the bottom left corner.
Liverpool – Arsenal 3: 1
0: 1 Alexander Lacazette – 25 ‘
eleven Sadio Mane – 28 ‘
twenty-one Andy Robertson – 34 ‘
3: 1 Diogo Jota – 88 ‘
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