Arsenal won the English Super Cup

Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (pen 5-4)

Goals: Aubameyang 12 ‘- Minamino 73’.

Racing for the new season, but Arsenal still used the old formula to win a second title in the Mikel Arteta era. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring with a masterpiece outside the box, right on the first shot from the “Gunners”. Thanks to this brilliant moment, a young Arsenal, with four players under the age of 23, led the first half of the English Super Cup match at will. They defended firmly on the home field, before waiting for a chance to counter-attack thanks to the speed of the Aubameyang trio, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka.

After the match had to be resolved with a penalty shoot-out, Aubameyang took responsibility for the last shot. Liverpool’s young striker Rhian Brewster’s kick off the crossbar opens up a cup-winning chance for the London side. At 11 meters, the Gabonese striker made no mistakes. He fooled Alisson Becker with precision and helped Arsenal win their second title with Arteta in less than a month.

Compared to the FA Cup performances last season, Aubameyang on the night of August 29 was not so bright. However, the former Borussia Dortmund player is an important link when Arsenal counterattack. In addition to the ability to draw defenders and move off the ball, the 31-year-old forward also impressed as he continually backed the defense with junior Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The efforts of Aubameyang and the excellence of Maitland-Niles left Mohamed Salah without a shot on goal for 90 minutes.

Arteta continues to use the five-defender formula against strong opponents. Not only does it help Arsenal to have enough numbers to get the ball up, under pressure from Liverpool’s penalty area, but it also avoids falling into the trap of an opponent’s counterattack. Under David Luiz, Arsenal’s low defense rarely falls into a one-on-one position with two speedy forwards, Salah and Sadio Mane.

Arsenal’s goal was more of an accident than the result of Jurgen Klopp’s adjustments. Salah’s return ball hit both Arsenal players, causing the white jersey defense to not react. On the way down, reserve forward Takumi Minamino quickly put his foot near the 5m50 line, drawing 1-1. This was the Japanese forward’s first goal for Liverpool, after moving in early 2020.

Minamino was one of two changes for Klopp in the middle of the second half as a 4-3-3 found no room for the forwards. During the first 45 minutes of the first half, the only attack by the defending Premier was hitting the ball on the left wing for Andrew Robertson. The Scottish defender still played tough, but the lack of a firing partner on the opposite flank Trent Alexander-Arnold meant that Robertson often had to cross early. Rather than creating many cuts in front of goal, Robertson often had to pick a cross, over the head of the Arsenal midfielder, and aim for the far post for Salah to hit.

After 12 minutes of pursuit, Liverpool showed signs of tension, especially in the intermediate stage. Everything was resolved when Naby Keita entered with Minamino, and “The Kop” went to 4-2-3-1. They forced Arsenal to support in many ways, rather than simply blocking Robertson, before Arteta’s army made a mistake that led to Minamino’s goal.

It sets high ambitions in the 2020-2021 season, after quenching the thirst for the Premier League championship for 30 years, but Liverpool have yet to hit a falling point on the night of August 29. Due to Covid-19, many of Klopp’s students coped a lot. The trio attacked Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino almost lost contact. The hardest player, also with many delicious opportunities, is that Mane is lanky. In the 56th minute, he ran away to face goalkeeper Martinez, but shot too lightly. 10 minutes before the end of time, Mane was given the chance again, but like the first time, the former Southampton player’s handling lacked feeling and sophistication, bringing the Arsenal defender closer.

Salah, Mane, Firmino played under their strength, causing Liverpool to lose more than half their strength. Although the quality of the personnel for each position is much appreciated than that of Arsenal, the Port City team really only creates pressure in the second half of the second half, when the physical condition of the “Gunners” declines. This was also the moment when Minamino tied, and Firmino begged, sending the ball just off the post.

Without adding famous players in the summer of 2020, Liverpool showed a lack of stamina against Arsenal by kicking 10 people around the penalty area. At the end of the match, Arteta’s army was suddenly accelerated thanks to two new faces, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson. However, they have yet to rely on Brewster’s shot to hit the crossbar on penalties to win the British Super Cup. The new title gives Arsenal 16 times to lift the English Super Cup, one more than Liverpool, and only five times behind the most successful team: Man Utd.

Equipment

Arsenal: Martinez; Bellerín (Soares 58 ‘), David Luiz, Holding, Tierney (Kolasinac 83’); Maitland-Niles, Elneny, Xhaka; Saka (Willock 82 ‘), Nketiah (Nelson 82’), Aubameyang.

Liverpool: Alisson, Williams (Minamino 59 ‘), Gómez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner (Keita 59’), Wijnaldum (Brewster 90 ‘+ 1), Mane, Salah, Firmino (Jones 83’).

Thang Nguyen

See the main news