The victory of Arsenal has changed the course of the title race, defeating a tired Liverpool team.

Prior to the game, Jurgen Klopp had cautioned that regardless of the outcome, people would credit Manchester City, but in reality, it is a fantastic result for Arsenal. This marks the third significant home win against one of the top teams in England this season, and perhaps the most impressive of them all. It had a stronger sense of conviction than the previous victories over Manchester United and Manchester City, with more significance than the simple mistakes that led to some of the goals.

The performance was impressive. The only negative aspect of the 3-1 victory was when Bukayo Saka, who scored the opening goal, had to leave the game due to an injury. However, Arsenal is not focusing on that right now. Mikel Arteta was ecstatic and celebrated by running around the sidelines and high-fiving everyone after Leandro Trossard scored by putting the ball between Alisson’s legs. This was the second consecutive goal that Liverpool gave away to Arsenal, and it was frustrating because they had been undeservedly let back into the game after a mistake that could have led to an Arsenal collapse.

This team is not performing well at the moment. They have undoubtedly benefited from their January break. On the other hand, Liverpool appears to be in need of a break themselves, adding more weight to Klopp’s comments from Wednesday night. The coach had remarked after their 4-1 victory over Chelsea that his players seemed tired, and that was evident in this match.

There may not be as much worry for the current season or their chances at winning the title, considering their recent performance. It was expected that there would be a decline in performance at some point. However, it would have been preferable for this to not happen in such a crucial game. If City wins their two postponed games, they can reclaim the top spot. On the other hand, Arsenal may feel that they finally have an opportunity to challenge City for the top spot.

In the first half, Arsenal displayed a style of play that closely aligned with Arteta’s vision for his team. Their intensity mirrored that of last season, but their finishing fell short. One could argue that, based on the overall flow of the game, Arsenal had the upper hand with a 2-0 lead going into halftime. They effectively navigated through Liverpool’s defense and relentlessly pushed them back, utilizing a combination of pressing and counterattacks to create numerous scoring opportunities near Alisson’s goal.

Liverpool frequently had possession of the ball, but their use of it was not as effective. Their performance seemed sluggish, reminiscent of Klopp’s remarks following the Chelsea game. Although they were said jokingly at the time, they now hold more weight. Klopp had mentioned his players were tired, and it was evident in this match as they struggled to keep up with Arsenal’s energy for extended periods of time.

During the game, there was a particular instance where Martinelli effortlessly maneuvered around Trent Alexander-Arnold. This occurred multiple times throughout the match as Martinelli continuously outran Alexander-Arnold, starting with the opening minutes when he raced past him and assisted Saka. However, it could be argued that Saka could have performed better with the opportunity.

To worsen the situation for Liverpool, Martinelli was causing numerous issues. Therefore, it was not unexpected when Alexander-Arnold, who appeared tired, had to be substituted at half-time.

With Martinelli’s wide runs creating space on the field, other areas became vulnerable and Martin Odegaard regained his sharp attacking skills. He sent a pass to Kai Havertz, who was denied by Alisson’s save, but Saka was there to score the goal.

It was so different to the Arsenal of a month ago. It was also different to the Liverpool of four days ago and Virgil van Dijk was having one of his poorest games for some time. However, Arsenal undid a superb first half in a way that used to be common around here for a few years, with William Saliba looking so sluggish against Luis Diaz’s energy. The Liverpool forward was by far the most alert among Saliba, David Raya and Gabriel, with the ball eventually being forced in off the Brazilian’s arm.

Just before half-time, there was a chance for a classic example of conceding a goal at the worst possible time, typical of Arsenal in the past. There was a risk that they had used up too much energy in the first half. However, in the second half which was more evenly matched, Liverpool made an even more disastrous mistake.

Alisson came out a bit too soon to handle the high ball, but it should have been an easy play. However, Martinelli was quickly closing in, causing Van Dijk to try and push him out. Despite this, the Brazilian successfully won the physical confrontation and Van Dijk ended up colliding with Alisson, leaving Martinelli with an effortless goal.

Arteta displayed impressive foresight by making the unexpected choice to substitute Trossard for Martinelli when Saka was injured. This decision proved to be successful as Trossard took advantage of the open field, particularly the space between Alisson’s legs, after Konata received a second yellow card for fouling Havertz.

The gap between Liverpool and Arsenal has slightly decreased. Arteta’s team seems to have a lot more potential all of a sudden. This victory holds great importance, regardless of what happens with City.

Source: independent.co.uk