Ethan Parry

Liverpool fell to their second home defeat of the season, as the champions Arsenal gunned down the Reds. It was Arsenal’s first victory at Anfield since 2012 thanks to Kai Havertz’s 16th-minute strike.

The German snook in at the back post and was on hand to tap home a Declan Rice cross, sending the Gunners into the lead. Liverpool desired to play out of the back and were finally punished after close calls in previous matches, as Alisson’s poor pass kickstarted Arsenal’s winning goal.

The home side threw everything at Arsenal for the remainder of the match; however, the visitors proved why they are the reigning champions, repelling 17 shots from the Reds, though none were on target; a first in 442 Premier League home matches at Anfield.

Just five minutes before half-time, Florian Wirtz came close as his free kick sailed over Raya’s failed reach; however, the bar denied the German a first league goal for this campaign.

Alexis Mac Allister had what was arguably Liverpool’s clearest chance of the game when he was on the end of Milos Kerkez’s wicked cross. Unmarked, the midfielder headed well over, a chance Liverpool were left to rue.

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There was controversy just before, when Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber pulled on the back of Alexander Isak’s shirt inside the penalty box; however, VAR did not intervene, and the forward was somewhat penalised for not diving.

Referee Andy Madley was the centre of attention due to multiple decisions going against Liverpool and only booking Raya in the 93rd minute after a period of time-wasting.

19-year-old Trey Nyoni was handed his first Premier League start and completed 96% of his passes in his 59-minute showing. When taken off for the returning Dominik Szoboszlai, the Reds seemed to lose control of the game.

Arsenal were denied doubling their advantage thanks to vital interceptions from Jeremey Jacquet and then a brilliant low save to reject Christos Tzolis’ first-time effort.

The champions tightened up their defence considerably and kept any real clear-cut opportunities to a minimum in the second period.
In a game where the Reds had the opportunity to go within three points of Arsenal, they now sit in fifth and nine points off the top.

A trip to Turkey awaits, where Fenerbahçe host Liverpool in the Champions League, with the six-time winners looking to maintain their perfect start.

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Player Ratings

(GK) Allison – 6/10 Somewhat ‘at fault’ for Havertz’s goal, the Brazilian’s distribution this season has not been at the standard we are used to seeing, and this week he got punished. His brilliant save to deny Tzolis kept Liverpool in the game.

(LB) Milos Kerkez – 5/10 A frustrating performance from the full-back, with consistency throughout the 90 minutes proving to be an issue. Should have had an assist when Mac Allister failed to score.

(CB) Jeremy Jacquet – 7/10 Another composed performance from the new signing. Was put under pressure for the first goal due to Alisson’s poor pass but made a vital interception to deny Martin Odegaard in the second half.

(CB) Virgil van Dijk – 6/10 Potentially could have intercepted the cross for Arsenal’s goal, but the factor of turning into his own net was too heavy. Provided a crucial challenge to deny Havertz a second tap-in.

(RB) Ronald Araujo – 6/10 Might have been his quietest performance for his rowdy standards and was caught with Tzolis and the goalscorer at the far post and was unable to intervene. A steady performance from the Uruguayan.

(CDM) Trey Nyoni – 6/10 For a first Premier League start, the 19-year-old looked as if he belonged at this level, as he set the tone and pace of Liverpool’s midfield. A couple of rash tackles early on but looked confident and comfortable in possession. As a unit, the Reds looked worse when he went off.

(CDM) Alexis Mac Allister – 7/10 Covered ground impressively and got himself into some promising attacking positions with some attack-minded passes. Should have converted his header to level the score but was impactful defensively and offensively.

(LW) Bradley Barcola – 5/10 Had moments where he looked dangerous and pacey down the left-hand side; however, he didn’t provide enough of it. His touch let him down throughout the match, more notably shortly after Arsenal scored, but his poor touch didn’t let him get a shot off.

(CAM) Florian Wirtz – 6/10 Was just missing that little extra spark in the final third but found himself in good positions and put the Arsenal defence under pressure when attempting to play out from the back. He came close with his effort that struck the bar.

(RW) Cody Gakpo – 5/10 Didn’t offer Liverpool a certain outlet throughout his 67-minute performance and didn’t really make anything happen in the final third. The Dutchman never really looked as comfortable on the right as he does on the left.

(ST) Alexander Isak – 5/10 Had a few ‘half’ chances throughout the game, with some snap shots but unable to find the target. His movement was good, but his attacking trio were unable to find him. Was very unlucky not to win his side a penalty.

Substitutes

(58th minute for Nyoni): Dominik Szoboszlai– 5/10 Provided hard running for the Reds on his return from injury; however, didn’t impact the game massively and struggled to find any killer passes.

(67th minute for Cody Gakpo): Rio Ngumoha– 5/10 Tried to get at the Arsenal defence with his quick feet but caused no issue for the Gunners’ back line.

(81st minute for Kerkez) Kostas Tsimikas put a few good crosses into the box but didn’t really impact the game.

(81st minute for Araujo) Victor Munoz Made runs from the right-back position and had the last opportunity to equalise.

(81st minute for Wirtz) Lewis Koumas pressed well again but struggled to get on the ball.

Andoni Iraola – (7/10) His side were unlucky not to have a penalty, which ultimately would have changed the match. Iraola’s team pressed well and dominated the play for a good part of 65 minutes, creating good opportunities but unable to convert any. He probably made a mistake by replacing Nyoni, as Liverpool lost a bit of control that the youngster provided. A frustrating and unlucky evening; however, his side are still starting to look like a promising and threatening team.