Mikel Arteta raised various brows along with his insistence that Arsenal had been the superior outfit to PSG within the Champions League.
The Gunners boss may, in fact, be forgiven for emotionally unravelling in mild of one other season falling aside after exhibiting a lot preliminary promise.
A direct reminder of their Londoners’ home failings with a visit to Premier League champions Liverpool would hardly have helped issues. Certainly, Liverpool followers made positive to dig the knife in with a hilarious caricature of Arteta forward of the sport.
Mikel Arteta livid with Arsenal begin
(Picture by Carl Recine/Getty Photographs)
If the Arsenal boss hoped for a response from his facet after a midweek defeat in Paris, he was to be left bitterly disillusioned.
Arne Slot’s males proved the hole in high quality within the title race in a two-minute salvo from Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo to go 2-0 up by the twenty first minute.
To present credit score the place credit score is due, the guests did rally impeccably after the half-time break to safe a share of the spoils.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t sufficient to spare Arsenal’s gamers from a post-match tongue-lashing.
“I’m very upset. We are able to draw and speak about response however I’m not into response, I’m in motion mode. What we did within the first 25 minutes was no manner close to the extent,” Mikel Arteta informed BBC Radio 5 Dwell (by way of BBC Sport).
“After PSG I settle for we have been the higher crew and deserved rather more. It was unbelievable we weren’t by way of to the ultimate.
However right this moment within the first 25 minutes we may have conceded three or 4. After that sure, however then we went right down to 10 males and nonetheless had three or 4 lacking (with damage). That’s what we have now to demand from ourselves.”
Massive hole between Liverpool and Arsenal
As issues at the moment stand, there’s a chasm of factors hole between Liverpool and second-placed Arsenal. 15 factors, to be exact, separate the Premier League outfits.
Groups
Factors
Liverpool
83
Arsenal
68
Newcastle
66
Manchester Metropolis
65
Even Declan Rice acknowledged that the Gunners merely hadn’t been as constant because the league champions.
Sofascore’s momentum chart helps the notion that the hosts have been the superior outfit for a lot of the primary 45. It’s only a disgrace that the primary 25 of the second half have been so appalling from Arne Slot’s males.
* Momentum chart for Liverpool vs Arsenal
While we are able to settle for Arteta’s excuse that Arsenal are nonetheless dealing with accidents, there absolutely likewise needs to be some understanding for a facet with no additional ambitions within the season.
Sure, there was the hope of securing a 90-plus level season. However this can be a Liverpool facet that has already secured the Premier League title.
A drop-off was all the time going to be inevitable for a crew mentally in “occasion mode” forward of the upcoming end-of-season celebrations.
The primary half was a real reflection of Liverpool
Arsenal will take loads of optimism going into the 2025/26 marketing campaign after taking the sport to the league winners at Anfield.
For Arne Slot, nevertheless, there was sufficient to go off from the primary half, when Liverpool heads have been firmly within the recreation, to recommend his facet might be simply as aggressive subsequent time period.
Liverpool first half stats vs Arsenal
39% possession
1.92 xG (vs 0.58 xG)
3 huge possibilities
6 photographs
* Stats courtesy of Sofascore
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