What a sport, what a match. All things considered, could have been worse, could have been wayyyyy worse for Kent. Everything to play for, for Arsenal, extend our lead to 8 points at our haunted ground, win for the first time since Podolski and Cazorla, it felt like a win would all but give us the confidence to go on and win the league and then just like that, a 2-0 lead turns us into hanging onto dear life and now leave Anfield with a 2-2 draw. Easily could be a loss. Given the context of the game, felt like a 2 points loss to a point gained with Ramsdale making 3 incredible saves at the end to secure the draw for the good guys.
6 point lead with a game in hand and a game at the Etihad still around the corner. It’s looking bleak for us right now as Haaland and his dumb face and Julian Alvarez’s acne breathing down on our necks toward the end of the season. (I apologize Julian but I’m down bad now and lashed out) Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH:
- Arsenal flew off the blocks but couldn’t hang on: The start was immaculate from the boys at the start, Martinelli was having his way with Trent, Saka was giving Robertson the run-around, VVD was all at sea for the first 30 minutes where we were able to blast out to a 2-0 lead. And then reality happened, and that is all it takes at Anfield. Jota combined well with Gakpo down the left for a cut-back which found Salah at the back-post and then Liverpool never looked back.
Trent shifted into RCM quite a bit to cause some weird overloads for Liverpool at times. In the second half, we were fairly pinned in our own half and seldom were able to get out for a counter or short possession. But Liverpool took the game to us in the second half and never felt like we really got the grip we needed to in the match.
2. Never a pen on Holding: An absolutely ridiculous performance by Paul Tierney today, no call more encapsulating for his incompetence than the Holding/Jota tangling of legs that granted Liverpool a pen. Jota just throws himself at Holding and falls to the ground. What’s messed up is if Rob Holding falls down when Jota throws his body at him, the pen is probably not given. Anyways, Salah botches the pen and all ends well for that pattern of play but my goodness is that atrocious from Paul Tierney. We were probably a bit fortunate at the Emirates to get a pen from the foul on Gabriel Jesus but fortunately for us, Saka put that penalty away.
3. Zinchenko has got to do better: Wasn’t his fault we tied the game, won’t be his fault if we don’t win the league, but it is largely his fault we gave up that 2nd goal in the dying minutes. Trent gets the ball on the right flank, body turns away from goal, he isn’t going anywhere Zinny. First job, DO NOT LET HIM GET PAST YOU, if he crosses it, I’ll take that, but never open yourself up to be skinned like that. Trent wasn’t going anywhere, he had no passing options. Just stand him up, give up a corner, foul him, I don’t care, don’t open yourself up to be skinned and that is what happens. Nightmare stuff.
4. My guardian angel Aaron Ramsdale: When Arsenal fans needed a hero today, none stood greater than this man. 3 incredible and timely saves at the end of the game to give us the draw, Ramsdale turned the game into 2 points dropped to 1 point gained. The first is a beautiful 1 on1 save on Darwin where he just smothers the ball as Darwin comes streaking down our net.
The second is a great tip wide from a Salah placed shot to the backpost. The third save is the best of the lot, Liverpool were just hammering us at this point, we had lost our underwear, all lost at sea, defending for our lives before Liverpool hit a headed cross back in front of goal where Konate stood alone with an awkward bounce to chest it in before Ramsdale comes flying in to save us the match.
The best performance by an Arsenal keeper for a long time. Last great goalkeeping performance from me in an Arsenal shirt is Ospina at PSG in 2016.
5. Martinelli shut me up: Hand up, I would have started Trossard and have Martinelli be my first man off the bench but he and Arteta proved me wrong. Gabi Martinelli was on it from the get-go, running at Trent, just a constant menace down the left flank. He maybe should have done better on our last counter with that pass to Saka but it is a very difficult pass to weight with Alisson always coming out no matter the ball. He was outstanding today all in all and probably deserves to not have his not questioned in the starting XI for the time being.
6. Everything still to play for: It’s all in our hands still at the end of the day. Could we win the league? Of course. Could we lose the league to City and get 2nd? Sure. Could we bottle the season all-together? We are still Arsenal so yes. But at the end of the day, this team has proven to always bounce back when adversity hits the team. Is this mountain too big to climb after all we’ve been through this season, maybe, but this team has been too good for too long this season to have me batter them and moan about our title chances when we are 6 points clear (game in hand) with 8 games to play. Before today, if you said, 85 minutes, we’d be up 2-1 at Anfield, I’d have bitten your arm off, we didn’t hold on but we got a point at Anfield (which has owned us throughout the years) and we have had last minute goals against United, Bournemouth and Aston Villa all this calendar year. I’ll take it one game at a time, just bounce back against West Ham and please for the love of god, someone do something against Man City. Like for one damn time.
PLAYER RATINGS:
Ramsdale: 10/10 – See above
Ben White: 7/10 – Did well all things considered at Anfield, no where to be found on their first goal and left Holding stranded
Holding: 6/10 – He did well today for how I think of his skillset and with who he was replacing. The pen was an outrageous decision against him but we certainly didn’t lose because of him
Gabriel: 7/10 – Love this guy, found himself isolated on Salah throughout the match and did well to keep him away from goal.
Zinny: 3/10 – I love you Zinchenko but can’t let that happen
Thomas Partey: 8/10 – The big brother who lets the younger brothers fuck shit up while the big bro just cleans everybody’s mess up. Just an irreplaceable player, genuinely one of the most important men in my life right now, need him healthy.
Xhaka: 6/10 – He was fine, lost his head a bit at times but worked his ass off
Odegaard: 6/10 – Too quiet for my liking
Saka: 7/10 – Started the game off well, couldn’t bring everything together but was still a constant threat
Martinelli: 8.5/10 – See comments above
Gabi Jesus: 8/10 – Needed to get him on the ball a bit more but his class is permanent
Salah: 10/10 – Get in MO! Needed that pen miss
Konate: 0/10 – An unreal performance by him today, just immense and a constant pain in my ass throughout the day. Him and Saliba should be the starting France CBs, just an incredible performance today. Kept them in the match at the back
Paul Tierney: 0/10 – Waste of space, if I was as bad at my job as he is at his job, I wouldn’t have a job again for the rest of my life. TBF, you could say that about most EPL refs and PGMOL.