Arsenal headed into the game looking to regain top spot from Manchester City after the Sky Blues beat Southampton on Saturday.
Liverpool, on the other hand, kicked off down in 10th place and in questionable form.
When all was said and done in north London, it was Arsenal who came away with the win to regain top spot in the Premier League.
Arsenal took the lead after less than a minute. Gabriel Martinelli was played in behind after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s positioning left a lot of space, allowing the Brazilian to smash it past Alisson.
ARSENAL AHEAD INSIDE A MINUTE! 🤯⚡
Gabriel Martinelli has the Emirates rocking! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/1LGeCM9T8Z
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 9, 2022
Liverpool would equalise 33 minutes in. Luis Diaz picked up a loose ball from a Trent pass, takes it down the right and slots in Darwin Nunez who made a great run.
Liverpool continued to dominate for a period but Arsenal made it 2-1 in first-half injury time. Gabriel Martinelli made a good run down the left and played a ball towards Jesus who let the ball go through his legs to Saka.
Klopp then appeared to be playing for a draw by bringing on Fabinho and Ibrahima Konate, but the latter gave away a penalty minutes after coming on, which Saka scored.
Arsenal player ratings
Aaron Ramsdale (5) – Could not do much about Liverpool’s goals.
Ben White (5) – Kept Diaz fairly quiet for the most part. Did little going forward.
William Saliba (5) – Made an excellent interception to deny a certain goal 30 minutes in but struggled to deal with Firmino and Nunez.
Gabriel (4) – Was lucky not to give away a penalty for handball early in the first half. Poor tracking of Nunez for much of the game.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (5.5) – Played out of position at left-back but kept Salah quiet and contributed to the attack fairly well. Could have done better for Liverpool’s equaliser.
Thomas Partey (4.5) – Struggled to prevent Henderson and Thiago running the midfield.
Granit Xhaka (5) – Had a few chances going forward but was unable to truly affect the game in the first half. Was better in the second 45, with his crosses from the edge of the box causing Liverpool issues, including winning a penalty.
Bukayo Saka (7.5) – Got the pre-assist for the Arsenal opener and scored their second and third goals.
Martin Odegaard (6) – Great ball in behind for the opener.
Gabriel Martinelli (7) – Made a good run and produced a good finish to make it 1-0. Clever ball to Saka for the Gunners’ second goal.
Gabriel Jesus (6) – Quiet first half but showed great awareness to let the ball go through his legs to Saka for the second goal. Won the Arsenal penalty for their third.
Substitutes
Kieran Tierney (N/A)
Eddie Nketiah (N/A)
Fabio Vieira (N/A)
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson (5) – Did not do much wrong for any of Arsenal’s goals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (2) – His poor positioning led to the opening goal for Arsenal. He also ran at Martinelli and left Jesus in acres of space for their second. Taken off at half-time.
Joel Matip (5) – Did not do much wrong as an individual but was left exposed by Liverpool’s continuing defensive issues down the right.
Virgil van Dijk (3) – Van Dijk continues to look a shadow of his former self, often being out of position, struggling to keep the defensive line and seemingly being afraid to tackle players.
Kostas Tsimikas (4) – Defensively poor, often being caught out of position.
Jordan Henderson (6) – Played some clever through balls from deep that resulted in Liverpool chances. Should have tracked Odegaard better for the first goal. Tried to fill in the space left by Trent but struggled to do so.
Thiago (6) – Had a slow start but he grew into the match and helped Liverpool dictate play after the early goal.
Mohamed Salah (4.5) – Had one decent shot in the first half but was fairly ineffective. Taken off after 67 minutes.
Diogo Jota (6) – Played behind Nunez in the first half but did very little. Was moved out left for the second 45 and assisted Firmino seven minutes into second half.
Luis Diaz (6) – Showed great pace and compusre for Liverpool’s equaslier. Taken off at half-time due to injury.
Darwin Nunez (6) – Was a real issue for Arsenal’s backline in the first half with his runs in behind. Scored 33 minutes in.
Substitutes
Roberto Firmino (6) – Scored seven minutes after coming on.
Joe Gomez (5) – Was much more effective at right-back than TAA.
Ibrahima Konate (1) – Gave away a penalty minutes after coming on.
Fabinho (5) – Added some extra cover to Liverpool’s defence.
Harvey Elliott (N/A)
Fan reaction
trent getting beat again nothing new
— alexis (@almightyxalexis) October 9, 2022
Another day to witness Trent and Van Dijk getting embarrassed 👍🏾
— Alvin (@Mar_Peee) October 9, 2022
Van dijk and Trent are the worst defenders I’ve ever seen
— Nichai (@nikiswaswa) October 9, 2022
How did we let Nunez score against us ffs
— 𝕽𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖔 (@ezrandez) October 9, 2022
Expert view
Such a good pass from Odegaard for Martinelli. Absolutely perfect.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) October 9, 2022
It’s a matter of time that Darwin becomes a Fan favorite. Works non stop, his display It’s all over the filed and definitely he can score goals. Great reaction from LFC after concede to get the equalizer.
ARS 1 vs 1 LFC— Luis Garcia (@luchogarcia14) October 9, 2022
Everton vs Manchester United betting tips: Premier League preview, prediction and odds
Barcelona vs Celta Vigo betting tips: La Liga preview, predictions and odds
