Draw Between Liverpool & Arsenal
During the first interview with Unai Emery, after he arrived at Arsenal, he stated that it would be better to win by five goals to four, as opposed to winning by one goal to zero. On Wednesday, during Arsenal’s match against Liverpool at Anfield, there was a period that lasted 23 minutes where his comments were reflected on the scoreboard. The five goals to four philosophy occurred when Joe Willock managed to get the ball and drive it forward with a mighty strike that ended up in the top-left corner to make it Arsenal 5, Liverpool 4.
Unfortunately, a significant flaw in his methodology took place when Liverpool decided to even the scorecard when Divock Origi managed to get the ball past the keeper during stoppage time. This sent the game into penalties after each team managed to score five goals. Dani Ceballos, the midfielder for Arsenal, got his spot-kick saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, who was the goalkeeper for Liverpool at only 20 years old. In an instant, Arsenal managed to go from winning the match with a 5-4 lead to losing the game with a 5-4 penalty shootout.
The result will not sit well with Arsenal supporters, especially when it comes to the unpopular Unai Emery. With a jam-packed schedule, there’s no denying that the Carabao Cup is the last thing Liverpool is worried about. This was evident by the squad they selected for the game as well. The starting players included five footballers that were 20 years old or younger which included Harvey Elliot at only 16 years of age.
Arsenal’s Downfall
Arsenal started the match with a more experienced and much stronger line-up as the team desperately wanted to make it through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. Given that Emery is not the most beloved manager at the moment, it would have been a fantastic confidence boost for him as well. By the 54 minutes, Arsenal had a comfortable 4-2 lead over Liverpool thanks to the skills and abilities by Mesut Ozil who has been a forgotten player of late. However, the downfall to Arsenal’s point was the fact that their defence was not up to scratch. This provided Origi, Elliot, and Rhian Brewster with ample opportunities on goal.
It only took 4 minutes for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to shatter Arsenal’s dreams of making it to the quarter-finals with a 25-yard strike. Four minutes after that, Origi managed to score another stunning goal that allowed Liverpool to level the scorecard. If Arsenal played it safe and just defended as they should have, none of this would have happened. Liverpool was defeated when the scorecard was 4-2. However, the fact that Arsenal gave Liverpool the space to work their magic is entirely their fault. This should never have happened and the fact that it did merely displays the difference between the two teams.