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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

Arsenal and Liverpool's winners and losers as Bukayo Saka exposes brittle Reds formation

Arsenal strengthened their burgeoning title credentials and plunged Liverpool's season into more turmoil as the Gunners won an epic clash at the Emirates.

It took Arsenal just a minute to open the scoring when Martin Odegaard cut through a static Liverpool defence to feed Gabriel Martinelli, who swept home.

Liverpool, fielding four attackers, dominated possession after that and levelled when Luis Diaz teed up Darwin Nunez, only for a fast Gunners break to end in Bukayo Saka putting them 2-1 up before half-time.

Substitute Roberto Firmino levelled for Liverpool, before Saka's contentious penalty settled it after Thiago was judged to have fouled Gabriel Jesus.

Here are the game's winners and losers.

Winners

Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli opened the scoring for Arsenal just a minute in (IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images)

Jurgen Klopp is a big fan, we know that, and the Brazilian is showing that this could well be a season that takes his game up to a whole new level.

Granted, he was given plenty of encouragement by a Reds side who emptied their midfield in the opening moments, allowing Arsenal to cut through them at will and their captain Martin Odegaard, their most dangerous player in such situations, to pop a pass behind Trent Alexander-Arnold for the opener.

Naturally fingers were again pointed at the Liverpool right-back for that is the obvious thing to do, but it really looked like a triumph from the training ground, as Mikel Arteta drilled his players to go for the throat from the off against a side so vulnerable early in matches.

Martinelli is perfect for that type of game, and he showed it again with his pace in the build-up to the second.

Darwin Nunez

Darwin Nunez grabbed the equaliser for Liverpool (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

A goal for Liverpool's major summer signing, and another indication that Klopp is willing to alter the approach that served him so well for so long in order to accommodate him.

It was a quite remarkable thing to see the Reds' four premier attackers stood all in a line at one point, just moments after Martinelli's goal at given Arsenal the lead, but stationing three men behind the Uruguayan is what Klopp thinks is the best approach for his side right now, even if it clearly leaves them short elsewhere.

It borders on the reckless at times, but for it to work he is going to have to get his No.9 firing.

Perhaps getting him to work in Liverpool's more conventional formation would be preferable though.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Tomiyasu was preferred in the side at left-back (Getty Images)

With Oleksandr Zinchenko injured, the prevailing wisdom was that Kieran Tierney would be picked to start at left-back by Arteta, but instead it was Tomiyasu who got the nod.

Usually seen on the right, the Japanese showed his ability to play both sides and he kept Mohamed Salah quiet during what was another disappointing outing for the Egyptian.

Tomiyasu might lack the attacking prowess of Zinchenko and Tierney, but for this game he was perfect.

Bukayo Saka

Saka shone for the Gunners, scoring twice (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

A big performance in a big game from the apple of Arsenal's eye, who showed great composure to slot home his penalty and second goal of the game shortly after players from both sides had lost their heads.

The goalscoring side of his game is the one thing that Saka has often been criticised on, but here he was delivering in a global game watched all around the world.

That has got to be great for the confidence.

Now watch him go.

Losers

Liverpool's defence

Henderson was fuming with his side's defence (REUTERS)

As mentioned above it is easy to single out individuals in this Liverpool side when things are going wrong, but it is as a collective that they are failing right now.

Shortly after Saka made it 2-1 to the hosts you could see Jordan Henderson bawling at both Virgil van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold at their lack of cutting off space, something that is so crucial to the way that the Reds play and which used to be second nature to them.

They have lost what it was that made them so watertight, something they used to manage alongside their attacking prowess, and surgery in one area has left them exposed in another.

Alexander-Arnold will probably be the one picked on again, but no-one covered themselves in glory at a moment when going in at half-time level would have served them well.

Mohamed Salah

Salah was withdrawn by Klopp (REUTERS)

It was partly to do with Tomiyasu's performance, but this turned into below par outing for Salah, the player who has been impacted the most by the Liverpool changes.

The Egyptian didn't really get a sniff at goal all game, and he can have no complaints with being taken off when he did.

It would cover a multitude of sins for this Reds side if he was firing, but he looks way off it.

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