It was the ease in which Diogo Jota breached the Arsenal defence that will concern Gunners boss Mikel Arteta. Two similar goals from the same player against Arteta’s first choice defence, although it must be said that Arsenal’s midfield struggled to take charge of the match from the get go.
Jota has scored six goals in his last five appearances against Arsenal. He's scored seven in total against the Gunners - more than against any other opponent, and he sealed Liverpool’s passage into the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in sublime style.
Thomas Partey had only been in London for six hours after touching down from Ghana yet his late substitute appearance may cost Arsenal a crucial three points when they face Burnley on Sunday. A red card for the Ghanaian means he will miss the game at Emirates Stadium, as will Granit Xhaka who is serving the second match of his two-game suspension.
Arteta had already made it clear what Arsenal are trying to do in the January transfer window. They want to sign Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo on loan until the end of the season, with Juventus preferring to make it an 18-month loan with an option to buy included.
It’s understood that Bernd Leno is closing in on his Arsenal exit, with US national team goalkeeper Matt Turner close to joining the club in the coming days and succeeding the German shot stopper.
Martin Odegaard urged the Arsenal fans to sing louder with 15 minutes left of the game and the Norway captain produced one of the better performances on the day, while Emile Smith Rowe looked a shadow of himself as he misplaced passes and couldn’t get into the game.
Technical director Edu and head of football operations Richard Garlick are working hard on getting deals over the line, but the necessity of completing them in the coming days has just become even more crucial.
