Match report: Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool
David Hytner has filed from the Emirates, so we’re going to wrap up the blog. Thanks for your company, goodnight.
Having seen replays of the Arsenal goals, Virgil van Dijk was at least partially at fault for all three. The last one has been given to Leandro Trossard but looks like an own goal.
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Roy Keane’s verdict
"Like a pub team defending" 🍺
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 4, 2024
Roy Keane on Liverpool defensively 😳 pic.twitter.com/8MsjN43i8O
Arsenal reaction
Jorginho (the player of the match)
Their goal didn’t change anything because we believe in ourselves and we rely on each other. It didn’t change how well we had played in the first half, and we knew what we had to do to win the game.
[Is the group getting closer to winning things?] Definitely. It’s a good group, a humble group; no one is selfish and that’s the most important thing. The maturity was demonstrated today was huge – understanding when to play from the back and when to go long.
Declan Rice
We knew the importance of the game. Training has been really positive this week and that transmitted to the pitch. [Why didn’t the Liverpool goal derail you?] Because we’ve got people like [Jorginho], the skipper, myself; people that drive it on. It was a kick in the teeth to concede but we knew it was such a big 45 minutes our season and we couldn’t allow one goal to affect that.
Before I signed for Arsenal, the prospect of playing with [Jorginho] and Partey was a big thing. I’ve played against him and know how he controls games, how calm he is on the ball. Not many midfielders have his qualities. [Do you look up to him?] Yeah of course, I’m a youngster. He does things of such high quality that I’m trying to learn.
The old xG Arsenal 3.52-0.41 Liverpool.
Liverpool remain top of the league. And though Jurgen Klopp will be frustrated that they missed the opportunity to put Arsenal out of the title race, he knows how to turn failure into fuel. Injuries or not, it will be a surprise if Liverpool play as poorly again this season.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 23 | 30 | 51 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 23 | 25 | 49 |
| 3 | Man City | 21 | 27 | 46 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 23 | 19 | 46 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 14 | 44 |
A quietly crucial part of the game was how well Arsenal defended in the 25 minutes between their second and third goals. No visible nerves, no difficult saves for David Raya. This might be the best defence they have had since Sol Campbell was in his pomp.
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Full time: Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool
Arsenal close the gap on Liverpool to two points after a deserved victory over a subdued Liverpool. It was a slightly odd game, with some very weird goals, but Arsenal were much better in the first half and largely comfortable in the second. Ultimately, they needed it more.
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90+7 min “Many times during this match I expected Arsenal to lose their heads or at least their concentration, but they’ve stayed focused all through the game,” says Kári Tulinius. “Mentality monsters.”
That’s a low blow. Next you’ll be saying they’ve played heavy-metal football.
90+6 min Havertz is booked for perceived timewasting.
90+4 min Rice wipes out Jota, I think, and is booked.
Trossard slipped Elliott on the left, moved into the area and drove a left-foot shot that took a nick off Van Dijk and went through the legs of Alisson at the near post.
At first I thought it was a goalkeeping error but the deflection made it so much trickier. It might go down as a Van Dijk own goal because I’m not certain Trossard’s shot was on target.
He's MEGGED Alisson! 😱🥜
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 4, 2024
Mikel Arteta's reaction says it all ⚡ pic.twitter.com/pvgc5U1hcr
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GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool (Trossard 90+2)
Leandro Trossard nutmegs Alisson to seal a – sod it – huge victory for Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta is off down the touchline like Fingers Mourinho 20 years ago!
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90 min Nunez is booked for dissent. He was clearly pulled back by Gabriel, who should have been given a second yellow card. Liverpool can have no complaints about the result but they’re right to be aggrieved by that.
Saliba is also booked for something or other.
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89 min It’s getting niggly Van Dijk puts Havertz on the floor while winning a header and then kicks him as he lands. It might have been accidental; it might not. VAR can’t guess so that’s the end of that.
Konate is sent off!
88 min He gets a second yellow card for a foul on Havertz, who has been a pest all afternoon. Jurgen Klopp gives a sarcastic thumbs-up.
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85 min: Liverpool substitution Thiago Alcantara replaces Joe Gomez, which means Luis Diaz becomes Liverpool’s fourth right-back of the week. They’ve missed Conor Bradley today.
84 min Kiwior heads straight at Alisson after a superb pass/cross from Odegaard on the edge of the area. “What’s he doing there?” says Gary Neville. Moments later Nunez beats Havertz on the right side of the area but lashes an absurd shot into orbit. The angle was prohibitively tight and he had support in the middle.
83 min Here’s Gabriel Martinelli’s goal, although with the greatest respect to Peter Drury, a better soundtrack would be the Curb Your Enthuasism theme.
"HOW can that happen?!" 🤯
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 4, 2024
Liverpool fans, look away 🫣 pic.twitter.com/yS6bbPy9Gm
81 min Mac Allister’s cross is too close to Raya, far too close.
80 min Arsenal have kept Nunez extremely quiet so far. In fact they’ve been more comfortable defensively since Jurgen Klopp made that triple change in the 58th minute.
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78 min: Arsenal substitution Reiss Nelson comes on for a limping Bukayo Saka. It looks precautionary, or just fatigue, rather than anything serious.
77 min: Just wide from Mac Allister! A Liverpool corner is headed up in the air towards Mac Allister on the edge of the D. He throttles a volley that goes through a crowd and almost sneaks in the corner. Instead it rolls just wide.
76 min “At the risk of this becoming a music rather than football blog,” says Richard Hirst, “may I point out that Deep Purple in Rock wasn’t released until 1970, so Dean Kinsella must have time travelled.”
So we’re into psychedelia now?
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75 min: Arsenal substitution Leandro Trossard replaces an aggrieved Gabriel Martinelli, who had a fine game even before he scored Arsenal’s second.
74 min Arsenal are sitting deep, trying to limit the space for players like Nunez to run into. This might be a job for Thiago Alcantara and his eye-of-the-needle passes.
73 min “Like the venerable Simon McMahon, I’ve also just recovered from the rugby yesterday,” writes Matt Dony. “But I would suggest we had different experiences. Still, everything’s rosier today. I mean, it’s not like one of Liverpool’s finest-ever defenders and a truly world-class goalkeeper will combine to give up a ridiculous goal, is it? Oh.”
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73 min If it stays like this Arsenal will be two points behind Liverpool, whose only league defeats this season will have been in north London.
72 min “Dare I counter Dean Kinsella?” says Joe Pearson. “There wasn’t a heavy metal genre in 1968, because Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin had yet to create it.”
How many times: they were not on Sarah Records.
70 min Kiwior is booked for a foul on Jota.
Gabriel, deep in his own half, pumped a long angled pass towards the edge of the Liverpool area. It bounced awkwardly between Van Dijk and the outrushing Alisson, with Martinelli sniffing, but nobody could have foreseen what happened next.
Van Dijk, off balance after a slight but almost certainly legal shove from Martinelli, left the ball for Alisson, who then ran straight past it on the edge of the area. That gave Martinelli an open goal, a gift he accepted with joyous disbelief.
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GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool (Martinelli 67)
Gabriel Martinelli, who scored the winner against Manchester City earlier in the season, has put Arsenal ahead after a bizarre error from Alisson!
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64 min Havertz makes a great run into space down the left, moves into the area and goes down after a tangle of legs with Mac Allister. Anthony Taylor says no penalty and the VAR team agree.
As Gary Neville says on Sky, Havertz’s loose touch allowed Mac Allister to get between him and the ball. Havertz does so many impressive things, but he’s not a killer.
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62 min “Sorry, gotta take issue with Deep Purple’s categorisation,” says Dean Kinsella. “Back in the day they were labelled as a ‘hard-rock’ band. Not sure heavy metal even existed as a genre in ‘68 (when I first bought a copy of their fantastic ‘Deep Purple in Rock’ album). The clue is in the name of the album. Oh no! Am I a nerd now?”
By the end of this game somebody will be claiming they were on Sarah Records.
61 min A corner is headed over by Havertz; at the other end, Diaz sweeps a shot straight at Raya from 15 yards. Both were very difficult chances.
59 min “Thanks for your half time mention of le grand carré’ midfield of the French team in the 1980s,” says Richard Hirst. “I loved it then (France v Brazil 1986, one of the great games), knowing and loving it does wonders for you when you live in France, and under Jean Tigana, Fulham played their most attractive football. Reasons to be cheerful, one, two, three.”
58 min: Triple substitution for Liverpool Andy Robertson, Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez come on for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo. That means Joe Gomez will move across to right-back. I guess Alexander-Arnold isn’t yet fit enough to do a full 90 minutes. He hasn’t played well but I doubt Klopp would take him off otherwise.
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57 min Gakpo spins behind Gabriel, who puts an arm across his face and is booked.
56 min Odegaard’s free-kick is headed wide from 10 yards by Gabriel, a tricky but far from impossible chance.
55 min Konate is booked for pulling down Havertz, who has been a pain in Liverpool’s hindquarters.
55 min Liverpool have been so much better since half-time - more intense but also calmer on the ball. Arsenal may regret not putting them away in the first half.
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54 min Joe Pearson is about to get his wish: the Chaos Kids are preparing to come on.
52 min Arsenal have a good spell of possession, culminating in a shot from the edge of the area by Odegaard that hits Konate and spins behind for a corner. Odegaard has taken up some lovely positions today.
51 min “Let’s bring Robertson in,” says Joe Pearson. “Move Gomez to the right. TAA to midfield. Add Elliott as well. Take out Jones and Gravenberch. Maybe switch Nunez for Gakpo. Let’s have a little chaos!”
50 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I’ve just about recovered from the rugby in Cardiff yesterday, and the perpetual drama that is the England men’s Test cricket team in India earlier. And talking of drama, and close finishes, the Scottish Premier League season 1982-83 ended with three teams – Aberdeen, Celtic and Dundee United – competing for the title on the final day.
“United held on at Dens for their first, and to date, only league title by a point. Though if they’d conceded an equaliser, all three teams would have finished on the same points, and a play-off would have been required between United and Celtic, as their points, goal difference and goals scored would have been identical. Can you imagine? Klopp’s last game, a playoff against City to decide the title…”
With Darren England on VAR.
(Also, imagine scoring a goal like this, against your biggest rivals, on the day your team won their only league title.)
48 min Now Curtis Jones cuts into the area from the left and whips a fine shot that curls just wide of the far post. The game has changed.
47 min Jones sprays a nice crossfield pass to find the unmarked Diaz on the left. His early cross bounces behind both Jota and Gravenberch, but this has been a terrific start from Liverpool
46 min Peep peep! Arsenal begin the second half … and Liverpool threaten twice in the first 30 seconds. Diaz has a shot blocked by White and Mac Allister booms a 30-yarder wide. Those two efforts suggest that Jurgen Klopp may or may have raised his voice at half-time.
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Arsenal half-time subsitution Jakub Kiwior for Oleksandr Zinchenko. Interesting, very interesting.
In all the excitement I missed that Arsenal are basically playing with a box midfield, two wide players and no cenre forward. Not content with being France FC under Arsene Wenger, they’re now paying a tactical tribute to the great France team of the 1980s.
Arsenal (4-2-2-2) Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Jorginho; Odegaard, Havertz; Saka, Martinelli.
“What was that you were saying about Raya?” asks Joe Pearson.
A-hem, yes. I thought he was l immaculate until that point but he was very indecisive on the goal. The more replays you see, the more it looks like his mistake rather than Saliba’s.
Half-time reading
Half time: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
Blimey. A two-goal lead wouldn’t have flattered Arsenal after a dominant first-half performance, but Liverpool – who still haven’t had a shot on target – forced an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. You’d say it was a fluke if it didn’t happen all the time; they may not be the best team in the league – ask me about that in May – but they’re certainly the best at coming from behind.
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Liverpool have equalised with the ugliest of goals in the last minute of added time! Gravenberch, in the inside-right channel, flipped a speculative pass towards Diaz, who controlled it beautifully on the edge of the area. Saliba came across to shepherd the ball back to Raya, but there was a split-second of indecision from both men and that was enough for Diaz. He managed to wriggle around Saliba and poke the ball across the six-yard box. It hit the hand of Gabriel, who knew nothing about it, and dribbled miserably over the line.
"It's a MESS of a goal!" 😬
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 4, 2024
The Emirates is silenced, Liverpool are level 🔴 pic.twitter.com/lu2kj2iY26
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Gabriel 45+3 og)
Smash, meet grab.
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45+1 min Jorginho plays a brilliant disguised pass to find Martinelli in the area, right of centre and being played onside by Gomez. His shot on the turn is well blocked by the lunging Konate and Van Dijk (I think) completes the clearance.
45 min Three minutes of added time before Jurgen Klopp gets to ask his team what the hell they’re playing at.
44 min Jorginho isn’t everyone’s friend but, as Gary Neville says on Sky, he’s had a quietly excellent first half. I said Rice was dominating midfield, probably because he’s more eye-catching when your eyes are zig-zagging between the TV and the computer, but actually it’s been Rice and Jorginho.
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43 min Here’s that Bukayo Saka goal. I think it’s UK only, in which case apologies you can’t see the video but congratulations on your life choices.
Saka gives Arsenal the LEAD! 🔴
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 4, 2024
What a touch, what a finish! 👏 pic.twitter.com/N2npXMKNgu
41 min “Music nerd here,” boasts Joe Pearason. “Deep Purple are considered one of the pioneers of heavy metal, even though they were rather tame compared to bands that came after. But those crunchy guitars in ‘Smoke on the Water’ were really something in 1972.”
Is that right? Well I’ll be dipped in knowledge – I always thought they were a rock band.
40 min Alexander-Arnold wanders into midfield and pings a long-range shot that is blocked. Liverpool need him on the ball a whole lot more.
39 min Rice, who is dominating midfield, collects a loose ball 20 yards out and whacks a left-foot shot that is well blocked. The ball breaks for Havertz but he’s offside.
39 min “Greetings from California, where an ‘atmospheric river’ in the sky is drenching large swaths of the state,” says Peter Oh. “I’ve heard of Deep Purple but don’t know their stuff. Personally I’m getting a melodic, indie-pop vibe from the Liverpool kit. The Lilac Time.
“It would be rude of Arsenal to rain on the Farewell Jürgen Tour. The Reds to hit a purple patch in the second half and come through for their gaffer. All for Klopp and Klopp for All!”
38 min The resulting free-kick eventually drops for Gabriel on the edge of the area. He sweeps a left-foot shot that is comfortably held to his right by Alisson.
37 min Martinelli, who has been more like his old self today, beats Alexander-Arnold too easily before being fouled by Konate.
36 min The last 10 minutes have been fairly scruffy. Arsenal are still the better team, though Liverpool are starting to have more of the ball. Now they need to do something with it. I suspect we’ll see Darwin Nunez and/or Harvey Elliott at the start of the second half.
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34 min “Never mind the result, the key question of the day, looking at the picture that was at the top of the blog, is when did socks above the knee become a thing?” writes Richard Hirst. “Arsenal should be ruled out of the title race on aesthetic grounds.”
It’s a tribute to the epochal victory at Anfield in December 2001.
31 min White is booked for taking too long over a free-kick. I’m pretty sure he was dithering rather than wasting time, but Anthony Taylor was having none of it. Audio of Mikel Arteta’s internal monologue, please!
31 min A quick word on David Raya, who was a bag of nerves in the first half hour of the Manchester City game earlier this season. Today he has done everything with an authority and serenity that evokes David Seaman at his best.
30 min This first half might be Arsenal’s best opportunity to put Liverpool away. We’ve seen so many games this season in which Liverpool have been pretty poor in the first half and increasingly irresistible in the second.
29 min Alexander-Arnold’s outswinger is headed over by Van Dijk, who won it under pressure near the penalty spot. I’m giving that 0.06 on the old xG.
28 min The Sky Sports xG (they’re not the same everywhere because IT’S NOT GOSPEL) is Arsenal 1.63-0.04 Liverpool.
27 min Liverpool look like a team who are missing four of their best XI. Saying which, an excellent cross from the hitherto Alexander-Arnold almost reaches Gakpo eight yards out. Gabriel stretches in front of him and inadvertently volleys the ball into Raya’s arms.
26 min “Happy Sunday!” says Michael Weller. “I have two hopes for this year’s season: Everton avoid relegation to the National League, and someone, anyone, other than Pep and Oil City hoists the trophy at the end of the contest – even Klopp and the Reds (I’ve long since given up hope of the Toffees competing with Liverpool). My hopes for the first grow dimmer every day. What are your thoughts on the possibilities for the second?”
My instinct is that Klopp’s announcement has increased Liverpool’s chances a fair bit. I’d say something like City 45 per cent, Liverpool 35, Arsenal 19, the rest 1.
25 min Gomez is booked for a cynical and not entirely necessary foul on Havertz, who was making good progress in the centre circle but had no support.
24 min Diaz cuts into the area from the left and has a shot blocked by White.
22 min “At last…” says Justin Kavanagh, “a Premier League club’s away strip that we all can admire, and that isn’t loud enough to give you a headache watching them. Although, in tribute to Jürgen Klopp’s heavy metal football, they might have gone with a deep purple.”
I’m no rock expert, as you can see from my hairline, but aren’t Deep Purple more rock than heavy metal?
20 min Arsenal press the bejesus out of Liverpool, which leads to a shot from Odegaard that is really well blocked by Van Dijk. At the moment Arsenal look sharper, maybe even hungrier.
19 min “I’m hoping that the three-team title race goes to the last round, which admittedly is unlikely,” says Kári Tulinius. “In fact, off the top of my head, the only recent example I can think of was in Ligue 1 in 2021, when Monaco, PSG and Lille all could win on the last matchday. But I’m sure I’m forgetting an obvious example.”
The English season of 1971-72 is a peculiar gem, summed up by the fact the eventual champions were 8-1 to win the title after they’d played their final game. I did a bit on it in an old Joy of Six, but I’d recommend reading more about it – I think there’s a book about it, published by Pitch. Also, the Bundesliga 1991-92 story is amazing.
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18 min Liverpool have been behind in a million games this season, the majority of which they have gone on to win, so they won’t be worried yet.
Havertz played a big part in the goal, making a timely run behind the defence to receive Odegaard’s pass. Alisson made a fine save but Saka controlled the rebound deftly and calmly lifted the ball past Konate on the line.
It was Konate who was playing Havertz onside in the first place. Liverpool’s defensive line was ragged after Van Dijk was drawn towards the ball.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool (Saka 14)
Bukayo Saka missed one sitter. He was never going to miss two.
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12 min: Chance for Liverpool! This is warming up nicely. Mac Allister angles a beautiful pass into Gakpo, lurking behind the centre-halves 30 yards from goal and being played onside by Zinchenko. He moves to the edge of the area and cracks a low shot wide of the far post. Saliba was getting back so he had to take the shot on.
11 min: Great chance for Arsenal! Raya claims a cross and flings it out to Martinelli on the left. He destroys Konate – Konate! – for speed, runs to the left edge of the area and lifts a superb cross intop the middle. Saka stoops to meet it, eight yards out, but doesn’t connect properly with his header and the ball rolls to safety on the far side. That was a terrific chance, one that Mick Harford would have buried even now, at the age of 64.
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7 min When the ball goes out of play, Odegaard waves his arms in an attempt to get the crowd going. Arsenal have made a decent start: nowhere near 2022-23 speed (they were already 1-0 up against Liverpool at this stage of last season’s game) but with plenty of purposeful possession. No, that alliteration wasn’t deliberate.
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5 min “Auguries,” muses Charles Antaki. “Good: the Emirates cabin staff are back, grinning maniacally as the players come out of the tunnel. It worked for Arsène, most of the time. Bad: Arsenal women lost earlier today with what seems to be the club’s emerging brand of Failing To Put The Ball In The Net. So, mixed.”
They lost? Crikey, so they did.
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4 min Saka gets the wrong side of Van Dijk in the area, but Gravenberch gets back to make a good tackle.
3 min Liverpool have started with Jota up front and Gakpo roaming from the right. Arsenal have Jorginho playing to the left of Rice in a 4-2-1-3.
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1 min Almost a chance for Jota inside 40 seconds! A routine long ball from Van Dijk towards Gakpo caused problems for Arsenal. It bounced past Gakpo and Gabriel before reaching Jota, who got the wrong side of Zinchenko on the edge of the area but took a heavy touch that allowed Raya to come out and claim.
1 min Peep peep! Liverpool, in their purple change strip, kick off from right to left as we watch.
Here come the players. There are lot of gamefaces on show in the Emirates tunnel; everyone knows this is huge big.
Jurgen Klopp on Conor Bradley
The best place for him to be is around his family. That’s where we sent him straight away. It’s very sad news; there’s not a lot more to say. I told him to take as long as he needs.
Today’s Premier League results
Bournemouth 1-1 Nottm Forest
Chelsea 2-4 Wolves Cunha hat-trick
Man Utd 3-0 West Ham
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The build-up to this game has been notable for a refreshing lack of hype. There’s no need: everyone knows this is the biggest game of Premier League game season to date. Besides, words like ‘huge’ and ‘epohcal’ lost their meaning years ago when journalists started using them to preview Crystal Palace v Everton.
This is a genuinely big game. It’s only February, so the title isn’t up for grabs nowwwww, but it could be out of Arsenal’s reach if they lose. If they win, on the other hand, a rare three-way title race will be well and truly on.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 22 | 32 | 51 |
| 2 | Man City | 21 | 27 | 46 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 22 | 23 | 46 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 23 | 19 | 46 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 14 | 44 |
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Team news: both teams hit by injury
Gabriel Jesus is injured, so Kai Havertz starts up front for Arsenal – as he did in the FA Cup defeat last month, when he troubled Liverpool with his ghostly movement only to miss some excellent chances. Jorginho replaces Emile Smith Rowe in midfield.
Liverpool are without Conor Bradley, whose father died over the weekend after a long illness. Trent Alexander-Arnold replaces him at right-back, one of three changes from the win over Chelsea in midweek. Dominik Szoboszlai is injured and Darwin Nunez is only fit enough for the bench; Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo replace them. Thiago Alcantara, who hasn’t played for a year, is back on the bench.
Arsenal (possible 4-2-1-3) Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Rice; Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Kiwior, Cedric, Trossard, Nelson, Elneny, Walters.
Liverpool (possible 4-1-2-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Gomez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Gakpo, Jota, Diaz.
Substitutes: Thiago, Nunez, Adrian, Elliott, Robertson, Clark, McConnell, Kelleher, Quansah.
Referee Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
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Preamble
Preamble? No no no. Arsenal v Liverpool don’t need no preamble.
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