Arsenal came through their biggest test of the season so far with a 3-2 win over Liverpool. Mikel Arteta had been told that his side were yet to face a real test but when it came, they were ready.
Arsenal were dominant in the second half in particular after responding to the inevitable period in the first half that Liverpool possessed. The surprise selection in defence from Arteta of selecting Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back proved a stroke of magic as the front four of Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz were managed effectively, despite some joy in front of goal.
What this win will mean in the context of Arsenal’s season won’t be realised until much later down the line. Until then, football.london has taken a look at the winners and losers from arguably their most important victory of the season.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Martinelli's contract, Saka's penalty and Jurgen Klopp
Winners
Gabriel Martinelli
A man of the match performance from a player who has been flattered by advances from Jurgen Klopp in press conferences. Yet, it is he who has helped take the Gunners 14 points clear of Liverpool and any potential move to Anfield no longer looks like a step up in a player’s career.
Gabriel Martinelli was a nightmare for Trent Alexander Arnold in the first half and then Joe Gomez in the second. He was challenged to contribute more goals and assists this season; it is fair to say he has responded.
Bukayo Saka
Similarly to Martinelli, there has been criticism of Bukayo Saka for a “quiet” start to the season. Despite the fact he went into the weekend as being only behind Kevin De Bruyne in league assists, the excellence of Gabriel Jesus and his left-wing colleague have overshadowed Saka.
Yet, in this game, he was a massive pain for Liverpool’s left flank. Technically great and in the right place at the right time for his first.
The mental strength to score the penalty is not lost on anyone aware of what he went through after the European Championship final. Saka is reportedly close to agreeing a new Arsenal deal and my word, what a boost that will be.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Despite all the talk of Kieran Tierney coming in to replace the expectedly injured Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mikel Arteta instead opted for Takehiro Tomiyasu. He has used the Japan international here twice before against Raphinha or Leeds and Dejan Kulusevski of Spurs.
Up against Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, Tomiyasu had a really strong performance. A highlight was winning a duel in the box against the Egyptian who looked pocketed by the versatile defender.
Losers
Kieran Tierney
With Tomiyasu starting, it, therefore, makes sense to look toward Kieran Tierney as one of the losers of the tie. Yes, the Scot did come on in the second half to help see out the victory, but many, probably including himself, expected Tierney to start this game.
Should Zinchenko be out for an extended period, Tomiyasu’s chances of replacing him seem much better than most would have theorised. That said, in the upcoming games against Leeds United and Southampton, Tierney might be preferred for the games the Gunners are expected to be more dominant in.
Aaron Ramsdale
Beaten twice but the England international does not fall into this category for particular performance-related reasons. In the first half, it looked as though the goalkeeper suffered a muscular issue when launching a goal kick.
Ramsdale soldiered on but this isn’t the first time that Ramsdale has suffered these innocuous afflictions. The worry for him and Arsenal will be this becomes something more serious and then deputy Matt Turner would need to be relied upon.
The anti-Arsenal brigade
The Arsenal fan base has been a divided faction of football for some time. Yet beyond the infighting amongst supporters on the manager, that in itself look near-extinguished with this start to the season, the club has been subjected to doubts and criticism from wider sections of the media.
Whether it is Mikel Arteta being criticised for giving Ethan Nwaneri his debut, being told the club have yet to face a true test or not being given the credit for their excellent start to the season, someone, somewhere seems to have something to say to try to undermine the Gunners.
After this win, there is nowhere to go. For context, this wasn’t Arsenal sneaking by Liverpool, the xG Philosophy tweeted that Arsenal’s xG was 3.03 compared to Liverpool’s 0.87.
Arsenal won deservedly and in a fashion that showed exactly how they come to play every game. The young stars bested the experienced visitors and Arteta’s decision-making and style of play was stamped all over it for everyone to see.
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