Liverpool‘s 14-year unbeaten run at Anfield against Arsenal in the Premier League came to an end as they lost 1-0 to the league leaders on Sunday evening.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute when he snuck in at the back post to tap the ball into an empty net from Declan Rice’s low cross.
The Reds had not lost to the Gunners at home in the top-flight since the 2012/13 campaign, and it is not a record that Andoni Iraola would have wanted to break when he arrived in the summer.
It was a frustrating evening all-round for the hosts in their loss to Mikel Arteta’s side, as several players underperformed and several decisions went against them.
How the referee performed in Liverpool’s defeat to Arsenal
The Reds had several shouts for a penalty in the opening 45 minutes of the match, and can consider themselves unfortunate that the referee did not spot any of them.
Whilst Christos Tzolis’ hold on Cody Gakpo and Jurrien Timber’s tug on Alexis Mac Allister could be considered debatable, given where the ball was, the one on Alexander Isak looked like a stonewall penalty.
The Sweden international went to get his head on a cross from Bradley Barcola and was blatantly pulled back from reaching the ball by Timber, who had a fist-full of the striker’s shirt and made no attempt to play the ball.
You can forgive the referee, Andy Madley, for missing it in real time, but VAR did not recommend a review in spite of the clear foul by the Dutch defender.
Why Alexis Mac Allister was divisive against Arsenal
One player who caught the eye of the referee was central midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who got involved in a needless confrontation with Noni Madueke and Timber after giving Martin Odegaard a tap on the back of the head whilst he was on the floor.
The Argentina international let his emotions get the better of him in the moment and may not want to watch back as he laid flat out on the floor after being brushed on the forehead by Madueke, only for VAR to point out the minimal contact and not get involved.
In terms of the actual football being played, Mac Allister had good and bad moments throughout the 90 minutes, missing a huge chance in the first half when he headed Milos Kerkez’s cross over the bar.
|
Vs Arsenal |
Alexis Mac Allister |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Shots |
2 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Pass accuracy |
86% |
|
Ground duels won |
4/7 |
|
Tackles won |
2 |
|
Ball recoveries |
7 |
The experienced midfielder, though, also won the majority of his ground duels, recovered the ball seven times, and completed 86% of his passes to keep the Reds on the front foot, which is why he was divisive as there were positives and negatives to take from his display.
Worse than Mac Allister: Liverpool star is heading for the bench
Whilst Mac Allister did not deliver a totally disappointing performance on Sunday, one of his teammates put in a showing that could see him head for the bench against Fenerbahce on Wednesday night.
Cody Gakpo was selected to play on the right flank, away from his usual role on the left, and he looked completely out of place on the opposite side of the pitch.
The Netherlands international should be dropped for the Champions League game in midweek to provide Rio Ngumoha or Victor Munoz with an opportunity to impress, as he was not good enough against the Gunners.
Gakpo played 67 minutes without registering a shot on target, a successful dribble, or creating a ‘big chance’ for his teammate, despite attempting eight crosses into the box.
|
Vs Arsenal |
Cody Gakpo |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
67 |
|
Touches |
31 |
|
Possession lost |
14x |
|
Crosses attempted |
8 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0/1 |
|
Duels won |
2/7 |
The 27-year-old attacker failed with seven of his eight crosses and lost five of his six ground duels during his time on the pitch, which illustrates how ineffective he was in the final third.
On top of being ineffective around the box, Gakpo was wasteful throughout the match in general play, losing possession roughly every two touches on average.
He was even worse than Mac Allister, who only lost possession ten times from 70 touches, and was substituted by Iraola with 23 minutes left to go, whilst the Argentine midfielder played the full 90 minutes.
Now, the former Bournemouth head coach should take the Dutchman, who is not flying, out of the team for the clash with Fenerbahce on Wednesday evening.
