Match Report: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool

22nd December 2017      19:45 kick-off                       

Match report by William Okafor-Oregan

Picture from Sky Sports

A chilly Friday night brought an enthralling game between Arsenal and Liverpool, where both teams played the kind of football you couldn’t take your eyes off for even a second. Both sets of fans will be feeling as if they were robbed of a win in a really chaotic game where both sides ended up scoring 3 goals against one another in a frantic draw.

Arsenal had been dictating the play for a good part of the first five minutes, at one point vaguely threatening from a free-kick and corner. Things went worse for Liverpool as their captain Jordan Henderson pulled hamstring when chasing down Mesut Ozil within the beginning ten minutes. Philipe Coutinho had a wayward shot from outside the box, after intricate link up play with himself and Salah down the right side of the field. Things were picking up for the away side as another very meaningful chance came for Liverpool, Andy Robertson got in behind Arsenal’s defence with a teasing ball into the 6-yard box but cleared that was cleared away from danger for a corner.

For much of the first half an hour, it was very repetitive: Liverpool quickly win ball back from Arsenal, lose the ball ten seconds later, Arsenal half-heartedly attack then the cycle repeats. The first real chance Liverpool had occurred 21 minutes in, when Robertson has high swinging cross met by Roberto Firmino but Petr Cech saved the effort at his near post to deny him. Soon after, Mohamed Salah was unusually caught in possession, with Sanchez then running at Liverpool and playing a quick 1-2 pass with Lacazette in tight space but the chance yet again coming to nothing

But soon enough, the first goal of the came and it was Liverpool who drew first blood. It was decisive counterattacking football from the team clad in orange as James Milner played long ball from his own half to Salah, who with a bit of good luck played a deflected, bouncing pass from the right flank in to the path of Coutinho who expertly glanced a deft header over Cech. Arsenal kept turning possession over to LFC in their own half of the field which allowed a later chance for Firmino to curl a speculative but brilliant shot over the cross bar, which was close to nestling in the top corner

After more half chances for either team, with only few remaining minutes of the half ended with Salah winning the ball and going through on goal with just the goal-keeper to beat, but the Egyptian speedster was denied by Cech only for the ball to end up in the path of Sadio Mane but he wastefully, acrobatically kicked the ball over the bar with the goal gaping. That followed with Salah having another decent chance within a minute later but a miskick from him when placed in the middle of box summed up a wasteful performance from him thus far. The Arsenal players trudged off the pitch to boos from their own support but Liverpool should’ve been out of sight already.

Picture from Rush The Kop

The second half began as the last one had ended, Liverpool attacked but Salah through on goal again could only summon a low, tame shot across ground saved by Cech. But Salah was not to be denied the next time, Liverpool had yet another counterattack with Salah wining the ball well in his own half, playing a pass to Firmino who brilliantly held up play and passed a piercing through-ball down the  middle for Salah, who made no mistake and curled home the second goal.

But this was to spark a wild five minute period where Arsenal would score three times to turn the game on its head. Alexis Sanchez responded to Arsenal going further behind when only 40 seconds later, he drove forward to the far post and headed emphatically to make the score 2-1 as a consequence of Liverpool’s defence switches attention off. On 55 minutes, the score was level in what felt like the blink of an eye. Granit Xhaka smashed a very long range shot towards the roof of the net with Simon Mignolet failing to get a strong enough hand to the ball. Two more minutes was all that was needed for the unforeseeable turn of events to be complete. Ozil had played a very fine and accurate pass to Lacazette, a back-heel pass from the Frenchman back into Ozil was met with a low shot under Mignolet at the near post to send the Arsenal fans into complete euphoria.

Picture from Soccer Laduma

A shift in the tide was clearly in the Gunners’ favour, with swifter countering, and Ozil switching the play across field to an overlapping Bellerin who put a threatening low cross into the box crowded penalty area. But the goals weren’t to dry up yet as this crazy game had yet another twist in store for the spectators. There was still 20 minutes remaining on the clock and Liverpool came up with goods once again to bring back a goal back. Firmino managed to find space in front of goal and had a shot initially well stopped by Cech but only for it to bewilderingly bounce over him and into the empty net to level the score at 3-3 on 70 minutes.

Picture from BBC

It was anyone’s guess as to who would find a winner with both teams feeling the need to bring on fresh legs as Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi was replaced by Danny Welbeck and an under-performing Mane substituted for Georginio Wijnaldum with 10 minutes to go at this point. Liverpools’s full back Robertson put yet another fine cross into the box but there was an equally fine clearance from the opposition defence to stop the ball from reaching Salah at the far post. Sanchez had himself a shot from outside the box that very nearly caught out Mignolet but he recovered in time to save what would have been another embarrassing goal for him to concede.

The man who dominated much of the pre-match talk, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was finally brought on at 83 minutes for his first return to the Emirates since leaving in the summer. His only noticeable contribution was a corner he soon took bt that was only caught by former teammate Cech, although it did appear to be curling all the way toward goal for what would have been a sensational winner.

Hardly any minutes were left to play but both team were still creating chances. Salah had fired a shot into the side-netting after holding off multiple Arsenal players with 90 seconds to go as Liverpool countered with Wijnaldum bringing the ball far up the field. Lacazette managed to get a hold of the ball just yards away from Liverpool's net moments later but he failed to turn away from Ragnar Klavan and the ball was booted away from Mignolet.

A minute into stoppage time, Ozil had an attempted cross that looked bound to go out for a goal kick only for Mignolet to have to turn the ball over the bar as it was inch-perfect enough to have gone in the top corner. In the final 10 seconds left, it was Ozil again with the ball at his feet close to goal, but he wildly kicked his effort well wide of the mark.

The score remained 3-3, which some pundits may dispute was a fair result for both side to take. Neither set of players or fans could truly be satisfied with the result though but if it is any consolation to either side, it is that there is still only 1 point separating the two in fourth and fifth place in the league table. But the home side will especially be rueing the fact they did not capitalise on the chance to overtake their rivals after spectacularly taking the lead early on in the second half.