Arsenal lost for the third time in a row as they exited the FA cup in a game where their issues remained glaringly obvious.
Mikel Arteta decided to make a few changes to the side that lost at Craven Cottage the previous weekend. Reiss Nelson started on the left hand side of the attack, Jorginho came in as the holding midfielder and Kai Havertz got the nod upfront with Gabriel Jesus missing with a minor knee problem. Aaron Ramsdale also started in goal for Mikel Arteta’s team.
With the pressure on them after two poor results Arsenal needed to start strongly and that’s what they did, with Reiss Nelson hitting the side netting after going round Alisson following a brilliant pick-out from Ramsdale. And the chances continued in a rampant first twenty minutes from Arsenal which saw Odegaard hit the bar and Havertz come close with two efforts which were kept out by Alisson. Ben White also later came close with a strong first time strike which stung the palms of the Liverpool goalkeeper.
The German also flashed a header wide from a pinpoint corner delivery from Bukayo Saka as Arsenal frustrations begun to grow as a sense of deja vu started to spread in around Emirates Stadium.
Despite dominating the first half, Liverpool also came extremely close to going into the break ahead. Darwin Nunez also missed a good chance from a corner as his headed effort went wide, and Trent Alexander-Arnold had a stroke crash off the crossbar with Ramsdale seemingly beaten.
The second half began with Liverpool showing more going forward, with Nunez and Joe Gomez shooting wide. But Arsenal also continued to misfire in front of goal. With Bukayo Saka hitting an effort wide of Alisson’s post. Aaron Ramsdale was later called into action as he made an excellent stop at close diving low down to his left, but warning signs were there for Arsenal. And fears that missed chances would yet again be Arsenal’s downfall were realised when an Alexander-Arnold free kick was diverted in by Jakub Kiwior to give Liverpool a late lead with just ten minutes of normal time to go. But Arsenal had run out of ideas and as they tried to push forward in search of an equaliser, Luis Diaz struck into the top corner to secure the win and dump Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the third round for the second time in three seasons.
The result sees Arsenal lose for a third successive game before a thirteen day break where they race Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on their return.
Player Ratings:
Aaron Ramsdale: 7 – Made one excellent stop in the second half and couldn’t do anything about either of the goals
Ben White: 6 – Was ok overall and almost scored with a good effort in the first half
William Saliba: 7 – Made an excellent tackle on Nunez in the second half
Gabriel: 6 – Didn’t necessarily do anything wrong but didn’t stand out
Jakub Kiwior: 5 – Was average before his own goal broke the deadlock
Jorginho: 7 – Came back in and did well, always looked to keep things ticking
Declan Rice: 7 – A better performance from the midfielder
Martin Odegaard: 6 – Was always running but was often wasteful with the ball
Bukayo Saka: 5- A poor day from the winger who was poor in front of goal
Kai Havertz: 6 – The German’s overall game was ok but again, his finishing left a lot to be desired
Reiss Nelson: 5 – Same as his fellow attackers. Very wasteful in the final third