Petr Cech Shines But Arsenal Lose

Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the top four were dealt a major blow as they lost 3-1 to an improved Liverpool at Anfield. Arsene Wenger, who gambled on leaving Alexis Sanchez out of the starting XI, is now set to come under increased scrutiny.

First half goals from Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane left Arsenal with too much to do. Although Alexis came on and helped spark a brief fightback, Liverpool were able to catch the Gunners on the break in stoppage time and finish off the game.

Positives

Danny Welbeck continues to impress with his capacity to find form so quickly after a long layoff. On current form, he should be one of the first names on the Arsenal team sheet between now and the end of the season. Other than that, it’s hard to identify positives. Wenger will consider it a bonus that one of Arsenal’s rivals for a top four spot, Manchester United, also dropped points this weekend.

Negatives

Another defeat in another high-profile game means the pressure on Wenger will mount yet again. It’s difficult to see how the unrest will dissipate sufficiently for him to stay. Throughout his reign at Arsenal, Wenger has consistently ensured that the Gunners finish in the top four. This time, it feels like even that may prove to be beyond him.

Manager rating out of 10

3 — Wenger chose to leave out his team’s top goal scorer and best player, and it was a decision that totally backfired. He was forced to admit his error at half-time, but by then it was too late. This match will be yet more ammunition for those who believe Wenger is done at Arsenal.

GK Petr Cech, 7 — Were it not for a couple of excellent saves to deny Philippe Coutinho, Arsenal might have gone in at half-time down by three or four goals. Cech has taken some justifiable criticism this season, but today his reflexes kept Arsenal in the game.

DF Hector Bellerin, 6 — The Spanish full-back has not been the same player since returning from a concussion. There were some signs of recovery in the second half as he tried to get forward and find the equaliser, but Bellerin could do with a spell out of the side. The problem Wenger has is that with Carl Jenkinson and Mathieu Debuchy out of favour, there is no obvious replacement.

DF Shkodran Mustafi, 6 — Like his teammates, Mustafi took time to grow into the game. In the second halfm he was actually one of their more impressive players, making one eye-catching burst down the right wing as well as a vital block inside his own penalty box.

DF Laurent Koscielny, 5 — The Arsenal skipper will be very disappointed to have lost the header that led to Liverpool’s opening goal. He was also less assured on the ball than usual, resorting to long passes too early in the game.

DF Nacho Monreal, 4 — Arsenal are said to be looking for a new left-back this summer and given Monreal’s struggles throughout the 2016-17 season, that can be no real surprise. He was given another torrid afternoon by the irrepressible Mane.

MF Francis Coquelin, 3 — It felt significant that the Frenchman was the man hauled off at half-time. He was dreadful in the first half: his positioning was all over the place, while he also failed to show the requisite technical ability to cope with Liverpool’s pressing game. A poor performance was compounded by a needless booking.

MF Granit Xhaka, 5 — The summer signing continues to be a difficult player to assess. He’s clearly very able on the ball, but for a defensive midfielder, his positional awareness is poor. Perhaps he is struggling without clear instruction?

MF Alex Iwobi, 5 — Entrusting a player in a poor run of form with the key playmaking role might have been an error. Iwobi was not sharp enough at Anfield and didn’t drop in to support Arsenal’s midfield when they were under the cosh.

FW Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 6 — While the England man’s recent form has certainly been good enough to justify a starting place, his best performances have tended to come in central midfield. Wenger started him out on the right wing, where he failed to make much impact. Oxlade-Chamberlain looked more comfortable when restored to a role in the middle of the park.

FW Danny Welbeck, 7 — Wenger couldn’t have hoped for much more from Welbeck on his first Premier League start of the season. He showed great composure to lift the ball over Simon Mignolet and give Arsenal a potential road back into the game. The Gunners fans were disappointed to see him withdrawn, but a measure of caution is understandable in the case of a player who’s missed so much football of late.

FW Olivier Giroud, 6 — The centre-forward spent most of the match in an elaborate warm-down having seemingly aggravated a hip problem early on. He did muster one excellent header towards goal, which Mignolet turned away.

Substitutes

FW Alexis Sanchez, 7 — Why, oh, why didn’t he start? Came on for Coquelin at half-time and immediately injected life into the Arsenal side.

FW Theo Walcott, NR — Fair to say that the Arsenal fans were less than pleased to see him replace Welbeck after 74 minutes to help Arsenal see the tie through.

FW Lucas Perez, NR — Came on when Giroud was finally withdrawn after 74 minutes.