Five Things Learnt from Liverpool/Arsenal
Six-goal thriller at Anfield ended 3-3
What a night it was at Anfield last night as Liverpool and Arsenal played out a thrilling 3-3 draw under the lights in Merseyside.
Roberto Firmino and Olivier Giroud both netted braces, whilst Welsh duo Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen also got their names on the score-sheet.
It’s now time for SillySeason to look back at the game and reveal their Five Things Learnt.
So here goes.
5) Roberto Firmino Finally Shines
It’s taken Roberto Firmino time to settle in at Liverpool, and that’s not surprised considering he’s new to the league, but last night was easily his best display as a Red.
He was brilliant against Manchester City earlier on in the season at the Etihad Stadium, but apart from that, he’s failed to demonstrate why Liverpool paid so much for him.
However, last night he stepped up and in the absence of Philippe Coutinho, he flourished for Jurgen Klopp.
A nice finish for his first goal and a simply stunning strike for his second.
Firmino needs to keep it up and get some consistency in his game and then people will take note of why Brendan Rodgers paid £30million for him.
4) Night To Forget For Liverpool Duo
Simon Mignolet and Mamadou Sakho.
Simply put, you will struggle to see a poorer performance from two players.
Mignolet should have saved Arsenal’s first two goals, with one beating him at the near post and the other going in from a corner (albeit with a little touch from Olivier Giroud).
As for Sakho, every attempted pass out from the back went to a man in gold and he simply looked like Bambi on ice for half the game.
Liverpool VERY lucky to have not gone 4-2 down with Sakho messing around at the back.
Two very poor performances.
3) Nacho Monreal – The Unsung Hero
Is there a better left-back in the Premier League than Nacho Monreal right now? Probably not.
The Arsenal full-back has developed into one of the key players for Arsene Wenger and last night he didn’t put a foot wrong once again.
Yes they conceded three goals, but the left-back wasn’t at fault for any of them, and he simply kept Jordan Ibe out of the game.
Monreal has developed into a really solid and reliable full-back, something he wasn’t when he first arrived at the club.
2) Olivier Giroud Silencing Critics
“You will never win the title with a striker like Olivier Giroud”.
That’s what people have said all along about Arsenal and about Giroud, but boy is he making those people look foolish.
People seem to forget Arsenal paid just £12million for the Frenchman. Tell me a striker you can sign for the same amount who would have 18-goals already this season?
Giroud’s hold-up play is up there with the best in the game and last night he put in his best ever display as a Gooner.
His first goal was a cheeky little flick from a corner and his second was Dennis Bergkamp-esque with an unreal turn on the ball before calmly slotting in the far corner.
Yes he missed the sitter when the ball was fizzed across the goal, but he didn’t shy away after that and he nearly got Arsenal all three points.
1) Klopp vs Wenger Shall Be Fun
The two have the utmost respect for one another and yesterday saw their first battle in the Premier League.
Attractive football, goals galore and friendly interactions on the sidelines, Jurgen Klopp vs Arsene Wenger could be a fun little rivalry in the next few years.
So there are our Five Things learnt from Liverpool vs Arsenal.
What did you make of the game?
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt