Arsenal got off to a brilliant start with Martinelli being his usual Duracell Bunny and flying into space to put us 1-0 up in just 58 seconds. He is leading the attack down the left and drew the first booking after just 5 minutes, and Arsenal were looking awesome.
We got a scare after 9 minutes when Ramsdale called for assistance for a pulled muscle but he opted to carry on.
Xhaka had a go around 13 minutes but Alisson was quick enough, and it was offside anyway.
Martinelli had an accidental heavy tackle on Trent-Arnold and it didn’t look good for the England right-back.
It was proper end to end football, with Liverpool getting more of the ball firing them down the wings, and we had a little scare when an interception from Saliba looked like it was going to sneak poat Ramsdale but our Number One got his hand down quickly.
Liverpool were all out for the equaliser and when Salah slipped it into the box, Darwin Nunez got their first, and we were back on equal terms…
Arsenal seemed to have lost their composure and Liverpool were worryingly taking control. Arsenal had to work hard defending up to the break, including 5 minutes aded on, but with perfect timing, right before the whistle, an excellent counter attack saw Martinelli causing havoc down the left. He slipped the ball neatly to Saka in the box and Arsenal were in the lead once again.
Phew, what a rollercoaster of a half!
The second half started just as lively and Martinelli made a nuisance of himself and Arsenal had a big chance in the first minute again, but Liverpool bungled the ball away…
Arsenal were definitely looking more confident now, and after 5 minutes Odegaard had a big chance but tamely shot it at Alisson.
Then came another shock as Liverpool scored against the run of play, with Firmino slipping the ball into Ransdale’s bottom corner, and it is was back to nail-biting time for all Gooners with half an hour to go..
The game went back to end-to-end, but Liverpool were definitely getting a bit feisty, with Arsenal players getting knocked about the pitch, but Arsenal came close yet again with Tsimikas clearing off the line.
With 20 minutes to go MO Salah was taken off after having had hardly any impact on the game, and Arsenal continued going after the winner. and came close yet again with 15 minutes to go when Xhaka fired the ball into the box, but no banana.
But we attacked and attacked and when Xhaka got the ball back into the box with Martinelli again and again, and suddenly the ref gives us a penalty. The melee afterwards lookedlike turning into a fight with a very upset Granit Xhaka, but the ref finally got the players calm enough for Saka to step up to the spot.
And HE SCORES!!!! With a very cool sidestep into the corner. Well done Saka!
With 15 minutes to go Arteta swaps Tierney for Odegaard to try and hold on to this lead, and Arsenal are fighting to keep the lead, and of course he gives the armband to Granit Xhaka…
Arsenal were then looking relaxed and passing the ball about without letting Liverpool get anywhere near the ball. They are looking lie they intend to furstrate Klopp’s side and are doing it very well indeed. In between defending for their lives!
Liverpool even tried a dive for a penalty but it was quickly dismissed. And even the ref gave Liverpool an extra 3 minutes to equalise but the Gunners held fast.
Arsenal fans have been so used to seeing our team get torn apart by Liverpool, watching this has been even more sweet, amd it is even better that we go back to the top of the Premier League!
COYG!