Arsenal’s unbeaten run ends with a bang as Liverpool show their superiority

Liverpool showed exactly why they are contenders to win the Premier League this season, while Arsenal showed why they aren’t.

It was never going to be an easy game this evening, but there is for losing by this many goals ever, and in fact, without Aaron Ramsdale we would have certainly lost by more.

From the get-go, the Reds showed their hunger and their strength, and we knew from that point that we needed something to change the direction of the game, but we had no answers.

Thanks to a number of Ramsdale saves, we managed to keep level for over half an hour of action, but the writing appeared written on the wall throughout.

Sadio Mane eventually managed to beat the English goalkeeper, with his header bouncing over Ramsdale, and they took that 1-0 lead into the break.

There was little change in direction after the break either. After strong pressure, Nuno Tavares tried to bring the ball out of defence, only to attempt to pass back to his team-mate, with Diogo Jota sneaking in to steal the ball and punish the mistake shortly into the new half.

Aubameyang did manage to force a save from Allison soon after, but it was a little bit of a pot-shot likely out of frustration at the lack of chances, and things really picked up for the home side after they managed to add their third of the night on the 75-minute mark. Sadio Mane’s penetrating run down the left leaving our defenders in his wake opened it up completely for the goal, and Mo Salah ran into the box to tap that one home.

Minamoto came off the bench for Jota, and with almost his first play he got himself on the scoresheet also, getting on the end of a pinpoint pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the Japanese forward slotting his effort neatly away.

It really was a men against boys moment, knowing that it would have been much worse had Ramsdale not been in goal, and one which I would love to forget.

Patrick

Tags Liverpool liverpool v arsenal

135 Comments

  1. We let Liverpool ran rampant in our half, because we didn’t have the guts to press Alisson and waited for counter-attack as Rodgers did. These overly-calculated and cowardly decisions have made our travelling supporters paid the hefty price, whereas our coaches and players still get paid handsomely each week

    I understand that Alisson’s ball playing/ distribution abilities are excellent and Aubameyang is already 32 years old, but we shouldn’t have been afraid to chase our opponents and should’ve benched Aubameyang if he wasn’t fit to do high pressing. We really need to rejuvenate our senior CFs, otherwise we’ll never be able to pin a big opposition down in their turf

    1. there is nothing bad in taking him off at the begining of the second half.

      Arteta has to learn to make some bold decisions on time in matches.

      I would rather we sell Aubameyang and Nketiah in January and make Martinelli the CF. Give Lacazette a 2 year extension and buy Raheem sterling.

      Sterling Martinelli Saka

      Partey ESR Bissouma

      1. Martinelli started as a CF once this season and he is obviously still too inexperienced for that role, the same as Balogun

        I don’t think we can sell our senior CFs in January, so we must try our best to offload them in the summer

        1. Man city and Liverpool dont have a towering CF and they are scoring goals for fun

          We need a front 3 who are aggressive and who can press as a unit.

          I would rather sell Aubameyang to Barcelona and buy Sterling. that will be smart business considering Sterling is 26 years.

          Lacazette should be offered 2 years contract for the experience he brings to the attack.

          Arsenal should Sell Aubameyang to Barcelona in January.

          Martinelli needs more game time as a CF. He offers more when it comes to pressing.

          1. Man City’s/ Liverpool’s systems are very stable and mature, so they don’t need a strong CF. I don’t think Barcelona are really interested in Aubameyang, because he is old

        2. Man utd seem to have part ways with their underperforming manager. Dear Arsenal management, please learn from them.

      2. How do you rate martinelli as good enough to ever be a cf??? The kid blunders damn near every chance on the ball. I really don’t see it in him.

    2. Got an Idea- I was at the game snd left as soon as the 4th goal went in. That performance totally sums up this novice manager. We needed to change at half time and get straight into them. What did we do? The same as we always do l. We SURRENDERED. We offered NOTHING.
      Pathetic performance. Brighton had a go here a couple of weeks ago and could/should have won the game. We have better players than Brighton. The difference is they have a manager who actually knows what he is doing and we dont.
      All those idiots who got themselves all excited because we were unbeaten for 10 games, despite playing mostly inferior sides, that we didn’t really dominate anyway, should seriously realise just how their so-called knowledge has left them looking.
      A few on here have repeated ply said this manager would be found out as soon as we played a side that were strong. We did today and looked Alan’s played like a side full of good players managed by a clueless novice.
      I’m a realist. Some believe they are when in reality they know nothing about the game and nothing about football if they continue to believe Arteta will be a de ent manager if this club. He won’t. Why? Because he is out of his depth.
      Think about that as your sat in front oft our tv’s this evening. I’m still in a car park and likely to be back to London after midnight.
      Hope you all have a good evening. I won’t. Because I’m a realist and know this club will never go anywhere with Arteta in charge.

      1. Phil, I can feel your disappointment as a travelling supporter. I can’t believe Arteta made the same mistakes Rodgers and Benitez did, by parking the bus against a big opposition

        I understand that you and many fans here have lost confidence in Arteta’s managerial ability. But please wait for a while, because we don’t have better options and we haven’t replaced some senior attackers from the previous regime yet

        1. Don’t have a better option? Really?
          Tell me what this novice has actually accomplished.
          His record is worst than Emery. It was worst than Wengers. And he was given nearly £250m to buy the players he wanted.
          I don’t actually believe the squad is that bad. It’s the manager. He is a clueless novice.
          We have Everton and Man Utd away. West Ham at home. City Home. All these up to New Year’s Day. I guarantee you we will be humiliated again by Citeh without them breaking sweat. So where is the supposed progress in this process? We are no nearer being competitive as a serious too 4 contender than when Emery was in charge. I honestly do not believe these players but into Arteta at all. All his crap about us being up for this game and is being in the front foot and we perform like that. Pathetic.
          I had Norse confidence in Lljunberg than this novice snd am being proven correct.
          These mugs who still believe he will deliver are exactly that- MUGS. Some didn’t like it when I said this recently and I take great pleasure in reminding you all of the fact you all remain MUGS.
          Get real. Get this novice out NOW.

          1. After 100 games only GG won more games (2 more).
            35 games from Dec 2020 arsenal are 4th in the league, with joint 3rd with West ham and 1 point behind Chelsea.

            There are lots of pros and cons we can review, if we only look at the con, we will only ever cement what we see as being wholly the only truth needed fo be known!

            Just offering perspective.
            Yes our manager is young, yes so is our team, yes this will mean inconsistencies but we know this…right?

      2. Well over £200 million spent on 12 new players and extending others in 2 years.

        Yet some would have you believe we couldn’t bring in a class manager after Emery.

        Yeah, I’m sure total control, over £200 million to spend, and turning over the roster with 12 new players is not appealing to any top manager.

        Top 6 or sacked at end of the season. Excuses dried up, not spending dried up, not his players dried up.

      3. After 3 nil I couldn’t watch anymore. and it’s been years since I haven’t watch an arsenal match in its entirety, win lose or draw. Arteta cant play with the big boys like Klopp,Guardiola,Tuchel and others. Arsenal have not put up a dominating performance against any League Winners and dominating team in the league in years. we get one off results like against chelsea last season but nothing else. Team is weak mentally and Arteta will finish top 6 probably but not top 4. Average manager and average results. That’s what we arsenal fans now say is success. If I laugh I’ll cry. So sad this is what arsenal is today.

      4. What a depressing game in the end. A few talking points to talk about.
        (1). This team has no dynamic central midfielders to play like Westham in these sort of games. Just compare Sambi to Rice or Bissouma. The boy is good but he’s still too slow and seen by big teams most often than non as our weak link. Niles is not up to it at all. Partey is off and on, a talk for another day.

        (2). Arteta is still very naive and never learns. There’s nothing wrong with making changes after 45mins. In his first game against Chelsea, we took the lead and we’re dominating them, Lampard had to change the formation and they came into the game and won.

        (3). Saka and Smith Rowe are kids and we should never depend on these kids if we need to be elite. Let’s na honest here, there were a few times Saka should have done better in their 18 yard box to give us the lead but he couldn’t.

        (4). Our defence or back 5 is still solid but needs support from the midfield and attackers. We need midfielders who will not be afraid of holding the ball. We are too scared. That’s why I don’t blame Nuno for those mistakes. He’s brave and that’s a good thing. Only have to be more careful.

        (5). Martinelli needs to be integrated into the team. I would love to see what He can do with Laca playing as the second striker. Arteta need to be thinking of these kind of things rather than stumble on them like he did Smith Rowe last season and Laca this season.

        (6). The only positive today was Ramsdale. Enough said.

        We need to bounce back from this and hopefully United keep Ole til after our game against them. We’re still 5th. Top 4 is still within touching distance. At least 7 points in our next 3 games…

      5. Some have memory loss of the spankings we used to get in the past. by your logic Wenger should have been sacked after the 8-2 humiliation.But no, some kept giving excuses for mediocrity. The score hurts, but what over 400million weekly wages of strikers could not score hurts more. IMO AMN should have started over ASL and Martenelli should have come for Auba.Agree Mikel got it wrong today so do all good managers. Klopp was outdone by Moyes, so Klopp should be sacked?Relax pal, Mikel has to improve no doubt but calling him a novice and mediocre is stretching it too far. If one coach was mediocre, it was Wenger alone since 2010.Mikel has a hard task on his hands and will get us back trust the process.We are joint 4th, maybe 6 points off top 3.

        1. loose canon gets grip. even wenger’s low class team that cost a fraction of this current team would do better and have at least given a better game. please even that 8-2 is far better result than arteta garbage football. we’ve played like 12 games and not one have been dominated by us totally.

    3. Gai, it’s not just Auba, our midfielders could not even compete. Pathey is gradually loosing his tenacity and Lokonga is fragile compared to Liverpool modified generals. The coach also didn’t do his homework properly to come up with tactics to stop Liverpool trio. Brighton came to same Anfield and played a draw with Liverpool and Westham beat them at home. Anyway, I hope Arteta learnt something today he is still on a learning curve as a young promising coach. No worries, our position still safe. There is meant to be ups and down with the youngest team in EPL. Let the Boys pick themselves up against New Castle and do is proud. We fight and win another day

      1. Our midfielders got too pressurized, because our attackers didn’t do their jobs to press Alisson and Van Dijk

        I wished I could scold Arteta. He seems to want to be a defensive manager like Rodgers, Benitez, Mourinho and Simeone, instead of taking a higher risk like Klopp

        1. I don’t think MA is a defensive manager but I think currently he is playing to our strengths.

          Our forward line is still yet to be brave on the ball…

  2. To be fair a loss was expected because everyone loses at Anfield.
    Similar to everyone losing to City and Chelsea its expected so no issue at all.
    Even better all our competitors lost including Man U. Westham + Leicester. Everton will lose at City and even if Spurs win they will be behind us.
    So overall an excellent day for the Arsenal. Top 6 is assured and top 4 still very much a possibility. Everything is on track. Keep smiling. COYG.

    1. To be fair, a loss is expected if you play into Liverpool’s hands by-

      A. Not pressing
      B. Not attacking
      C. Sitting back to defend
      D. Not get the tactics right
      E. Not believing

      MA said we could beat them if we raised our game. Was that us raising our game?

      Our defense looked the worst it has done in a long time during the second half. Right about the time our keeper realized he can only do so much to stop the rot!

      The real test will be how we respond to this result starting against Newcastle and then Manure..

    2. So, next time MCI or LIV destroys us, and all of our followers lose, it is going to be the great day for us, right?

    3. Partey huge let down.
      When we signed him I thought the missing link.
      What a let down.
      Slow in thought and deed

      1. I completely agree bar a handful of games where he has shown what he can do he hasnt lived up to the hype. He hid away today along with Auba.

        We need another central midfielder as Thomas is leaving anyway for AFCON soon, plus is injured 60% of the time hes been here!

        1. Spot on Sean – those were the most culpable two IMO. Yes, both Lokonga and Tavares made several serious errors, but they’re both young and will learn (remember Gabriel last season?) and neither of them hid, to their great credit.
          Liverpool showed how to press. They are a seasoned team, possibly the best club side in the world at home, with probably two of the greatest strikers. We are a young, scratch team.

          This is not the end of the world but merely a necessary part of our developing team’s education. Let’s just see how we react over the next few games…

    4. fairfan, I take the general thrust of your comments on our rivals as basically fine and true.
      But “an excellent day” is arrant nonsense even so. We got well beaten today and that cannot be “excellent”.

      I like fair minded fans but to be a REAL fair fan you need to see and give due weight to both good and bad. Your odd “excellent day”phrase jars to those of us who are TRULY fair fans.

      I would say that this clear setback was limited in its damage by the sheer magnificent standard of a rampant Liverpoool team AND(as you said) by the fact our rivals for 4th place slipped up too.
      That seems to my mind what a FAIR FAN should truthfully write.

      1. Jon
        I was looking more at a performance today than a result when deciding on a good or bad match.

        First half was good, only that Mane goal ruined a close half where we were keeping it close score-wise.

        Unfortunately, a poor second half display, unforced errors (I know they are still young), and another capitulation ended the match.

        Arteta had no idea or adjustments after halftime, while Klopp showed what good managers do; analyze and adjust.

        End of the season will prove a lot, and if Arteta can’t improve from last year’s finish and get the club back to top 6 and European football, he has to go.

        3 years, 12 new players, and over £200 million spent, enough is enough. Plenty of time to rebound and improve, but final table standing should determine Arteta’s fate.

  3. Didn’t expect much from Arsenal today against a more developed Liverpool side, but disappointing how the game has gone in the 2nd half. Hope it doesn’t damage momentum too much after real progress since September…..

    Liverpool are light years ahead of us… Anfield woes continues but we will be back.

    Feel sorry for Ramsdale today. Goalie didn’t deserve that scoreline..

  4. MA vs Pool, City, Chelsea this season:

    Points 0
    Goals for 0
    Goals against 12

    Awfully starting to look like Wengers record in his last seasons against top 4, huh?

    1. Yes. But Wenger managed his own players, whereas Arteta still have to manage the players from the previous regime

      If Arteta survives this season, I’d like to see what he can do if he replaces Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe with his own attackers

      1. What are you taking about Arteta won the FA Cup with the previous managers players ,he now signed 12 players over 18 months at a cost of 230 million .
        Don’t put the blame on previous managers ,he’s been backed more than our 2 former managers .
        We lost today because his tactics are not on par with top managers .

        1. We lost today because our opponenets have spent 3+ years together developing the identity Kloop wants.

          Our squad is 3 months into their journey.

          It’s as simple as that!

        2. He won the FA Cup in his honeymoon period at Arsenal, when the players still believed in his fresh ideas and wanted to prove themselves in front of their new manager

          Almost all new managers have that rosy period, before everything turns sour. Great managers are usually able to turn the tide and Arteta will have to prove it this season or get sacked next year

      2. You never backdown right? He uses others coaches players. The last time I checked, Arteta didn’t use his personal money to purchase any of 10 players we have bought since he’s employed. He messed up today and you are too far up his ass to acknowledge it. We lost the game before we left London and that is on him because the players played according to his plan. It is not like we have not seen that before.

        1. Yes he made another bad decision today, but it doesn’t change the fact that he has to manage some senior players from the previous regime

          The TV commentator said Arteta was barking at our attackers to press high up the pitch, yet they were reluctant to press Alisson and Van Dijk

      3. GAI the defence, the midfield, the captain (via his new obscene contract) are ALL his players.
        So, unless your saying Lacs, Saka and ESR are the problem from the “previous regime”, who is it that you are talking about?

        1. I’m talking about Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe. Aubameyang had to get a new contract, because he was one of the biggest factors of our FA Cup win and one of our most expensive assets

          1. So Pepe wasn’t playing, Aubameyang was made captain and Lacazette was selected today when there were other options.. meaning that MA himself made the decisions and had nothing to do with any past regime.
            If one keeps trying to excuse MA by trying to blame others, it becomes a complete nonsense.

        2. But the fact remains Ken that Arteta has had 3 months with these young players, whereas Klopp has had 3 years. And Klopp has possibly the best player in the world right now. And Liverpool on their day and at home are arguably the best club side in the world, and have dismantled teams with far bigger reputations than Arsenal. And today was their day.
          Yes I was disappointed, not least with our more experienced players, but let’s not overreact.

          1. guy, please read my thoughts on the game elsewhere in this article.
            You will find that is not overreacting.

            I am reacting to GAI’s comments that MA hasn’t got his players… then names three, one of whom didn’t even play today, that he HAS to contend with!!!
            While fans keep making excuses that are patently absurd, others are likely to overreact, as you put it.

      4. Is Tuchel not managing players from past regime,did Guardiloa not manage player from past regime,didnt Zidane manage players from past regime,didnt Ranieri manage players from past regime. the point is you cant use that as an excuse GAI because most managers will have to manage players from previous managers. You coach what you have and make the most tactically and try to get the best out the team. if Arteta is sacked after getting all he wants will arsenal again also start clean in giving the next manager 18 brand new players to work with. Managing the team is what arteta need to do. properly. dont make silly excuses for him.

    2. And those 3 teams are supposed to be contenders for the league, isn’t it? In fact at least 1 of them will be in ucl semi this season, it’s no shame loosing to them IMO, playing against them showed how far the team has progressed and I see improvement from last season

  5. Again the errors crept back in.
    Losing this game doesn’t bother me surprisingly, what makes me sad is the error that led to the second goal.
    I like that we didn’t sit back after going two goals down. The result of that was getting hit on the counter though.
    I always knew Sambi was gonna struggle against Liverpool’s Midfield, it’ll be his first game against them and he was extremely poor.
    Keep your heads up boy, it’s your first, you’ll only get better.
    Tavares also, needs to know this is Liverpool not some mid table team.
    He was extremely poor too. People called for him to keep his place and he did, unfortunately showed that Tierney will always be the better option because of his experience and communication.
    Feel sorry for Ramsdale and the boys, getting caught on the counter killed everything.
    Hopefully they pick it up next week and win convincingly before we play United. At this point nothing other than a win will be acceptable against United too.
    BTW I thought ESR should’ve gone out in the 60 minute for Martinelli.
    Arteta still needs to get his substitutions right.
    Keep your head up boys, you’ve all been immense over the past months.
    COYG!!

    1. Yes Eddie.

      I do wish Martinelli should be starting games.

      I would rather start him ahead of Aubameyang.

      Also, we should have played more long balls against Liverpool. We were going to loose that midfield battle anyways.

      1. Yeah, I can’t fault their efforts though.
        Like most said already, the errors killed whatever fight and cohesion we were trying to build plus the boys got outclassed by a team with experienced players all over the pitch.
        Hopefully we bounce back.
        It was the manner we conceded the goals that’s hurtful.
        I’ll like to see Ødegaard and Martinelli start against Newcastle.
        I’m not taking anything away from ESR and Lacazette, but I think Martinelli should start that game, ESR can always return after that

        1. Spot on Sean – those were the most culpable two IMO. Yes, both Lokonga and Tavares made several serious errors, but they’re both young and will learn (remember Gabriel last season?) and neither of them hid, to their great credit.
          Liverpool showed how to press. They are a seasoned team, possibly the best club side in the world at home, with probably two of the greatest strikers. We are a young, scratch team.

          This is not the end of the world but merely a necessary part of our developing team’s education. Let’s just see how we react over the next few games…

    2. Certainly a reality check.although I dont know many Gooners who were getting carried away with the unbeaten run. I wasnt expecting victory today but was disappointed in the manner of the loss. I too would have liked to see Martinelli on for ESR.

      The table probably shows where we are at right now – well below the top three but ina dog fight for that last CL spot. With the youngest team in the league and a manager still learning his stage, I’ll take that for this season.

    3. Tavares’s inexperienced was all over the game…
      Also Liverpool quickly identified Sambi as weak point for Arsenal when I. possession and they exploited him..
      I think Sambi and Tavares need to be rested against Newcastle
      AMN and Tierney should be back
      It looked like Our young and inexperienced players didn’t study Liverpool’s trademark tactics and game plan..
      Liverpool never change their game plan like pressing like pack of wolves and using wing play…
      Today’s loss is not because of incompetence but because of lack of study and preparation

  6. All pundits and rival fans said we’ll see where Arsenal are after the Liverpool game. Another pounding is where we are! That’s 5-0 at City and 4-0 at an understrength Liverpool! Big clubs don’t lose in the manner we do so often it’s demoralising! Even smaller clubs can go to these big teams and leave looking respectable, look at Brighton haven’t lost at Liverpool in 2 games successfully, even Burnley weren’t beaten like this! But it appears whenever we get a mauling like we did again today it’s now become acceptable because we aren’t at that level… We certainly aren’t but in no way should we be making excuses for that sh*t show! As a fan I will never ever accept 4 and 5 nil thrashings because we aren’t good enough!

    1. It obvious why we are always getting mauled by those clubs you mentioned. We keep it safe instead of believing in ourselves and so for it.

    2. I will be surprised if anyone is happy with the scoreline but comparing this game against the Liverpool Brighton game or Burnley is fruitless.

      Are you saying Liverpool performed the same against us as they did against Brighton?
      Are you saying that Burnley or Brighton with their managers are not further down their process of work then us?

      We were poor for 25 mins against them, which resulted in 3 goals. I wouldnt take away the 65 minutes this young team put in, yes it can be better but they did the things which will eventually create results…

      1. And you do realise how much we spent compared to those teams? And how long has Potter been at Brighton 10 years ? No roughly as long as Arteta and has spent no where near what Arteta has! I doubt very much Liverpool see us as a threat they see us as a joke they stick at least 3 past us every single season, keep in mind thats not even a full strength Liverpool team so you can kid yourself about how well we played for 25 mins but in reality we got absolutely torn apart. Also I expected us to lose its not the defeat that bothers me it’s the manner in how we lose. Say what you want but a 4-0 is an embarrassment and could have been much higher so if that’s not alarming I don’t know what is.

        1. I don’t get why spending without giving this new squad (which still needs improving with exists) and new management time is what we see as being okay to do.

          I get your focus on the shit result.

          Potter is also with more experience as a manager then arteta. Like this or not, this is the situation of our managers career and this young teams current status as a newly formed team…

          1. I get that we aren’t on the level of the city’s, Liverpool’s etc only a naive person would believe that but we can’t keep making excuses for these drubbings! It pains me to see that we are a laughing stock in the red half of Merseyside.. Liverpool fans would rather play us than a Brighton or Burnley and that doesn’t sit well with me as a supporter! Having a young inexperienced team should not be guided by a young inexperienced manager especially not at a club like Arsenal, it just seems we are a forever experiment.. we go 1 step forward and 3 steps back too often!

    3. I couldn’t agree more !! As soon as the second goal went in I honestly didn’t believe Arsenal would get anything from this game. Actually I probably just wanted Arsenal to have a shot on target (achieved) in anger because it was over for me at 1-0 despite my hope & blind delusions that it was only a setback. We’ve been here too many times in these big games, especially away games against historic rivals for at least a decade. Arteta’s defensive counter attacking tactics work to a point but sometimes attack is the best form of defence. I accept that Arsenal lost to a better side but the usual capitulation was all too familiar & very demoralising yet again. Partey was poor & Tierney should’ve started. The arrogance & belief of Liverpool players in interviews afterwards was particularly galling & WHU beating Liverpool wasn’t great for Arsenal as it reset these bastards & made them angry. When are my beloved Arsenal going to win at Anfield, Old Trafford, Chelski or Manchester City again ?? Obvious last season was great to win but in empty stadiums we couldn’t celebrate or indulge in these moments. Onwards we go against Saudi Arabia next week but Arsenal must let this be the last time for a long time that these heavy away defeats are tolerated. Arteta has spent a lot of £ so now it’s all on his team selection & tactics & yes I also don’t get why Martinelli doesn’t get on the pitch !! Ramsdale was fantastic again despite conceding four 😔 Anyway, peace out ✌️

  7. Too bad there’s no Arshavin to balance the score. At least Ragsdale gave me something to smile about.

    The first 45 is pretty commendable in my opinion. The positioning of our players were great. But of course, our fearsome mentality let us down. That and also the gulf in class.

    I think I need to watch a re-run of West Ham and Brighton against Liverpool to see how they did it.

    Oh please don’t bash Tavares for his assist. He is young and will definitely learn from his mistakes. Lokonga misplaced a lot of passes too.

    1. Liverpool was never going to come into this game with the same mentality they had against Brighton, Brentford and Co……. I feel we just need to be more confident and extra aggressive whenever we’re up against them….. take Mane for instance, always with the elbows, and dangerous lunges, yet he keeps getting away with it…… we need people in our team who can really strike fear into the opponents’ heart via aggression too….. just my thought though….. I do agree with you about Tavares, I feel he will learn from his mistakes too…… it’s just a tad sad it came against Liverpool.

      1. Why not ? Those teams are more difficult to play against than we are! We keep kidding ourselves that other big clubs see us as a danger.. Liverpool, City etc see us as a joke they fear Palace more than us.

        1. No I don’t think that’s the case right now. I think Klopp was using mind games a bit before the match because I think they had more pressure to win after the loss to whu and he was a little worried. Had they beaten whu I think this game might have been closer but they couldn’t afford to drop points today and we couldn’t match their mentality and quality

  8. Personally I can’t say its right to accept losses like this, it’s not set in stone that Liverpool must give us an ass whopping each time cmon, as a young team you want them growing with the thinking that we can have a go at anyone. Would these kids not grow with that constant Anfield fear…?

    Thing is whenever we come up against any organised team, we become toothless and disconnected…. CP, Brighton, Brentford among others…

    1. Watched CP’s games. Can confirm. They are quietly moulding into Arsenal of old. Quite entertaining and always look in control… Vieira soon?

  9. I feel happy that we could’ve lost even by 6 and I still wouldn’t have been sad or angry.

    The boys really played well but for individual mistakes here and there.

    It just didn’t look bleak like it did in September – I expect for us to win the next game. I certainly didn’t feel this way at the start of the season.

  10. I think our forwards don’t offer much in games like this, zero offensive threat, zero forced errors, and the midfield was non-existent today as well…… for most part of the 2nd half it felt like Liverpool vs our back 5. I still think the defence is sorted though, but we need to get better midfielders and forwards as soon as we can. No harm in trying Martinelli, Balogun, or even Pepe up front at this point…. anyways…. I hope we go on alonger winning run after this loss…. COYG!.

  11. It’s not the defeat that bothers me it’s the same defensive tactics that Arteta employs game after game ,it’s great when it works against the smaller teams but that’s now 3 of the top 4teams we have played and got our ass handed too.
    While some fans have got over excited about our little run of results Agaist teams we should be beaten ive keep the same opinion that I’ve had for the last 12 months and I still stand by it ,I expected a loss but just to roll over and not even have a go at them is embarrassing.
    It’s nothing to do with individual mistakes we lost because our manager is scared to go toe to toe with the so called bigger teams .

    1. It’s nothing to do with individual mistakes?.It’s everything to do with individual mistakes.Are you suggesting that the first two goals could not have been prevented but we’re a result of our Manager’s failings? A number of our younger players learned a hard lesson today, but hopefully they will realise the errors of their ways and come back with more determination and mental toughness to at least give an elite side a tough game.Prior to the match numerous subscribers to JA were all for playing Tavares ahead of Tierney.I shall refrain from further comment.

      1. Lol, Grandad were you expecting more from Dan?
        Dan never has anything good to say about the manager.
        Imagine saying the loss today has nothing to do with individual mistakes and saying we were defensive even though we were pressing high from kick off.
        The first two goal could’ve been prevented.
        But the last two even came in cuz we went out trying to get something from the game and got hit on the counter.
        Yet he said we were defensive throughout instead of just admitting we were outclassed by the better team and let down by errors.

        1. Individual mistakes rain down fromthe mangers tactics ,we can all say what ever player you don’t agree should be starting and like Grandad as mentioned is only player who comes from his own country but also got completed embarrassed by Liverpool last season after the fact .
          What I won’t do like you Eddie is be a cringe supporter and always make excuses for a manger way out of his league ,maybe stick to fake transfer stories buddy ,because I deal in facts not some sentimental bullsh1tthat you spew every time you post .

          1. Wherever the wind blows your sail Dan wherever it blows it😅😂
            Stick to criticizing the manager and team no matter what and I’ll stick to supporting the manager and team no matter what.
            Each to his own bro

        2. Exactly when you are down by 2 and still trying to press and attack you will always end up defending open space and this was occurred. Goal 3 and 4 was a result of it..

            1. Strangely, I seem to remember previous managers being blamed for players errors… our defeat to Birmingham at Wembley as an example.
              So what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander right???

              1. Sorry Ken, but everyone knows Arteta can’t be blamed.

                He’s stuck playing with other managers players (ignore his 12 transfers and over £200 million spent).

                Odd when we lose Auba is Wenger and Emery’s player, yet when we win Arteta extended his contract.

                We have young players, but being managed by a young manager lacking enough experience showed today.

                Young players + young manager = no traction and predictable results and table positions.

                I’ll stick with no top 6 Arteta has to go, excuses dried up, not spending dried up. His team, his decisions, 3 years and no Europa even is unacceptable.

  12. I was always expecting a hard game with but not such a wide scoring margin. I was happy with the effort we initially put in, in the first half and thought with the same level of effort and added concentration, we might escape with at least scoreless draw. But as per usual, we go to pieces when it’s not running for us. Our players started to make those characteristic mistakes that we have done in the past. Poor passing and decision making, lack of intensity just some of the things that let us down in the second half.

    I think I’m more disappointed in the way we reverted to type in that second half. The spectre of the old arsenal just seems to be forever looming over us.

    However, I think we’ll get better before we get any worse. So…..I’m fairly optimistic for the future !

  13. Thought we played well in first half but defending fell apart in the second half. Even at 4 nil Ramsdale is still man of the match for me.

  14. I can’t believe nobody is asking why Sadio Mane wasn’t red carded in this game? If that was Xhaka the cards would have been out quickly.

      1. Michael Oliver again! didn’t send Evans off either. And if I recall Mane should have been sent off last season too for an assault on Tierney.

  15. I said before the game, I’m more interested in the performance then the result. I was clinging onto the idea we could get a draw but in reality anfield record for Liverpool generally is one of the best in Europe for a home team.

    We obviously are not yet there to compete against the top 3. It would be silly to think this, our 23 year old average teams this season is still a few years off competing at the top.

    As a performance we buckled after the tavares error. The 1st half Liverpool found it hard. The only problem we created was too many freekicks against them in that first half. Then, the best dead ball specialist in the league put it on a tee for Mane…

    After the 2nd goal our young team had no resolution to get back into the game.

    The main difference for me, comes in what Liverpool do with their wide play.
    In attack, they have overlapping wing backs,
    in defending their wide men track back. Mane doubled up on Saka so many times…

    This is the main difference with Liverpool and most of the other teams in the league.

    One lesson learnt though, is arsenal need technical players, with confidence on the ball to beat the press and move the ball forward and to be a threat, this is needed against City Liverpool… if we want to get to competing again.

    I am not taking too much away from the result. The performance was patchy. The first half we were competitive with what Liverpool threw at us, in the second we made errors created by Liverpool High position, and top teams will press like this, so we need to learn to deal with it.

  16. Do NOT press
    Do NOT create
    Set the team up to NOT make a mistake
    Do NOT take chances or step outside of your lane.

    This is without European futbol and we only play one game a week.

    AFC are on pace to score 41 goals, will score more, but not many.

    Arteta needs to be canned if we get 8th again-period.

    1. And the third goal, what was tavares thinking??? He could have stuck with Sarah but instead he chose to run towards mane and that left Sarah unmarked

  17. Not good, but I thought this was world’s apart from the first three games of the season where we offered absolutely nothing – we could have scored a couple and were in it for a long time before buckling under the pressure. Not good but not getting carried away. This should elicit a strong response from the players in the next game, though – this squad isn’t the finished article but for many of these players (younger players and recent signings) this should be a firm reminder of the standard they are aiming for

    1. Also think Klopp might have got inside Arteta’s head a bit – he was clearly trying to (haven’t noticed Klopp doing that before but maybe I haven’t paid enough attention)

  18. My thoughtful qand fully considered take on todays game is this. Firstly , ther erae three teams inthe Prem who are head and shoulders above all thtothers No honest fan can deny that. We all know who those three are. We are at a level clearly below all those teams but can compete with ALL the other teams with every chance to win each game.

    Liverpool hit their very top form, but only after after the managers argy bargy and that worked against us, by them cleary upping the tempo and thereafter we were blown away. We fought well until then however and wer doing well , though on the defensive. We will IMO, quickly put this setback behind us and caarry on the much improved form of the last ten weeks or so.
    I personally expect Solskjaer to be sacked imminently and a better manager installed at United, which will propel them – with the tremendous squad they have – back above us and into fourth place .

    I think we will finish fifth, as we have a deeper squad than West Ham, who will fade in the New Year, when injuries and fatigue from European comps take their toll.
    I give due weight to the fact we have the youngest squad in the Prem, which means inconsistencey but I recognise the excellent team spirit that MA has fostered and believe that next season will see a big improvement again.

    It is also clear that we need at least two strikers who are reliably and consistently effective at scoring.

    Neither Laca nor Auba are good enough at the level MA will insist on and neither is Pepe, who I envisage being sold before next season.

    I look forward with optimism and am not at all down hearted by the fact we fought bravely today, even though we were overpowered and blown away in th second half by one of the three truly special Prem teams.
    We clearly have some way to go as yet, but realists will keep the faith and recognise that we are definitely making consistent progress , though there will be occasional setbacks , as we should expect with a very young team. Reality and perspective!

  19. I would like to remind those fans who asked if we needed Salibas, today’s game gave you the answer.

    Why do fans keep saying “if it wasn’t for Ramsdale” when that’s what he’s being paid to do and why he cost the club a reported £30 million – which brings me to Aubameyang and his reported £300,000 plus a week… I remember the abuse that Ozil got and I wonder why, firstly, MA gave him that salary and, secondly, why wasn’t he substituted for contributing nothing?

    On to the game and I was very impressed with the way this young side competed in the first half an hour… usually the game is out of reach with pool by then.
    They scored four minutes before the break and the break should have seen us coming out, still competing.
    But it was the complete opposite and pool blew us away… WHY?
    Awful individual mistakes by trying to play out from the back no matter what!!!
    Pool pressured the life out of our back four, so why didn’t we change our play?

    I very rarely call out individual players, but what Odegaard brings to the club is a complete mystery to me.

    The second half was abysmal, but I’m not forgetting those first 30 minutes either and MA must be pulling his hair out that he still cannot find the consistency that will improve the performances.

    That, after all, is what he is paid to do and why AW and UE had to leave.

    I am waiting for Loose Cannon to tell us what his “magician” will pull out of his hat – that’s not a dig at MA, but at a fan who always seems to disappear when the results don’t fit his agenda – I thought these humiliations against the top clubs were a thing of the past LC?? 🙄🙄🙄🙄

    1. Good point Ken ,too many fans abused Ozil because he was an easy target. Some of this bias came from his strolling around like a prince because he could sometimes make it look so easy, then there was envy regarding his salary and let’s not forget his Turkish/ German roots and the racial card. Aubamayang gets away with too much. Yes,, he did score magical goals that helped Arsenal to an FA cup, but Ozil won three and played for a top four team. Clearly though for almost two years Aubamayang has been lazy and too often ineffectual. Personally I would slowly phase out him and Lacazette if only to see what the younger brigade can do.

  20. All I would say is on their day city Chelsea and pool are dominant of ant other team by far, 2 if these 3 have won the cl recently where as we’ve not even qualified for it in years.

    I’m postive in that phase 1 we kicked out the negative and despondent players such as ozil mustafi bellerin etc.
    These players have experienced years of fan v wenger/arteta v kroenke and so on.

    Fast forward a new breed of exciting signings which seem to have clicked and adapted to this league really quickly.

    There is no way I would have believed we could have kept so many clean sheets and wins this quickly with so many new players.

    We’re not where we should be and as our history shows but it’s a start and progress at last.

    My only short term concerns are our striking options that are either ageing or young and not good enough to rely on.
    Secondly I feel we need someone in mf who can take the ball and us confident to distribute and turn and move all under pressure, Ramsey could do it abd even better Cazorla could and exquisitely with either foot.

    I felt Partey may bring us an element of this but I worry about his physical ability and strength to compete in this league week in week out.
    He seems to always be injured, coming back or working on his fitness.

    A little wisely spent money or some loans in January could I believe with a little luck find us back in the cl spots which would be a huge boost for a attracting players and welcome revenue.

  21. @jon fox

    Well said I totally agree, remeber where we have been recently and even losing games with 8 goals against us in the per and kos days.

    The future will be bright!

      1. Yeah I can’t remember the days we were losing games by 8 under per and Kos 😂 anyhow it seems losing 4-0 is progress now, Arteta has a lot of fans believing the process rubbish.

        1. I just want these ridiculous and false claims about what did / didn’t happen years ago to stop or be challenged Kev82 – per and Kos were great servants for the club (per still is) and their service should not be clouded by such rubbish.

          Some fans read these posts and believe their true… maybe the posters themselves believe it?

          After all, he says he remembers it!!!

          1. I think what he remembers is the horror show at Old Trafford Ken and from my memory it was Kos and Djourou alongside Traore and Jenkinson… Per was signed the very next day if I recall but as far as I can remember Per and Kos did not lose by 8 goals at anytime lol. I just think some people are trying to find excuses to excuse Mr Arteta but my mind is already firmly made up on him and his process.

  22. I expected a loss but not a thrashing. We are now at a goal deference of -4. Our forwards are doing a”commendable job” in front of goal😂😂. Hope they are ready for the magpies. Coz that’s the opposition(i mean this with no disrespect) that our mentality shows we can beat without retreating to our defensive shell the whole day.

  23. It is all Arteta’s fault as he has bought a lot of players who are not better than the ones we already have. Ramsdale is good but Leno certainly bailed out the team on many occasions also. A team that failed to qualify for Europe last season should have bought players to improve the team which we didn’t. Is White really better than Holding? I would have preferred we brought in Bissouma and Maddison to improve the team than buying a lot of players who are not better than the ones we already have in the team. The team has been very lucky to have a run of ten games against eight poor teams whom we beat but never dominated. We drew against Palace and Brighton as they are well coached and really dominated us. Holding was our best defender last season and is more composed than White.

    How can any decent coach play from the back against Liverpool who are one of the best high press teams and continue like that when it’s clear the team is struggling with that strategy.

    We really need a tactically better coach who can employ better tactics and tweak the way the team is playing even without making any substitutions. Arteta seems to be not the right guy. We need better players and not to just players who don’t take us to a higher level.

  24. Depressing result. The good angel in me was trying to work on my positivity hoping that Arsenal would take the game to them and give it a good shot, the bad of course was expecting this kind of performance. We have been getting carried away with ourselves and overrating players who are simply good honest tradesmen. My worst fear is that Arteta will rush Xhaka into the team because he regards him as a safe bet. Unfortunately we’ve been there before and should know that this would only be treading water.

  25. Unfortunately another capitulation and Arteta got the subs wrong. Seems to still be an issue, after 3 years even.

    Over £200 million spent, 12 new players, and some blame the players still. Yes they are young, but when they are being led by a young coach lacking experience you get outclassed.

    Arteta still can’t make adjustments after halftime, and same mistakes rear their ugly head.

    Top 6 at season’s end or admit “not good enough” and get an experienced manager like we should have after Emery.

    Baffling to spend so much money with inexperienced manager.

    Yet some would have you believe better managers wouldn’t join, 12 new players and well over £200 million to spend in 2 years.

  26. I didn’t expect a win hoped for a draw prepared for a loss but more importantly wanted to see some sign of progress against top opposition … didn’t get it … I still have no clue what arteta’s footballing philosophy is … But the intensity of pressing by lpool in comparison to what we do was obvious for all to see as was the lack of a threat up front … Not bringing back tiernay to this kind of high pressure game was crazy sticking with laca plus aube upfront was irresponsible … The lack of quality play maker clear with limits of esr visibly exposed …

  27. Well, I believe we lost today in a match of Men versus Boys.

    Just like we lost to Man City and Chelsea.

    There were times in the first half when we appeared to be competing, but our shots on target were negligible.
    We seemed to lack any punch up front, a common problem this season.

    Once Liverpool scored though, the wheels came off one by one during the second half.

    Unfortunately Tavares was found out too. He lost his cool in the second half. Not sure why Tierney did not start. It was Liverpool we were playing!

    I am surprised Arteta did not send out a search party to find ESR. I thought he was hardly involved in the match, which means we technically played with 10 men.

    Why was Odegaard brought on. The more I see of him, the less like an EPL he becomes. I thought AMN might have been a better substitute (shutting up shot maybe).

    Ramsdale made some good saves, but he also spilled two fairly easy shots, which both caused a goal-mouth scramble.

    I think EDU needs to splash a little more cash than anticipated in January.

    Because again……

    We need an experienced DM to play along side Partey. I think Lakonga was also found out in this game.

    We also need an experienced goal scorer.

    It is often better to be lucky than good, but I am worried we may just be using up all our season’s allotment.

  28. The gulf in class was obvious in this game, not helped by the Manager’s approach to not take the game to Liverpool, notwithstanding the game was at Anfield. Both team and manager have a long way to go physically and mentally and a lot of hard lessons to learn before Arsenal can again compete with the best. Maybe a pep talk from George Graham would help them know how to play a dominant Liverpool at Anfield and come away with a 2-0 win?

  29. Liverpool was playing high press yet our manager was still insisting on playing out from the back. When 95% of the game is played within your half of course you are going to concede chances and goals like silly. If the opposition is camping in your half, push the defenders up the pitch to put everyone offside and force the game to move to the center of the pitch! That was a PATHETIC performance!

  30. We are about to make the Guendozi mistake with Lokonga. He is young and talented, but not ready to be a regular in a premier league top side.

  31. The result of the game wasnt new to me. We make alot of miatakes, loosing possessions in most of our games, and its so certain that big teams like liverpool will take advantage of that.

    And or forwards….we dont have back ups and i dont want to hear balogun, martinelli….they are not up for it as it stands.

    Our midfield is on and off…they could have done better, arsenal dont know how to park the bus..they should have pressed more rather than giving liverpool total control.

    Defense was totally brutalised by liverpool constantly….dey did well but i was not enough…

    We should have gone all out get a goal atleast…all the teams that gave liverpool problems did not sit back and wait for a miracle. They took the ball to them.

    Next match please…. me move

  32. Reactionary fans everywhere.
    The truth is Arsenal is a work in progress. You may not buy into my views, but the match I watched gave me hope and beliefs that this team is growing.

    The first thirty minutes of the game was intense, and I was happy with the defensive structure.

    The error from Tavares opened the game up a bit. They jettisoned the conservative approach to chase the game to redeem something, albeit a little late.

    This arsenal team is a young team, and with time they will grow into what we want.

    Liverpool away was always going to be a test and it showed we ain’t there yet, and we will go back and get it right.

    I will like to the team’s response against Newcastle. Also, if you think that there’s no progress in this team so far, I would say, you are being conservative and economical with the truth.

    1. Spot on evandarl….I saw progress too…

      We had 5 new players in the 11 experiencing the intimidating atmosphere at anfield and the overwhelming Liverpool press firsthand…even top teams in Europe can’t withstand it.

      I saw a worried klopp, a cautious Trent, a frustrated salah, a clueless Chamberlain, an annoymous jota first half….only mane tried to influence the game first half…

      The truth is I was wary about the usual second half drop in tempo, it has happened in all our games this season even the ones that ended in victory…
      Conceding 3 goals wasn’t a surprise at all, but the lads stuck in which is refreshing

      We had an unfit auba, saka, ESR and partey which affected the press arteta demanded for….we couldn’t build up attacks as passing out from the back became a problem as partey wasn’t opening up for passes and lokonga/Tavares couldn’t progress as well…

      Ben white tried to run with the ball and got caught, tavares, Tomiyasu,sambi even ESR all tried and got caught out..

      I always knew jota & Trent were going to be the problem not salah & mane,

      Anyways I don’t see this team losing to any other team apart from the top 3…

      1. Also Let’s not forget that we have the youngest team and manager in the league with 5 new faces in the first eleven….

        The future is bright, cheer up guys

  33. Well beaten by Chelsea and totally battered by City and Liverpool!

    Out recent run has seriously papered over the cracks winning and drawing games we 100% deserved to lose!

    Some of us on here kept saying our performances we still, for the most part, terrible and were called negative by those naive fans that only cared that we won instead of focusing on building something that’s actually sustainable.

    Very far off being a top side.

    1. PJ-SA a million miles off! Some think because we weren’t 3 or 4 down in the first 20 minutes it’s progress, what difference does it make whether they come in the first 20 mins or last 20 mins? We were never in this game like some think… We can’t score, create or defend against the better teams.. the most worrying stat is that we have only managed 7 goals from open play this season and it’s almost December, yet a lot of Arsenal fans seem to be on board with the process.

      1. A minus 4 goal difference on November 21st, yet if we complain we aren’t real supporters, Arteta is learning, the young squad is learning, it’s a free hit when we play Chelsea, City or Liverpool and with that mindset soon it will be a free hit when we play West Ham and Wolves and so on… There will always be excuses no matter what.

    2. Not too far off PJ….our young team lost to city and Liverpool away from home irrespective of the scorelines, Chelsea are ucl champions and top of the league…

      Let’s cut the lads some slack pls….the almighty Man utds, Tottenhams, Leicesters, Evertons ain’t better off..

      Early season we were compared with the mid-table teams, today we are being compared with the top 3 teams….

      That’s some progress….

      1. Man Utd are getting a new manager so I would expect them to improve, it seems they have given up on the ex player experiment just like Chelsea did.

  34. Chelsea did it, Man Utd are doing it but we’ll continue with Arteta because a lot fans see progress so I doubt we’ll follow those teams.

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