Winners and Losers: Liverpool (h)

On Wednesday night, Arsenal hosted Liverpool at the Emirates in a titanic clash that overshadowed the day’s Champions League fixtures. The home side, although underdogs, were arguably the better team in the first half. Unfortunately, the elite talent and experience of Jurgen Klopp’s men won out in the end and they finished as victors. Below are the Winners and Losers from the 2-0 midweek loss.

Winners

Gabriel Martinelli

Far and away the most dangerous player on the pitch in an Arsenal shirt. Time and time again, Martinelli got the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold, putting the English right-back on skates on a regular basis. The Brazilian terrorized the right side of Liverpool’s defense, often requiring Jordan Henderson to drop in and help. But even then, Martinelli was unfazed and engineered several terrifying moments for the Premier League and Champions League contenders. The match was yet another announcement to the world that Martinelli’s ceiling might be in the clouds.

Thomas Partey

Deep in the fray against a team that has reached the greatest heights through gegenpressing, Partey cut a cool figure. He helped keep Liverpool’s devastating attack in check for much of the game, finishing with 100% tackle success rate, two interceptions, nine ground duels won, and ten ball recoveries. In possession, he was wonderfully press-resistant. Liverpool was constantly kept on their toes by his disguised and varied distributions, as well as his ability to turn away from pressure and drive forward. The Rolls-Royce midfielder demonstrated his class on the night.

The process

It was not too long ago that the best teams in the league could roll into the Emirates and leave with all three points without ever getting out of first gear. This year, however, the top two English teams at the very least had to work for their wins, and arguably were outperformed by Arsenal at the Emirates. You couldn’t be blamed for thinking about either match that the Gunners would have come away with the victory on a different day. That in itself shows the progress of this team; in the space of two and a half years, Arsenal have gone from being fodder for even lower midtable sides to convincingly going toe-to-toe with two of the best teams in Europe. Even though the night ended with a loss, the future still feels blindingly bright.

Losers

Aaron Ramsdale

It is easy to forget at times because of his magnificent performances this season that Ramsdale is only 23 years old, very young for a starting keeper in the top flight. He is nowhere near his prime, and there are still things in his game he needs to work on. That showed when Diogo Jota beat him at his near post for Liverpool’s first goal. He didn’t cover himself in glory for the second, either. But he also came inches away from putting Martinelli in on goal with some of his long balls. Ramsdale is still a terrific keeper who unlocks a lot of Arsenal’s attacking potential, but between the sticks, he just needs to settle down a bit.

Bukayo Saka

The title of Arsenal’s current best player is between Saka and Martin Odegaard these days. Unfortunately, Saka was unable to play to that level against Liverpool. Andy Robertson consistently kept him from cutting in and causing damage on his own, and his passing in the final third was unusually lacking on the day. Additionally, he was largely at fault for Liverpool’s second goal, as his loss of possession while Cedric made a run on the counter led to the Reds attacking unimpeded down his flank. But Saka has proven that he is one of the best young talents in Europe, and one quiet match does not undo that.

Alexandre Lacazette

Lacazette has played admirably of late. He has worked his backside off for the team, been an emotional leader on and off the pitch, and contributed with assists while the goals have run dry. But there were moments during the contest against Liverpool when his deficiencies were painfully clear. Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip weren’t troubled much physically by the Frenchman. At one point in the match, Tierney played a phenomenal switch ball to him, but he did not have the pace or strength to beat Robertson to the pass, which would have put him in on goal. But the most frustrating moment came when Martinelli quickly took a free kick just outside the box and played to put Lacazette one-on-one with Alisson. But Lacazette couldn’t get his feet set to control the ball and shoot, and the opportunity dissolved swiftly. For all of the strengths of Arsenal’s current No. 9, it is clear that they won’t reach the next level without a better striker.

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