Five issues Arne Slot discovered as Liverpool snatch a draw in opposition to Arsenal
Liverpool were outclassed by title rivals Arsenal but clinched a 2-2 draw in the Premier League with a mediocre performance leaving manager Arne Slot frustrated.
The suspension of defender William Salibia and the absence of Martin Odegaard meant the Reds were full of optimism heading into the game.
However, Arsenal came out of the traps quickly and exploited Liverpool’s weakness at the back, with Bukayo Saka turning Andy Robertson before smashing the ball past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to open the scoring.
The Reds responded perfectly just nine minutes later with captain Virgil van Dijk rising high to head home a corner and bring his side level. However, the visitors were caught out just before the break with a swinging delivery from Declan Rice met by Mikel Merino whose bullet header flew into the net.
Slot was forced to make tactical changes after an hour of play and it paid off in the end after a superb ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold allowed Darwin Nunez to square to Mohamed Salah who netted the equaliser.
While Slot and Liverpool will breathe a sigh of relief and take the point, there are many questions to be answered ahead of next week’s clash with Brighton.
Robertson was no match for Saka
Andy Robertson’s battle with Bukayo Saka was always going to be pivotal in this game. Arsenal’s right winger is regarded as one of the best around and Robertson struggled to deal with his energy and quality from the off.
Slot had enough after an hour and decided to bring on Kostas Tsimikas in the hope that Saka could be prevented from causing any further damage.
Liverpool got caught out on set pieces
The Reds’ presence on set pieces usually isn’t something to doubt, but Arsenal caught them napping on a couple of occasions in the first half. After scoring an equaliser with his first goal in the league since February, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk kept Mikel Merino onside allowing him to head home the Gunners’ second.
While it was an extremely tight call the swinging free-kick from Declan Rice was identical to one Liverpool were almost caught out with moments earlier.
Energy is needed in midfield
Liverpool were outplayed by Arsenal in midfield during the first half. They struggled to deal with Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz dropping deep and quickly became outnumbered. Mac Allister also struggled to make an impact due to being overrun and was partly to blame for Arsneal’s joy down the left-hand side.
He was eventually brought off after an hour for Dominik Szoboszlai, with a tactical change seeing Curtis Jones drop deep alongside Ryan Gravenberch in the hope of solving the key issue.
Nunez finally stepped up
There has been a lot of criticism of Darwin Nunez since he arrived at Anfield back in 2022 with the Uruguayan scoring just 21 goals in three seasons at the club.
But today he proved that he is capable of stepping up when it matters. Salah will get the plaudits for scoring the equaliser but the pass from Nunez set the Egyptian up perfectly.
The 25-year-old still needs to hit the back of the net more himself, but he’s starting to show clear signs of improvement.
Jones couldn’t produce a repeat performance
Curtis Jones was the standout player for Liverpool in their impressive victory over Chelsea last weekend. He was a constant threat going forward and as a result, earned his starting place today ahead of Szoboszlai. However, Arsenal’s dominance in midfield meant that there was no chance for him to get going in the first half.
Slot favoured dropping him deeper to combat Liverpool’s struggles on the left-hand side in the first half and it paid off as Liverpool held on and scored the equaliser.
