Liverpool four-star ends Arsenal’s unbeaten run in emphatic fashion

Liverpool returned to winning ways in emphatic style as they put Arsenal to the sword with a 4-0 win that ended the Gunners’ 10-match unbeaten streak.

Having seen their unbeaten start to the season end at West Ham before the international break, Jurgen Klopp’s side responded in style by crushing their opponents, who have come to leapfrog their hosts into the top four.

But for all of Arsenal’s recent improvement, Liverpool’s quality shone as they returned to second, four points behind Chelsea, after a 15th straight game in which they scored more than twice – the longest record by a top-flight English club. since Wolves 16 in 1939.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who is remembered here for his time as an Everton player, recognized the dangers of electrifying Anfield as the clash with Klopp ignited the atmosphere and energized the home side.

It was that incident that set the game on fire as Liverpool’s players used a burst of emotion to suppress their territorial advantage with goals from Sadio Mane, first-half, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and substitute Takumi Minamino – with his first touch.

Arteta appears to have done his homework and his team started compact and organized but looked to attack their hosts on the counter-attack.

Nevertheless, he still has to rely on Aaron Ramsdale to continue his good form and if it weren’t for the England international, Arsenal would have left with far worse results than they did.

After parrying a volley from Thiago Alcantara, in addition to having Jordan Henderson only deemed fit enough for the bench after an injury while on England duty, Mane got a follow-up caught under his body, allowing the goalkeeper to save.

Then in the first half Ramsdale was also able to thwart Salah from close range and Trent Alexander-Arnold from distance.

But before that there was a turning point in the first half, and it didn’t happen on the pitch.

Mane made a header with Takehiro Tomiyasu but, for some reason that seemed invisible to the majority of the audience, Arteta was furious.

Klopp offered words of disapproval, causing his opponent’s number to fly out of hand which caused the two managers to be separated by their respective coaching staff and subsequently booked by referee Michael Oliver.

It increased the noise at Anfield and when Fabinho’s lone defender made a final but timely tackle to thwart Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s defense – previously marked for offside when Alexandre Lacazette fired his square pass into the empty Kop net – when he threatened to run through goal. the roar was deep.

That was only matched by Mane’s welcome goal when he headed in an Alexander-Arnold free-kick that was left unmarked in the six-yard area.

Mane was then shown a yellow card for hacking Ben White as the ball went out of play as things were still hot.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was desperate to impress against his old side and when the influential Fabinho intercepted Bukayo Saka’s pass, the former Gunners midfielder fired wide of the post.

But seven minutes into the second half, Liverpool doubled their lead when Arteta’s push from behind did not match Klopp’s pressing play.

After winning the ball from Alexander-Arnold, Nuno Tavares cut inside but blindly passed a direct pass to Jota who couldn’t believe his luck, showing real composure to avoid Ramsdale and score into an empty net.

Arsenal were being pinned back in their own half with the idea of ​​a counter-attack only a second thought as Liverpool went in for the kill, Ramsdale denying Mane and Jota twice.

The Arsenal keeper could do nothing about the third 17 minutes from time when Mane burst down the left to set up Salah for his 16th goal of the season, before Minamino scored his first Anfield goal just 48 seconds after replacing Jota.