ClapThe expectations were high heading into Liverpool’s clash against Arsenal on Monday night, and when it was all said and done, you could argue that the game lived up to the hype in more ways than one.
Things got off to a lightning start when it seemed as if Sadio Mane should’ve been sent off just minutes into the game for seemingly striking Kieran Tierney with an elbow or forearm to the face. Alas, things went on, and Arsenal eventually received some kind of retribution as Alexandre Lacazette pounced on a Robertson mistake to give the Gunners a 1-0 lead.
Unfortunately for the visitors that didn’t last all too long as Mane himself grabbed a quick equaliser before Robertson scored to set Liverpool on the path to glory.
The game was finished off with two minutes remaining in normal time by Diogo Jota who scored on his Anfield debut, but it all could’ve been so different had Lacazette taken a golden opportunity to make it 2-2 when he went through on goal, only to be denied by Alisson.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was understandably very pleased with the Reds’ 3-1 triumph.
“I’m completely happy with our performance. We played good football, we were flexible, we mixed it up.
“I’m really pleased for Diogo Jota. Top, top guy. It’s so difficult to improve a team like ours. He’s been on my list for two or three years, he’s here now.”
On joining Leicester and Everton on nine points, he added: “[Everton manager] Carlo Ancelotti did super business. I’m not at all surprised. Leicester is Leicester. They play some good football. Who cares in this moment who is up there? It’s just the start.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, on the flip side, wasn’t quite as upset as some may have expected.
“We were in it for a big part of the game. The reality is they are superior to us in many aspects. You could see that in some phases.
“I’m really happy in the way the team competed and kept believing. This is the standard we have to reach. We are on a different journey. They’ve been together five years, we’ve had a few months. We have a long way to go in many things.”
Arsenal fans may choose to be a bit down in the dumps about this but in all honesty, they should realize that they’re starting to take steps in the right direction – which has been a long time coming.
Klopp, though, will be flying high, especially after Manchester City fell to a thoroughly disappointing 5-2 loss against Leicester City over the weekend.
The Premier League looks set to be as unpredictable as it’s ever been and even if the exception to that is Liverpool running away with the title again, there’s still a lot to get excited about around the rest of the top flight.
Everyone wants to try and stop the rise of the Reds, and that should make for some entertaining games between now and the end of the season.
