Rarely has the true value of world-class attacking, defending and goalkeeping been on clearer display than it was Monday at the Emirates Stadium.
Liverpool and Arsenal played to an action-packed goal-less draw at the Emirates Stadium. The teams will be slightly disappointed by their respective failures to win the contest, but they also must be content with the outcome given the number of both opportunities missed and unpunished mistakes. Each side claims a point from the game, but neither played with enough sharpness or conviction to overcome their opponent or suggest they’ll be crashing the gates of the Premier League elite in the near future.
That’s probably why Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech and his Liverpool counterpart Simon Mignolet were the stand-out players of the game. Both denied the opponent’s best scoring chances and covered up their teammates’ errors every time duty called. Cech was unbeatable when Liverpool had Arsenal on the ropes early on. Mignolet was Cech’s equal when Arsenal improved and seized control of proceedings.
Liverpool over-delivered on its pregame promise of a solid game plan to contain Arsenal. The Reds put Arsenal’s makeshift defensive unit under immediate pressure and would have taken the early lead if Philippe Coutinho’s third-minute shot tucked underneath the top corner instead of crashing against it.
Arsenal replied five minutes later with a goal through Aaron Ramsey, but the referee’s assistant ruled the Gunners’ midfielder offside. Replays showed the official made the wrong call.
Liverpool continued to stifle Arsenal and create the best chances in the first half. Liverpool’s defense smothered Alexis Sanchez, giving him no time and space to influence the game in a major way. Meanwhile, Cech denied Benteke, Milner and Roberto Firmino and Coutinho early, late and often in the half.
Liverpool had the advantage at the interval but failed to find the breakthrough. Sharper finishing might have given the Reds the lead their positive and aggressive approach in the first half warranted. Arsenal is lucky Liverpool didn’t punish its sloppy play at the back with one or more goals.
Arsenal was on the front foot in the second half, as Liverpool’s swarming, first-half pressure gave way to a deeper-lying and more physical approach. Liverpool’s strategy looked increasingly dangerous over the course of the period. Martin Skrtel’s immense presence on the back line, coupled with sturdy play from his partner Dejan Lovren and fullbacks Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez, limited Arsenal’s scoring chances for around 20 minutes before Mignolet came to the forefront.
Mignolet watched Sanchez hit the post from close range in the 60th minute. The Belgian stopper then channeled his inner Cech in denying Olivier Giroud in the 69th minute and Ramsey on separate occasions within the next 15 minutes.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made a late impact as a substitute, but Mignolet turned away his best, late efforts.
In the end, Arsenal-Liverpool was a game of two halves in which neither manager out-foxed the other and neither team outplayed the other long enough or by a great enough margin to separate itself from the other. Better finishing, tighter defending and one less world-class performance from a goalkeeper might have produced a different outcome.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@premierleague
