Gary Neville was left confused by some of Arsenal’s choices in possession as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield.
In a cagey encounter between the two Premier League title favourites, both sides struggled to create chances in open play.
And ultimately, it came down to a slice of brilliance from a set-piece, with Dominic Szoboszlai’s thunderous free-kick securing a hard-fought win for Arne Slot’s side.
Despite being early in the season, Arsenal have already been affected by injuries and were without Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz in the matchday squad, while Martin Odegaard was only fit enough for the bench.
And that lack of cutting-edge at the top of the pitch showed for the Gunners who were only able to muster one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.
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Neville, however, was flummoxed by Arsenal’s tactics on the ball and insisted their constant desire to play backwards was only inhibiting them from creating going forward.
‘Passing back has become a disease in the game,’ Neville said during his commentary for Sky Sports.
Metro at the Match: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal
Metro at the Match returns to bring you all the analysis from the biggest games of the season.
Here’s were our team’s key takeways from Liverpool’s dramatic 1-0 win over Arsenal…
- Arsenal’s pursuit of Piero Hincapie looks especially timely after William Saliba was forced off after just five minutes. Cristhian Mosquera deputised well in the Frenchman’s absence, but Mikel Arteta must be pleased to have another reinforcement on the way – Ben Fleming, sports reporter
- One position Arsenal are still lacking in quality is the left wing. Gabriel Martinelli doesn’t quite know when to release the ball and was kept quiet by Dominic Szobozlai all game. If Martinelli can’t do it against someone who isn’t a proper right-back, who can he do it against? – Charlie Barclay, sports video journalist
- Sunday proved to be yet another quiet afternoon for Liverpool’s record signing, Florian Wirtz. The German is still yet to get to grips with Arne Slot’s system and has left the Reds’ midfield looking unbalanced as a consequence – Ben Fleming, sports reporter
- The potential signing of Marc Guehi appears to have finally jolted Ibrahima Konate into action. The French centre-back delivered his most assured performance of the season so far and dealt with the threat of Viktor Gyokeres with ease – Ben Fleming, sports reporter
- Arsenal found it difficult to create much yet again, constantly passing it backwards to David Raya, who was then forced to kick it long. Noni Madueke was the only outfield player who was bright on the day, but was dealt with impressively by Milos Kerkez – Charlie Barclay, sports video journalist
‘Honestly, if Declan Rice or any of them had it 50-60 yards up the pitch they wouldn’t pass it into Gyokeres’ feet at the edge of the box, but they’ll do it in their own box. It’s incredible! It’s like they’re programmed.’
Arteta, meanwhile, was also left lamenting his side’s lack of a clinical edge inside the Liverpool final third.
‘I am very disappointed with the result. I’m very proud of my players. Both (sets of) players had to dig in to a level where there was nothing between the two,’ he told Sky Sports post-match.
‘It was going to be decided by an individual error or a moment of magic.
‘You cannot dominate here for 90 minutes, it is impossible. At the end of the game, I said we have to find a way to win these big matches.
‘You have to put the ball in the back of the net when you have it. We were much better than last year, much better. We have to put the ball in the back of the net if you want to win the game.’
And Jamie Carragher agreed with the Spaniard’s assessment, insisting that the Gunners have done little to arrest their alarming lack of creativity against the big teams.
‘Arsenal’s problem is creating. That was the problem for them last season: they don’t create enough,’ Carragher told Sky Sports.
‘You can look at the numbers; it’s all there in black and white. From last season, Arsenal needed to shift slightly, become a bit more proactive with the ball.
‘Okay, you bring in Zubimendi, and you bring in Eze and Gyokeres up front. It’s only three games, but in the two away games we’ve seen Arsenal in this season, nothing has changed.
‘Heavily reliant on set pieces, don’t create anything in open play and the best team in Europe for me, defensively.’
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