If Only
[Liverpool 1 – 1 Arsenal].
Misses like the one from Trent Alexander-Arnold today are the kind that make and break a season. The Gunners stealing this undeserved point at Anfield was even more painful than the one United snatched last week. Arsenal is by far the better team, of course, but unlike last week, Liverpool made the right chances happen at the right time.
A five-on-one break in the 80th minute of a tense affair like this one is how you break a resolute opposition.
All Trent had to do was pass it in either corner, in front of the Kop no less. It’s almost like Klopp predicted this with his complaint about the crowd earlier in the week. The real Kop, in this line of thinking, would have sucked the ball in.
In the end, somehow, the Reds managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory.
Manchester City won’t mind, of course, as they are the true beneficiaries of this weekend.
The opening goal was one of those that would never happen 15-20 minutes into a game. The ball from Odegaard was weak and fairly predictable, and Van Dijk should have covered it, but it was very early on when players are still coming into their groove, and no one expected it to come in quite this way.
Salah’s retort, on the other hand, was a masterpiece, another showcase of his long-standing partnership with Trent. The record-breaking assist as a defensive playmaker was ridiculous, as many of Trent’s so often are, and Salah’s finish was brilliantly composed, as they, too, so often are. Can you imagine if Trent then scored the winner off a Salah assist?
The headlines would have written themselves.
There was what looked to me like a clear handball by Odegaard in Arsenal’s box before that goal came, at least when you look at the replay, but VAR didn’t think so. Beyond that, the game was very typical of when these two meet each other, with lots of action all over the pitch. Endo again wins my man-of-the-match, because it’s in games like this that a number six is truly tested, and he was. He showed up beautifully, and if he continues in this fashion, he is sure to become a cult hero at Anfield, and not for the first time in his career.
Konate had a pretty good game as well when he was called to action, but made some unforced errors due to carelessness that thankfully went unpunished. Joe Gomez, following a nervy start off a worrisome Tsimikas injury, got very close to scoring his first senior goal, and what a game it would have been for that to happen.
And so Christmas arrives with the Gunners top of the tightest premier league table in a long time at this stage. On one hand, it means anything can happen. On the other, it means Arsenal are indeed the likeliest to win the whole thing. City is also lurking.
And all we’re left is with another big, frustrating if only.
