Momentum is an essential component for any team pursuing a championship and Liverpool are now overflowing. Manchester City did not have it and therefore, after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions will be worried that they are about to finish second in what appeared to be a long time ago, as a one-horse race.
The goals in the second half from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino in the Emirates secured Liverpool’s ninth straight league victory and they moved just one point behind the leading city they face in the Etihad on April 10. Over their last nine games, City have dropped seven points and, as a consequence, they have opened the door for Liverpool to win the title for the second time in three seasons.
– Premier League Stand
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN + (US only)
– Does not have ESPN? Get instant access
“We obviously have a good period,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “It’s what we need. We are one point [behind Man City], but it’s still the same. We have to win football matches. We are then against City, then all the others.
The city did not play badly. Their 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on 19 February was their first league loss since October, but City and Liverpool have been so close in the last four years that every drop point is important. Monday’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace was an unexpected blow from City, but Liverpool still had to beat Arsenal to take advantage of it.
Against Mikel Arteta’s resurgent team at the Emirates was without a doubt a tougher challenge for Klopp’s players, with the Gunners climbing fourth on the back of five straight league victories and unbeaten run in the Premier League back to January 1st. . Adventure in the first half there was always a feeling that Liverpool’s team was more likely to step up a gear or two after the break and so it proved.
Had it not been for one of the home defenders, Martin Odegaard would have put Martin Odegaard up another goal 51 minutes into the match with his audacious lob from the right wing. van Dijk and he proved it with that. decisive intervention, the team in their 18 Champions League matches on the 12th Within four minutes after Alisson climbed to the challenge, Klopp was on his side as Jota ran on Thiago Alcantara’s pass before goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with a left foot on the near post for his seventh goal against Arsenal and seven games for Liverpool.
It was Jota’s last touch of the game, with Firmino replacing the Portugal striker before restart, and it turned out to be a key change for Klopp with Brazilian International making it 2-0 seven minutes later. The goal was scored by Andy Robertson, who fired Bukayo Saka on the left side before breaking the wing and pulling Firmino back to fly past Ramsdale. At 2-0 it was over – Liverpool were firmly in control and Arsenal’s recent recovery was over.
But even if Arsenal ultimately did what they would rather do against the big teams – lose – the result should not be seen as proof that the Arteta team has the same old flaws. And yes, they have taken just three points out of a possible 21 against the so-called Big Six this season. The reality of this Arsenal team is that it now has an identity and a clear path ahead of it. They are a young side and lack the nose of a team as demanding as Liverpool, but in Saka, Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe, they have bright stars who only get better.
Ramsdale was guilty of the first goal against Liverpool and should have done better with the second, yet he has made Arsenal better since replacing Bernd Leno earlier this season, while Ben White became a reliable midfielder in midfield. Half was. There is no doubt that Arsenal are miles behind Liverpool, but their race is all about finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League. If that happens, they will then have a platform to set up to compete with Liverpool and City in the coming years.
“I do not think the result reflects performance, but in the box, they had the decisive moments,” Arteta said. “They put the ball in the net twice.”[The top two] have set different standards again this season. To tackle that, I have to congratulate the team, but we are here to win football matches and today we did not do it. “
Tottenham, Manchester United and West Ham United are Arsenal’s rivals for the fourth and the Gunners were more consistent than any of them, so they did not allow their confidence to be damaged by losing to a Liverpool team that just which is the best in the world. Moment in time. Liverpool look unstoppable, and they could still make the quarter, and City know that too.
They took the foot off the pedal, possibly because it was all too easy for them, but City are now back in a title race because Liverpool have the Big Mo and it could now lead them to historic success. They have won their last nine league games – if they win their next nine, Liverpool will be champions.
Add Comment