Arsenal Vs Liverpool: The good, the bad, the ugly

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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 15: Sadio Mane of Liverpool scores his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Emirates Stadium on July 15, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Glyn Kirk/Pool via Getty Images) /

The Bad: Another cheap goal conceded

Andrew Robertson, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane effectively combined to give Liverpool the lead, but question marks can be asked of several Arsenal players.

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Emiliano Martinez played an uncharacteristically poor ball out from the back. Cedric Soares carelessly ran towards a high ball that he was never going to win, leaving loads of space behind him. This drew Rob Holding and David Luiz out of position to try and close down Firmino. Their advanced positions opened up space in behind for Robertson and Mane to fly into.

And then there was the role of Granit Xhaka, who was perhaps the most at-fault. He completely failed to track the run of Mane, who sauntered to the edge of the penalty area and converted Robertson’s pull-back. For a defensive midfielder who should have a sense of danger, it was yet another illustration of his lack of instincts in and around his own penalty area.

So although it was certainly a result for the Gunners, there was still a lot of room for improvement at the back. They will not be so fortunate again.

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