3 positives & negatives from Arsenal's 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool

Positive #2: Creativity in abundance

While it would be easy to not look past our missed chances in the game, we were only in a position to miss these chances because of the excellent creativity to get us in these promising situations in the first place.

Captain Odegaard was at his creative best in the game, having played four key passes that felt more than worthy of an assist, while Havertz also created a number of good chances - though as previously mentioned his end product left a lot to be desired.

While there are several areas in which we can rightly criticise Arteta after this game, tactics cannot be one of them. Our xG from the game, as well as general play, clearly show that he coached a winning performance, but was let down by the finishing of our attackers - and not for the first time this season.

While we can be rightly frustrated, the overall creativity on display in the game shows that there is plenty of potential for a great season still for the club.

Negative #2: Defending set pieces continues to be problematic

Arsenal have enjoyed their fair share of success from attacking set pieces this season, but defending them has been a persistent problem for the team - and has cost us many goals.

Once again, it was a set piece that started our downfall against Liverpool and another indicator that this is an area that we need to improve on very quickly as we look to mark improvements across the board.

Ultimately, in my opinion, the issue is largely a combination of indecision and a lack of confidence - though it would be wrong to acknowledge that, at times, genuine misfortune has been the cause of some of the set pieces that we have conceded.

Continued on the next slide...