3 positives & negatives from Arsenal's emphatic 3-1 win over Liverpool

Arsenal put a dent in Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour as they beat Liverpool 3-1 to move within two points of the league leaders.

Arsenal put on a show in the first half of the game and looked to be in cruise control for large periods of the half.

The Gunners were rewarded for their efforts in the 14th minute as Bukayo Saka fired the team ahead after latching onto a loose ball after Alisson saved a tame effort from Kai Havertz.

They continued to dominate after taking the lead but, despite having ample opportunities to do so, failed to extend their lead which led to some nervy moments in the game.

They were made to pay for their wastefulness in cruel circumstances after a defensive error deep into first-half injury time led to a Gabriel Magalhaes own goal, offering the visitors a lifeline in the game.

Despite starting the second half as second best, Arsenal quickly retook control of proceedings and began to enjoy dominance once more, which culminated in the Gunners retaking the lead in the 67th minute after an arguably more calamitous defensive mishap than we saw earlier in the game.

From here, Liverpool looked dangerous on the counter but it was Arsenal who controlled the game, and a late sending-off for Ibrahima Konate enabled Arsenal to see out the game, and they even doubled their lead after a sublime finish from Leandro Trossard in the 92nd minute.

3 positives & negatives from Arsenal's emphatic 3-1 win overLiverpool

We learnt an abundance from the game and, after such a significant victory, here are the positives and negatives from the game, which could well define our season.

Positive #1: Martinelli looks to be at his best again

Having been used as a substitute in the two games prior to our 2-1 win away to Nottingham Forest, Gabriel Martinelli is now looking back at his creative best, which is no doubt a very welcome sight among fans.

Against the league leaders, Martinelli not only scored, after capitalising on a defensive mishap between Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson, but his general creativity was simply exemplary.

The Brazilian boasted an 84% passing accuracy, but it was his beating of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Konate that really caught the eye, which saw him create one key chance while winning 75% of his ground duels too.

The 22-year-old is such an important player for the Gunners and having him back at the top level could prove to be hugely important for the remainder of Arsenal's season.

Negative #1: Raya's mistake

I do not want to dwell on negatives after such an amazing result, but I have to pick three and it would be impossible to see past David Raya's mistake for Liverpool's equaliser on the stroke of halftime.

An unfortunate case of miscommunication between the Spanish shot-stopper and William Saliba saw Raya fail to claim the ball as the defender fended off pressure from Luis Diaz, who eventually found the ball and sent it towards Gabriel, whom it deflected in off to level the score.

Although it may seem insignificant given the final score, the indecision shown by Raya, on another day, could have cost us dearly, and it was an awful goal to give away completely against the run of play.

At a time when the fanbase remains largely divided over who should start in goal for the Gunners, it is a mistake that the 28-year-old will hope can be quickly forgotten about.

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