Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool: Player ratings as Reds beat Gunners in Philly

Arsenal wrapped up their US tour with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Premier League rivals Liverpool in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening.

Arsenal entered the contest off the back of a 2-1 victory over Manchester United, while Liverpool overcame Real Betis 1-0 in their first friendly of the summer.

It seemed as if the Gunners would take full advantage of a fairly young Reds backline in Philadelphia, with their fierce press causing particular problems early on. Arne Slot's side did swiftly settle into proceedings, and there was a slick tempo to Wednesday night's game with both teams having joy after forging moments in transition via efficient build-up sequences.

An up-back-and-through pattern saw Mohamed Salah race through to give Liverpool the lead, and Arsenal came close to quickly restoring parity when Gabriel Martinelli broke in behind down the left.

After Diogo Jota smashed the post, the Reds doubled their advantage through Fabio Carvalho, who crashed home on the volley from Harvey Elliott's sublime dink over the top of the Arsenal defence. A Kai Havertz tap-in, however, meant Mikel Arteta's side went into half-time 2-1 down.

The boss would've demanded greater control after the restart and his side certainly did deliver on that front with the Gunners finally enjoying periods of sustained possession. Much of the second half was played in the Liverpool half with the Reds rarely threatening on the counter.

While Arsenal's second half performance was improved as both managers rung the changes, Caoimhin Kelleher was tested just once by Fabio Vieira. The Gunners found it hard to create clear-cut openings in Philadelphia, and they concluded their tour with a defeat.

Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool player ratings

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their pre-season defeat to Liverpool.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Karl Hein (GK) - 5.5/10 - The Estonian was far from pinpoint in possession, but he was at least proactive off his line and keen to ignite attacks sharply.

Ben White (RB) - 5.5/10 - White undoubtedly missed having Bukayo Saka ahead of him as he struggled to combine down the right.

Jakub Kiwior (CB) - 6/10 - Wrapped a couple of passes into receivers between the lines amid a pretty quiet display. Never going to be particularly comfortable in this role.

Gabriel (CB) - 5.5/10 - Not the greatest of outings for Gabriel, who was beaten by Diogo Jota in the build-up to Salah's opener. Defended the box stoutly, as we've come to expect of the Brazilian.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (LB) - 5/10 - You feared the worst every time Salah ran at Zinchenko. The Egyptian enjoyed the battle, running off the Ukrainian to open the scoring. As per, though, Zinchenko did several nice things in possession.

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