Liverpool’s attack triumvirate piled on the misery for Arsenal on Sunday as the Reds trounced the Gunners 4-0 at Anfield on Sunday to rise to second in the Premier League table.
Reeling from their 1-0 loss at Stoke last weekend, the Gunners were in desperate need of a win but their 3-4-3 formation was exposed from the off by a pacy Liverpool attack that tore their defence to shreds.
Rob Holding, dropped for the Stoke game, came back into the starting XI as did Laurent Koscielny and Alexis Sanchez but the returning trio were as ineffective as the rest of their teammates.
Perplexingly, Arsenal’s club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette was dropped as was Sead Kolasinac and one feared for the visitors before kick-off itself.
Liverpool made some noteworthy changes as well, with Jurgen Klopp dropping Simon Mignolet from the match-day squad altogether in favour of Loris Karius. Joe Gomez started after Andy Robertson was given leave to attend to the birth of his child and the 20-year-old vindicated his manager’s faith in him by proving an excellent assist for Roberto Firmino’s opener.
The Brazilian’s glancing header got the Red going in the 17th minute and Sadio Mane doubled their lead with a fine curling strike from a fast break five minutes before half-time.
Petr Cech was the sole Arsenal player who left Anfield with his head held high, for had it not been for the veteran shot-stopper, Liverpool could have easily doubled the margin of their victory.
Mohamed Salah in particular was frustrated by the Gunners custodian multiple times but eventually got the goal he deserved three minutes before the hour-mark. Last-man Hector Bellerin was sloppy in possession and as the Egyptian winger raced ahead, only one outcome looked likely.
Loris Karius barring a few close-shaves of his own doings, was a virtual spectator and when Daniel Sturridge came on and scored from the bench late in the second-half, the visiting Arsenal fans had had enough and got up to leave.
Lacazette and his compatriot Olivier Giroud were brought on by Wenger but it was too little too late for the Gunners looked like they were desperate for the full-time whistle to be sounded,
Usually Liverpool-Arsenal games are high-scoring encounters but such one-sided outcomes are rare indeed and going into the international break, there are plenty of issues Arsene Wenger will have to address.
Has Alexis Sanchez played his last game for the club, as there is still time for the Chilean to depart?
And will the Arsenal fans calling for Wenger’s head finally get their way, for on current form, the Gunners will do well to even make the top-six, let alone contend for titles or the Champions League Spots.
Along with Manchester United, Liverpool have emerged as one of the most impressive teams in the early weeks of the Premier League and while it is all sunny at Anfield, the mood is much, much gloomier in the capital.