It was always going to be a tough ask for Arsenal to win up at Anfield against Liverpool.
That said, the Gunners headed to Merseyside in great form and, with the Reds having had their unbeaten run punctured by West Ham, they were, perhaps, there for the taking had the north Londoners scored an early goal.
Once Jurgen Klopp’s side got their noses in front, however, there was only ever going to be one winner.
Despite being up against it for long periods, Mikel Arteta’s side acquitted themselves well for the most part.
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Four goals was probably a little harsh on the Gunners in truth, though was a reward for Liverpool’s intensity and industry.
Defeat at Anfield.
? 4-0 ? (FT) #LIVARS
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 20, 2021
Aside from Nuno Tavares’ incredible mistake, there was still enough for Arteta to be pleased about, and at no point did Arsenal throw in the towel.
It’s that type of character that kept the supporters onside in the aftermath, as they took to social media but refused to criticise the manager.
This game won’t define our season. 4th is still possible. Lots to take away from this game. Onwards and upwards
— P™ (@SemperFiArsenal) November 20, 2021
We’ll learn from this, definitely. No shame in losing at Anfield.
— Just_Quade (@KwaziweS) November 20, 2021
Let’s not get carried away. Liverpool are the benchmark we should be aiming for. A couple of mistakes and bad individual performances tonight but with a young squad like ours mistakes are going to happen now and again, just gotta learn from them and go again! #COYG
— Chandler Pickup (@ChandlerGeorge6) November 20, 2021
We might have lost tonight but this @Arsenal side is still a young side that is learning and building I trust Mikel Arteta and the process of the arsenal.
What’s important we come back stronger in our next match, no matter what happens I’m arsenal till I die.
— Jake Coare (@JakeCoare14) November 20, 2021
Proud we never sat back and cried about it, 4 goals just comes down to lack of experience honestly, not too upset
— selbs ?? (@myselbsisonfire) November 20, 2021
Yes i definitely agree, lack of experience from our naïve and inexperienced coach.
He has a deficiency in assessing players capabilities, so he froze Saliba, Martinelli as well as Guendouzi and keep his faith in Aubameyang and Lacazette who cannot score and i bet are not able to find their partner on an empty turf.
By now, Saliba, Martinelli, Balogun should all have been ready for this Arsenal team. I have observed since a couple of weeks that Saka does not run with the ball anymore like he used, and has lost his directness. Arteta seems to be a very, very poor coach.
One thing I learned from the defeat is that Arsenal players in their last third take too many wrong decisions when trying to score goals with every player trying to shoot even when not ideally placed to do so. Look at their 3rd and 4th goals and particularly the 4th: Mane would have tried to shoot when he collected the pass but instead, he looked for Salah who looked for Trente who then crossed to Minamino who was bestter-placed to score.