Liverpool were fantastic; Arsenal fantastical, an embarrassing shambles; a pale, grotesque shadow of the side they should be. They were swept aside by Liverpool’s attacking power and pace but added to their downfall with their own lack of organisation and determination. Once behind, it was over.
A Liverpool win, given the recent history of this fixture, was predictable enough and the manner of it was also wholly familiar. They were too quick and aggressive and incisive for Arsenal to cope and therefore laid down their own marker as to what this season could hold. On this evidence there is only one side who could possibly be considered as potential title – or even top four – contenders. “We’re going to win the league,” sarcastically sang the Arsenal fans followed by “we are staying up”. It was that painful.
First-half goals by Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane ended it. A third from Mohamed Salah meant Liverpool turbo-charged front three all scored and there could have been double that for them while substitute Daniel Sturridge – being kept out of the side by that trio - added another.
It quickly became a case of Petr Cech against Liverpool and the goalkeeper, with so little protection, could not hold out. He produced one world-class save before Liverpool scored as he scrambled across goal to block Salah’s point blank shot after the winger met Emre Can’s inviting cross but it was a turkey shoot.
Goals came. On 17 minutes there was no pressure on the ball from Arsenal as Can found Joe Gomez, who had stayed onside, out on the right and he delivered his cross into the Arsenal six-yard area and between Rob Holding and Laurent Koscielny for Firmino to run through and steer his header past Cech who got fingers to it but could not keep it out. That was poor defending.
Then there was an even more damning indictment just before half-time as Arsenal lost the ball in the Liverpool penalty area. Pass, pass, pass, pass and then goal. The final pass came from Firmino who sent the ball out wide to Mane who easily cut across Holding – why did he show him inside? - and curled a superb right-footed shot into the far corner. It was his seventh goal in his last eight league matches and yet another against Arsenal.
Pre-match and the talk had been of team selection with Jurgen Klopp leaving goalkeeper Simon Mignolet out of his squad and Arsene Wenger, somehow, omitting both of his big summer signings from his starting XI – there was no Alexandre Lacazette nor Sead Kolasinac. So a team that finished fifth started without the players brought in to strength them? There was Alexis Sanchez, and he cut a forlorn figure as Liverpool continued to cut through Arsenal. Eventually he was subbed, looking even more forlorn.
Firmino slid the ball through to Jordan Henderson with Cech deciding he could not get there first. Henderson, who had started the move by stealing possession – inevitably from Mesut Ozil as he dawdled – then dinked the ball over Cech and past the far post. Cech was again called into action as Salah broke and cut back inside before shooting low with the goalkeeper pushing the ball out.
Before Liverpool scored there was a chance for Danny Welbeck but, as is his wont, he slipped while shooting and scooped the ball over the ball while Gomez threw himself to block a snap-shot from Holding from close to the penalty spot.
At half-time Wenger withdrew Aaron Ramsey for the more defensive-minded Francis Coquelin but was already too late for that as Liverpool went close again with Salah breaking down the right and proving far too quick for Nacho Monreal only for Cech to, once more, block. The rebound fell to Henderson who wanted it far more than Granit Xhaka – another indictment - but he fired over.
The Arsenal shambles continued. They had a corner, which was cleared, with Hector Bellerin the last Arsenal defender who inexplicably then waved a leg at it. Salah charged the ball and was away. Even from inside his own half there was no way he would be caught and he eased up to steady himself and then shoot low past Cech. It summed it up.
Roberto Firmino nods Liverpool in front
Finally on came Olivier Giroud and Lacazette for Arsenal and they combined for the latter to drag his shot wide but then Liverpool went close once more as Mane ran clear from Salah’s flick. Cech blocked his shot but the ball ran past him with Bellerin then diving to scramble it off the goal-line.
The fourth goal came. Again Arsenal were over-turned as they attacked and again there was no pressure – none whatsoever – on the ball as Can fed Salah who had time, space, and more time to weigh up a cross which he then sent arcing into the area for Sturridge to cushion a close-range header past the forlorn and forsaken Cech.
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