It only took approximately 30 hours for the new Premier League season to serve up its first classic. A seven-goal thriller that ranks up with the very finest these two clubs have contested in the competition. The narrative seemed a little too familiar, for Arsenal fans at least. Good football was played, but it’s ultimately insufficient when defenders decide to leave generous portions of the pitch unoccupied when playing against a team who loves to counter attack.
As it were, that’s exactly what Liverpool did. Theo Walcott missed a penalty, then scored a minute later, but from that point Arsenal succumbed to Liverpool’s aggressive and fleet-footed style of attacking. Philippe Coutinho – outstanding on the day – produced a wonderful free-kick, before the visitors blew away their hosts in a second-half blitz, with strikes from Adam Lallana, Coutinho again and Sadio Mane – on his debut – to leave Arsenal on the ropes, bruised and battered, walking off to a chorus of boos.
Admirably, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Calum Chambers both scored to feign a comeback, but this was an opening day to forget for those associated with the North London club.
Up to that whirlwind two minutes when Moreno suffered a critical system failure, the game had been dull. Fortunately, for the neutral, it exploded into life on the half-hour mark when Liverpool’s rash left-back scythed down Walcott. Michael Oliver decided garbage tackle (Gary Neville’s words, not mine) had taken place just inside the penalty area and pointed to the spot. Walcott stepped up, but saw his effort comfortably palmed away by Mignolet.
Then, in an extraordinary incident, Walcott was left completely unmarked as Arsenal poured forward once again. Iwobi found the winger with an angled pass and, with Moreno chasing back desperately, Walcott expertly guided the ball just inside of the far post for an immediate sense of absolution – the exact antithesis of how Moreno was feeling as he watched the winger wheel away in celebration.
Liverpool were not at their best, but going into the break trailing would have been difficult to swallow for Jurgen Klopp, with Arsenal not exactly firing on all cylinders. Luckily, they didn’t, Coutinho producing an utterly magnificent free-kick from 30 yards, beautifully curled into the top-corner for the finest goal of the Premier League opening weekend, a sublimely crafted strike that had Cech – one of the finest goalkeepers these shores have ever seen – scrambling in vain.
Then, just as the Emirates began to re-fill after half-time, the home supporters were left stunned by what transpired in the next ten minutes. Klopp’s Reds sliced the makeshift Arsenal defence of Holding and Chambers not once, but twice. Firstly, Coutinho prised them open with a beautiful pass to Wijnaldum, who then picked out Lallana for a sumptuous finish, fired below Cech.
Wenger turned thoroughly fretful on the touchline, which then descended into a kind of deep, soulless despair as he watched Coutinho wheel away in celebration once more, gloriously converting Clyne’s cannoned cross for an excellent third and smiling gleefully as the Arsenal players fell to their knees.
The individual brilliance was certainly not done there. With the Gunners wilting, Mane bombed down the right, bouncing off challenges, before cutting inside and driving a wonderful left-footed effort high into the net. A beautiful goal on his debut, celebrated with more than a hint of disbelief on the face of Klopp.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wasn’t prepared to partake in this capitulation however, replacing Iwobi and pulling one back with his first major involvement in the match. Mimicking the agility and guile of Mane, the Arsenal winger skipping through two challenges before beating Mignolet at his near post via a deflection.
Just like that, Arsenal were lifted – and hope turned to genuine encouragement when Chambers glanced a fine header in after Cazorla’s perfectly delivered free-kick. Arsenal had tried their hardest to crumble in front of our very eyes, but their resilience to fight back made this bewitching viewing. Similarly, Liverpool are going to be fun to watch this season.
-90min