IT WAS A game both sides could have won but in the end Arsenal and Liverpool were forced to settle for a point apiece.
Liverpool bossed the contest during the first-half but were unable to make their superiority count and then Arsenal enjoyed the majority of the possession in the second but it was a similar story for them.
Here’s five talking points from the Monday Night Football.
The ultimate game of two halves
As far as goalless draws go, that was as good as it gets. From start to finish, both sides went at each other with pace and purpose and although there wasn’t a lot of defensive quality on show, it made for great entertainment.
Firstly it was Arsenal who found themselves on the back foot and at sixes and sevens. The loss of first-choice centre-back pairing Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscienly was a blow and it showed. Neither Gabriel or Calum Chambers could handle the movement or pace of Liverpool’s forward line and but for Petr Cech, the Gunners would have trailed by a couple at the break.
As it was, they kept their goal intact and turned the tide after the interval. Despite asking plenty of questions of Liverpool’s shaky rearguard, Arsenal were unable to break through as they await their first goal of the season on-front of their own fans.
For Liverpool, they’ve yet to concede this term and while they could have made it three from three, there were plenty of positives and signs of encouragement for the Reds.
Reds left to rue missed opportunities
Coming away from the Emirates Stadium with a point and a clean sheet is always a great result but Brendan Rodgers will have left North London on Monday evening looking back on a host of missed chances.
His side dominated proceedings in the first-half as they pressed Arsenal high up the field and forced the home side into mistake after mistake. The attacking trio of Coutinho, Benteke and Firmino were causing the makeshift Arsenal defence no end of problems but no one in black was able to apply the finishing touch.
Benteke was particularly impressive. The Belgian striker held the ball up well and as well as bringing team-mates into the game, bullied Gabriel and Chambers. On more than one occasion he got the ball down and ran at the opposition but he was guilty of missing the game’s best chance.
When Coutinho, who was arguably the man-of-the-match, provided the perfect ball across the box, Benteke couldn’t finish past Cech from close range. All things considered, Liverpool will feel they could have come away from the Emirates with all three points.
Another questionable offside decision
A week ago, Liverpool were the beneficiaries of a controversial, and ultimately incorrect, offside decision as they beat Bournemouth at Anfield. On Monday evening, they rode their luck again as Aaron Ramsey saw his first-half effort ruled out.
Santi Cazorla threaded an exquisite ball through the Liverpool defence for the Welshman and after taking the ball in his stride, Ramsey fired past Simon Mignolet at the near post.
The home sides’ celebrations were cut short, however, but the replays showed Ramsey to be just onside with Martin Skrtel playing him on.
To be fair, it was an extremely tight call but what ever happened to giving the benefit of the doubt to the attacker?
The Premier League were forced to clarify the new ruling during the week after Benteke’s goal against Bournemouth and again an assistant linesman got a big call wrong.
Arsenal firing blanks
Arsene Wenger’s side have now failed to score in five of their last six Premier League outings at the Emirates after firing more blanks against Liverpool. Apart from Ramsey’s disallowed goal and a couple of bright moments in the second period, the hosts never really looked like carving Liverpool open.
On Sky Sports, Thierry Henry said Arsenal need a new striker before the transfer window closes.
They struggled in the campaign opener when West Ham got men behind the ball and while Liverpool weren’t as defensive, Arsenal often looked bereft of ideas. Too often they look to Alexis Sanchez for inspiration and while Santi Cazorla was finding pockets of space, they’ve been far from their potent best.
It may just be a case of a slow start but the lack of goals will be a concern for Wenger. Teams now come to the Emirates and defend in numbers, make sure the central areas are congested and then hit the Gunners on the break – just like Liverpool did.
Wenger said afterwards that his side do struggle to break teams down when they put numbers behind the ball and they aren’t ‘used to it.’ You get the feeling they’re going to have to get used to it as every team are going to go to the Emirates and play in that way to frustrate the Gunners.
Liverpool heading in the right direction
In his post-match interview, Rodgers admitted he was disappointed with just a point but his side have made a hugely encouraging start to the campaign. Sevens points from nine represents a good return from trips to Stoke and Arsenal in the first three games of the season and the performances of Joe Gomez, Benteke and Coutinho will give Liverpool fans hope for the season.
While James Milner has been quietly effective thus far, Benteke looks to be a shrewd acquisition and while he didn’t get on the scoresheet tonight, he was a handful all evening. He won all 16 aerial challenges and gives Liverpool something very different.
With Daniel Sturridge still to return, Rodgers will suddenly have a few options up-front yet it’s at the other end where their worries lie. Skrtel was typically suspect and endured a few nervy moments when Arsenal were pressing.
That said, the performances of Gomez have been a real positive and the 18-year-old was once again defensively solid as well as offering an outlet going forward. In all, the left-back made five interceptions, won five tackles and made three blocks.
He looks a real talent.
