{"id":24089,"date":"2021-11-20T15:39:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T20:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24089"},"modified":"2021-11-22T10:45:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T15:45:10","slug":"four-goal-liverpool-demolish-arsenal-at-anfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=24089","title":{"rendered":"Four-Goal Liverpool Demolish Arsenal At Anfield"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sadio Man\u00e9, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino struck for the hosts at Anfield (PA Wire\/PA Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Liverpool returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as they put Arsenal to the sword with a 4-0 victory which halted the Gunners\u2019 10-match unbeaten run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having seen their unbeaten start to the season ended at West Ham before the international break, Jurgen Klopp\u2019s side responded in style with a comprehensive dismantling of their opponents, who had arrived looking to leapfrog their hosts into the top four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for all Arsenal\u2019s recent improvement Liverpool\u2019s quality shone through as they eased back into second place, four points behind Chelsea, after a 15th consecutive game in which they scored more than twice \u2013 the longest run by an English top-flight club since Wolves\u2019 16 in 1939.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, remembered here for his time as an Everton player, discovered to his cost the dangers of rattling Anfield\u2019s cage as a touchline bust-up with Klopp ignited the atmosphere and energized the home side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was that incident which saw the match catch fire as Liverpool\u2019s players used the injection of emotion to press home their territorial advantage with goals from Sadio Man\u00e9, in the first half, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and substitute Takumi Minamino \u2013 with his first touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arteta appeared to have done his homework and his side started compact and organized but looking to hit their hosts on the counter-attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, he still had to rely on Aaron Ramsdale to continue his good form and had it not been for the England international Arsenal would have left with a much worse result than they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having parried a volley from Thiago Alcantara, in the side as Jordan Henderson was only deemed fit enough for the bench after an injury on England duty, Man\u00e9 got the follow-up caught under his body, allowing the goalkeeper to save.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the first half Ramsdale was also able to deny Salah from close range and Trent Alexander-Arnold from distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before that came the turning point of the half, and it did not occur on the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mane went up for a header with Takehiro Tomiyasu but, for some reason seemingly unapparent to the majority watching, Arteta was incensed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klopp offered a word of disagreement, causing his opposite number to fly off the handle which led to both managers being separated by their respective coaching staff and then booked by referee Michael Oliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That raised the noise level at Anfield and when lone defender Fabinho\u2019s last-ditch but perfectly-timed tackle to dispossess Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang \u2013 earlier flagged offside as Alexandre Lacazette thrashed his square pass into the empty Kop net \u2013 as he threatened to race clear the roar was visceral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was matched only by the one which greeted Man\u00e9\u2019s goal when he nodded home Alexander-Arnold\u2019s free-kick having been left unmarked in the six-yard area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man\u00e9 was then booked for hacking at Ben White as the ball trickled out of play as the atmosphere remained febrile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was desperate to impress against his old side and when the influential Fabinho intercepted Bukayo Saka\u2019s pass the former Gunners midfielder steered a shot wide of the post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But seven minutes into the second half Liverpool doubled their lead as Arteta\u2019s insistence his side play out from the back fell foul of Klopp\u2019s pressing game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having won the ball off Alexander-Arnold, Nuno Tavares cut inside but blindly rolled a pass straight to Jota who could not believe his luck, showing real composure to side-step Ramsdale and score into an empty net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal were being pinned back in their own half with any notion of counter-attacking merely a second thought as Liverpool went in for the kill, Ramsdale denying Man\u00e9 and Jota twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arsenal goalkeeper could do nothing about the third 17 minutes from time when Man\u00e9 burst down the left to cross for Salah to volley home his 16th of the campaign, before Minamino scored his first Anfield goal just 48 seconds after replacing Jota.<\/p>\n

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