Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool: Gunners frustrated with lack of goals in FA Cup tie

Arteta's men looked on course to score goals early on in the game but ultimately fell short of even a draw as Jakub Kiwior headed into his own net from a Trent Alexander-Arnold free kick. Luis Diaz added another to add insult to injury in injury time.

• Liverpool are undefeated in their last five games.
• Before this match, Arsenal had nine wins, Liverpool had thirteen, and there were eleven draws.
• Last time in the Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool ended in a draw.

Dominik Szoboszlai was absent from Liverpool due to a hamstring injury, while Mohammed Salah and Wataru Endo were missing due to commitments with their national teams.

In the third minute, Arsenal had an excellent opportunity, but Reiss Nelson’s mishandled touch resulted in him hitting the side netting, even though he had gotten past Alisson.

Within the first ten minutes, both teams prominently showcased an intense, end-to-end match with frequent ball possession. Odegaard’s shot hitting the post caused a moment of alarm for Liverpool, but no further noteworthy incidents followed.

In the 34th minute, Alexander-Arnold delivered a decent free kick that, despite appearing dangerous, only managed to hit the top of the net.

The half-time statistics show Arsenal leading with an impressive expected goals (xG) of 1.3, compared to Liverpool’s 0.1. Arsenal also had thirteen shots, five of which were on target, in stark contrast to Liverpool’s two off-target shots.

Over the last three games, Arsenal has scored one goal from an expected 6.47 (xG).

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) January 7, 2024

Kai Havertz had the highest standalone xG of 0.22 among all players, but he missed a significant opportunity by shooting directly into Alisson’s arms.

The action between the two rivals was certainly not reflected in the 0-0 scoreline at half-time.

In the second half, Luis Diaz appeared threatening with several excellent runs into the Arsenal half. However, Arteta’s team remained resolute and succeeded in keeping him at bay for the time being.

Diogo Jota came onto the field in the 59th minute, replacing Cody Gakpo, while Ryan Gravenberch took over from Mac Allister.

Despite numerous attempts from Arsenal, Arteta made a 62nd-minute substitution, replacing Reiss Nelson with Gabriel Martinelli, to inject more energy into the attack.

The back-and-forth game persisted as Arsenal and Liverpool alternated their strategies throughout the game. The addition of Martinelli to the game significantly helped Arsenal counteract the influence of Diogo Jota.

80TH MIN GOAL &— Drama hit in the 80th minute as Klopp's men found a goal through an unfortunate Jakub Kiwior own goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold does very well to hit the ball from the free kick and force a goal from the Polish defender. 

90TH MIN GOAL &— Luis Diaz’s sublime finish cleanly beat Aaron Ramsdale as Liverpool killed the game just before the end, securing their progress to the next round. Arsenal's desperate counter for their equalizer brought them to their knees.

In the 75th minute, two young players, Conor Bradley and Bobby Clark, were brought on to replace Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott respectively. These two newcomers worked hard and were present on the field when Liverpool advanced to the 4th round.

Conor Bradley Career

Bojan Radulovic stats career

Season	Team	Competition	Matched Played	Goals	Assists	Yellow Cards	Red Cards
22/23	Bolton	League One	43	5	4	12	0

Bobby Clark Career

Bojan Radulovic stats career

Season	Team	Competition	Matched Played	Goals	Assists	Yellow Cards	Red Cards
2023/24	Liverpool U21	Premier League 2	5	2	3	2	0
2022/23	Liverpool	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0

Arteta’s choice to deploy as many players as possible ultimately backfired. This strategy provided Liverpool’s dynamic forwards, particularly Luis Diaz, an opportunity to seal the game, plunging the Emirates stadium into a state of despair.

1 &— Arsenal have won one of their last seven games in all competitions, losing each of their last three; it’s their fewest wins over a seven-game period under Mikel Arteta. LDWDLLL. pic.twitter.com/qMJA0A7fmb

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 7, 2024

Ultimately, Trent Alexander-Arnold was the standout player of the match. Even though Martinelli’s arrival posed some challenges, the right-back adjusted accordingly and connected with Konate almost flawlessly as intended. The game’s critical moment was the free-kick which forced Kiwior to mishandle the ball, shifting the momentum in Liverpool’s favor.

Arsenal: Ramsdale 6.8, Kiwior 5.2, Gabriel 6.3, Saliba 6.9, White 6.4, Rice 7.4, Jorginho 7.1, Odegaard 7.6, Havertz 6.1, Nelson 6.6, Saka 6.4

Subs: Martinelli 6.6, Nketiah N/A, Trossard N/A, Smith Rowe N/A..

Liverpool: Becker 8.0, Alexander-Arnold 9.0, Konate 7.4, Quansah 7.0, Gomez 7.3, Elliott 6.6, Mac Allister 6.8, Jones 6.4, Gakpo 6.5, Nunez 6.7, Diaz 7.9.

Subs: Diogo Jota 7.7, Gravenberch 6.6, Clark 6.7, Bradley 7.0.

Match highlights: Manchester City vs Huddersfield Town

When the Premier League returns on January 30th, Arsenal will host Crystal Palace at the Emirates. In the EFL cup, Liverpool is scheduled to play against Fulham earlier in the evening on January 10th.