da betsul: The big-money summer signing had a nightmare in front of goal, which highlighted why his side could do with some January reinforcement
da brwin: After watching Arsenal's FA Cup third-round defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, Brentford owner Matthew Benham no doubt added another £10 million or so onto Ivan Toney's January asking price. The Gunners' need for a clinical finisher has never been more starkly demonstrated than at the Emirates this weekend, as Mikel Arteta's side missed chance after chance, which eventually lead to an inexplicable defeat – their third on the bounce in all competitions.
Arsenal dominated nearly every metric in the first hour or so, with Kai Havertz and Reiss Nelson's lack of cutting edge and some Alisson Becker heroics keeping the scores level at 0-0. Eventually, though, the hosts' sloppy finishing sparked Liverpool into life, with Aaron Ramsdale having to save superbly from Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota seeing a header hit the bar.
A few minutes later, the Reds did find the breakthrough – although fittingly in a game where the finishing was so, so poor – it came via an own goal. Jakub Kiwior was the unlucky man, inadvertently glancing Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick past his own goalkeeper with 10 minutes left.
Despite some late pressure, Arsenal could not find a goal to force a replay, and with seconds left in second-half stoppage-time, Diaz doubled the visitors' advantage, thrashing home from just inside the box.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):
Got down expertly to deny Diaz in the second half. Flapped once or twice and his distribution was a mixed bag, particularly under pressure.
Ben White (5/10):
Beaten a little too easily at times. Let his frustrations boil over and needlessly fouled Jones in the first half.
Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10):
Relished the physical battle with Liverpool's frontline. One or two sloppy moments towards the end.
William Saliba (7/10):
Close to flawless. Restricted the Reds to half chances and passed it wonderfully.
Jakub Kiwior (4/10):
Felt like Liverpool were targeting him, particularly in the second half. Could really tell this isn't his natural position; he's very lucky Salah wasn't available. Own goal summed up a tough afternoon.
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Martin Odegaard (6/10):
Picked up some great positions but his team-mates were a little slow getting it to him for the most part.
Jorginho (6/10):
Gave Rice the freedom to roam a little bit more than usual. Played some incisive passes, too.
Declan Rice (7/10):
Colossal out of possession as he went searching for tackles for make. Allowed his side to dominate the midfield battle.
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Bukayo Saka (4/10):
Ran down too many dead-ends in the first half. Delivery and execution in the final third was surprisingly poor throughout.
Kai Havertz (4/10):
Missed two gilt-edged chances just before the break. His close-range header that went wide was particularly galling.
Reiss Nelson (5/10):
Dwelled too long on the ball when presented with chances in the first half. Was direct, though this display won't have increased his first-team prospects too much.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Gabriel Martinelli (5/10):
Did not really make an impact on the game.
Eddie Nketiah (5/10):
Little to report from his 10-minute cameo.
Emile Smith Rowe (N/A):
Only on for few minutes.
Leandro Trossard (N/A):
As above.
Mikel Arteta (5/10):
Must be frustrated to have watched his side waste so many chances. Needs to get some confidence and decisiveness back in his forwards – and quickly.