On Saturday night, Arsenal went to Anfield with the knowledge that they would lead the Premier League going into Christmas if they could avoid losing.
They managed to escape loss, but not before giving the Gunners a worry as Liverpool held them to a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal started the game on a high note and had the opportunity to lead by several goals in the first ten minutes. Unfortunately, they had to settle for a single goal as Gabriel headed home Martin Odegaard’s set play after rising to the highest point.
Later in the first half, Mohamed Salah pulled even for the Reds and had a chance to win a penalty after Odegaard handled inadvertently inside the box.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had the best opportunity, hitting the crossbar with a spectacular one-on-one shot in the second half.
All things considered, Mikel Arteta had a lot to consider in this game, especially at left back, thus a draw was definitely warranted.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s mathematical game
If Takehiro Tomiyasu had been available for this weekend’s match, the Japanese player probably would have started at Anfield.
Arteta has always favoured to use four centre halves in his back four for games of this size, but Oleksandr Zinchenko was starting at left back this festive weekend.
This was not out of the ordinary. After all, Arsenal has benefited greatly from his inverted playing style ever since he transferred from Manchester City.
Liverpool vs. Zinchenko in numbers
Played Minutes
90
Feels
85
Precise Passes
50 out of 58 (86%)
Extended Balls
4/9
Dribble Achievement
50%
Snapshots
2.
Important Passes
0
Mistakes
1.
Loss of Possession
Twelve times
Winning Duels
5 out of 10.
Attacks
3.
Verifications
2.
Numbers from Sofascore.
Despite this, he occasionally makes mistakes. Just a few weeks ago, we witnessed that against Wolves. A nerve-wracking finish at the Emirates was set up by Matheus Cunha’s incredible strike from the edge of the box after the Ukrainian walked into the pitch.
He wasn’t quite as bad this time in Merseyside, but he still had a better opportunity to stop Salah’s goal. The Egyptian received the ball inside the area, danced past Arsenal’s number 35 as if he didn’t exist, and then beat David Raya with an unstoppable shot.
Salah had possession of the ball within Arsenal’s half after Zinchenko notably lost the ball away in the second half, but luckily the opportunity was wasted.
Unfortunately, the worst player on show for Arsenal was one man in their attack, despite his lacklustre performance.
Gabriel Martinelli’s numerical strategy
Over the past 18 months, the Brazilian has been nothing short of a sensation for Arsenal.
The youthful winger was the team’s co-leading scorer last season, sharing the lead with Bukayo Saka and Odegaard, but Gabriel Martinelli hasn’t exactly been on top of the race in 2023–2024.
AM-2353 MixCollage-24-Dec-2023-12-17
With his lone goal in the last ten games coming away at Luton, the 22-year-old has only scored twice in his 16 Premier League appearances. Although Liverpool is a difficult opponent, he was also moving far too slowly on Saturday night.
His decision-making was the most worrisome thing. Frequently, it was absent, leading one down dead ends, missing opportunities to shoot, or just not being in the right location at the right moment.
That was encapsulated by the fact that the international player from Brazil only managed to create one crucial pass and one off-target shot in his time on the pitch.
Liverpool vs. Martinelli in numbers
Played Minutes
68
Feels
33
Precise Passes
11/13 (85%)
Important Passes
1.
Snapshots
1.
Dribble Achievement
2/6
Crosses
0
Winning Duels
3 out of 10.
Loss of Possession
13 times
Anticipated Objectives (xG)
0.14
Anticipated Help (xA)
0.03
Numbers from Sofascore.
After 68 minutes, Martinelli was eventually taken off the pitch, having lost possession of the ball 13 times out of 33 touches, or one per 2.5 touches. He had also won just 30% of his duels.
One OPTA analyst called the performance “shocking” and challenged the Brazilian, who is valued at £74 million, to improve.
In fact, Arsenal will need Martinelli to step up once more if they want to win the title in May. The young player’s campaign has been lacklustre, and as his performance at Anfield indicates, he needs to improve. If Leandro Trossard is used instead against West Ham after Christmas, it wouldn’t come as a surprise.
