What a game of football!
Liverpool and Arsenal played out a fantastic Carabao Cup thriller at Anfield on Wednesday night, in which 10 goals were scored.
The Reds went into the game as expected favourites given Arsenal’s recent form, but went with a pretty weakened team.
Though, even with the line-ups, no one could have expected what was to come.
Liverpool opened the scoring in the 6th minute, with Shkodran Mustafi scoring a very unfortunate own goal.
Arsenal came roaring back though, with Lucas Torreira scoring to level it up.
Gabriel Martinelli then scored in the 26th minute and again in the 36th.
Just when we thought that was enough excitement for one half, James Milner converted a penalty to make it 2-3 at the break.
The best was yet to come though, as Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored to extend Arsenal’s lead.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain then scored an absolute screamer to make it 3-4, before Divock Origi completed the comeback with a goal of his own.
Joe Willock then scored possibly an even better goal than Oxlade-Chamberlain to make it 5-4.
When it looked to be all over, Divock Origi scored a bicycle kick to make it 5-5 with almost the last kick of the game.
Liverpool would then win the game on penalties, with Curtis Jones scoring the winning spot-kick.
Now, here’s four things we learned from the game.
Local boy Curtis Jones scores the winning penalty for Liverpool on his debut
What a moment pic.twitter.com/MQcDw4Iqx5
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 30, 2019
Arsenal’s game management is extremely poor
If there was one thing that summed up Unai Emery’s Arsenal, it would be poor game management.
The Gunners showcased it at the weekend when they faced off against Crystal Palace, but again tonight.
Despite going 2-0 up early on against Palace, they were pegged back and drew the game 2-2.
Then just one game later, there was a similar situation.
Arsenal held a 3-1 lead against Liverpool, then a 4-2 lead and finally, a 5-4 lead late on.
In each of those situations, Arsenal looked timid and scared of a weak Liverpool side and each of those times, they were pegged back.
If Unai Emery is to keep his job at Arsenal, they must improve their game management and stop letting leads slip.
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Mesut Ozil deserves to play more
It’s clearly been hard for Mesut Ozil recently.
The German playmaker has hardly featured despite being fit, with Unai Emery not even featuring him among the bench on many occasions.
After protesting from Arsenal fans who supported Ozil, Emery finally caved and gave the playmaker a start tonight.
Incredibly, Ozil took to the game like he’d never been away.
His creativity was a breath of fresh air and he capped off the performance with a brilliant assist for Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The German, knowing he wouldn’t be able to squeeze the ball in from a tight angle, backheeled the ball perfectly into the path of his teammate who capitalised.
Harshly, he was taken off early by Emery, much to the displeasure of the booing Arsenal fans.
Though, based on his performance tonight, there’s no doubt he deserves to play more than he has been recently.
Delicious from Mesut Ozil
Watch Liverpool v Arsenal live on Sky Sports Football pic.twitter.com/CRWL75yHto
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2019
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s return to fitness has been sensational
Another week, another brilliant goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain!
Despite only returning from injury recently, the Englishman has been brilliant for Liverpool.
He started the Champions League clash with Genk just last week and put on a show for the Reds fans.
In that game, he scored a stunning goal but he may have gone one further against Arsenal.
The midfielder nipped in front of his man, knocking the ball on with his chest and unleashing a ferocious half-volley.
The significance of it all is that Oxlade-Chamberlain only recently returned from a very serious injury, and it’s pretty sensational that he’s already performing at this level.
If he continues, he could make himself a mainstay in this Liverpool team yet again.
Martinelli is a real talent
Gabriel Martinelli’s performances in cup competitions this season have been nothing short of amazing.
The Brazilian started the game tonight and added another two goals to his tally and should have had a couple more.
His first goal was pretty fortunate, with the ball falling to his feet just a couple of yards outside of goal.
He duly dispatched the shot and gave Arsenal a 2-1 lead.
His second goal was also somewhat on a plate from him.
A perfectly weighted cross from Saka allowed him to place the ball into the back of the net with ease.
The main thing, however, is that he was in the right spot to finish those chances.
He could have had a few more too, having spurned some chances but his two goals took him to seven in four starts.
Martinelli also scored his penalty to cap off an impressive goalscoring evening.
The only negative about his performance is he did give away a penalty in the first half.
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