Five points clear!!

Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool

 

Arsenal produced a wonderful display of attacking verve and intent on Saturday night, to answer their critics in emphatic style.

Going into this game on the back of two home defeats in big games against Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, the Gunners needed to not only win the game but do it convincingly. Particularly in the wake of the defeat to Chelsea, the vultures had begun to circle around the Emirates with the press falling over themselves to proclaim this Arsenal side as not being good enough to break their eight year trophy drought.

It would have been easy for the Gunners to feel sorry for themselves and start to believe the views of those football pundits who continually doubt Arsenal’s title credentials. But this is a side that has a different mentality. They have a wonderful spirit and seem to thrive in the face of adversity.

The Gunners were absolutely fantastic on Saturday. Each and every department worked well together and were excellent as Arsenal overran the Liverpool midfield, controlling the game as well as shackling the potent threat of Suarez and Sturridge. Before the game, much had been made of the “SAS” partnership which seemed to be able to score at will against each and every side they had faced this season. But in Mertesacker and Koscielny Arsenal have a central defensive partnership which was more than a match for Liverpool’s “SAS”. The Arsenal central defenders never let Sturridge have a sniff of a chance and while Suarez did hit the post with an effort late in the second half, the Uruguayan rarely threatened the Gunners goal, with the well marshalled Arsenal back line, catching Liverpool offside on several occasions. In fact the Gunners defence nullified the threat of Coutinho and Moses too, with the away side restricted from creating real goal scoring opportunities throughout the entire 90 minutes.

In front of the defence, with the absence of Flamini, Arsenal may well have struggled to provide a defensive shield for the back line, but Mikel Arteta rose to the challenge. He was outstanding on Saturday, controlling the pace of the game from his deep lying midfield position, enabling the smooth transition of the ball from defence to midfield as well as winning the ball back on several occasions through strong tackles. Thomas Rosicky also ran his heart out for the cause, also sliding into tackles time and time again to regain possession and start another Arsenal attack on the front foot.

The Liverpool central midfield of Lucas, Henderson and Gerrard, simply could not live with the Arsenal midfield. The Gunners have so many options in the middle of the park and when they are all playing at the top of their game, it is hard to imagine many sides being able to live with them. With Olivier Giroud more often than not winning the aerial challenge against the Liverpool defence, Rosicky, Ramsey, Ozil and Cazorla were able to interchange beautifully amongst themselves, with Giroud acting as a pivot point. The Frenchman laying the ball off to his midfield, with Liverpool simply unable to contain the sheer volume of movement and interplay which left them largely helpless.

The Gunners created their first chance in the opening minutes of the game, as Rosicky played a one-two with Cazorla on the edge of the box before firing a low shot across goal which Mignolet just managed to tip wide. But Arsenal would not be denied. In the 19^th minute, Sagna raced down the right flank and his pin point cross found the smallest man on the pitch, Cazorla. The Spaniard’s excellent header seemed destined for the corner of the net, but crashed back against the post. As the ball bounced back into the penalty area, Cazorla was quickest to react, running forward to smash home on the half volley. Arsenal had finally managed to take the lead in a big game, but could they now hold on?

Of course they could. The Gunners were more than a match for anything Liverpool could throw at them and every time Arsenal strode forward, they looked dangerous, with Mignolet forced into saves to deny Ramsey and Cazorla as the first half wore on. After the half time break, Giroud should have doubled the home side’s lead when intercepting Kolo Toure’s poor pass to Skrtel. The Frenchman bore down on goal, but as Mignolet rushed out to meet him, Giroud attempted to clip the ball over the goalkeeper, only to see his effort hit the side netting. A couple of minutes later, Giroud was through again, thanks to wonderful combination play from Rosicky and Cazorla, but under pressure, the French striker could only toe-poke the ball straight to Mignolet.

As the game approached the hour mark the Arsenal pressure finally told. Aaron Ramsey, who else? Fired an outstanding, unstoppable shot beyond the reach of Mignolet and into the back of the net, to send the Emirates crowd wild. It was a goal which highlighted the great confidence the Welshman has at the moment, picking the ball up outside the box and firing on goal without a moment’s hesitation. The way he is playing at the moment, Ramsey can produce something out of nothing every time he has the ball. Long may it continue.

Having been largely untroubled throughout the game, Szczesny was twice called into action in the closing stages, saving well at the feet of both Sturridge and Coutinho to preserve his clean sheet and the Gunners were therefore able to see the game out in consummate ease and secure a vital three points.

This was a crucial victory for Arsenal as with other results going their way, the Gunners ended the weekend 5 points clear at the top of the table. But in many ways it was the manner of the win that was equally important. Arsene Wenger’s side were completely superior throughout the entire 90 minutes and Liverpool just could not live with them. As Arsenal enter into an incredibly difficult sequence of matches, Wenger will hope his side can maintain such a high level of performance on a consistent basis and maintain their place at the top of the Premier League. There is of course still a long, long way to go yet, but performances such as these will see Arsenal’s supporters starting to believe once again.