Dropped points

Liverpool 3-3 Arsenal

Arsenal threw away two precious points on Wednesday night as Joe Allen scored a last minute goal to ensure an enthralling contest ended all square at 3-3.

It was an extremely frustrating end to the game for the Gunners, having twice come back from a goal down and then taken the lead.

Although Arsene Wenger attempted to focus on the positives, having witnessed his side overcome a lightning quick start from the home side as well as the notorious Anfield atmosphere to come within a whisker of sealing all three points.

For the supporters however it was difficult not to feel deflated. Once again poor defending had cost Arsenal dear when it mattered most and Wenger’s decision not to sign another defensive midfielder in the summer transfer window came back to haunt him once again. Although the signing of Mohammed Elneny has now been confirmed, with the Egyptian possibly making his debut against Stoke on Sunday, it is a signing that may have come too late.

Elneny has all the attributes to be the midfield powerhouse Arsenal have been crying out for, for years. He is an all action player who can play the holding role and the box to box role in equal measure. His technical ability is also perfectly suited to Arsenal’s style of play, with his passing range sure to excite Gunners fans. However, arriving at the club in January means he will have to hit the ground running, something which is notoriously difficult in the Premier League. Had Wenger signed him in the summer, Elneny would now be up to speed and would be perfectly placed to help Arsenal sustain a championship challenge as the season enters its climactic period.

Had Wenger been able to bring on Elneny from the bench on Wednesday night instead of the slow and cumbersome Arteta, maybe Arsenal would have been able to hold onto their lead. But in truth there was a real defensive naivety to the final goal of the game. Arsenal should have started to defend higher up the pitch once Benteke came on as the Belgian is not blessed with pace and Liverpool’s plan to launch long balls up to him was obvious, made all the more so when defender Steven Caulker was brought on to play up front alongside him. However the Gunners still sat deep and therefore a clipped ball into the box saw Benteke rise unchallenged to nod the ball down towards Allen. Unfortunately Bellerin reacted slightly after Allen and the Welshman’s shot was too hard for Cech, who couldn’t keep it out despite getting a hand to the ball.

Cech didn’t have his greatest night on Wednesday and could have also done better for Liverpool’s first goal. Theo Walcott should also harbour some of the blame as the forward attempted to bring the ball out of defence when he had very few options ahead of him. The Englishman is an experienced player now and should know better. He was immediately surrounded by Liverpool players and dispossessed on the edge of the area. Cech got both hands to Emre Can’s shot and should have pushed the ball away from goal. However instead the ball fell straight to Firminho and the Brazilian cut inside before hitting a shot through Koscielny’s legs and past the unsighted Cech.

Firminho wasn’t done there either and could have even have had hat trick. His second of the night was a brilliant curling effort into the top corner of the goal after the Arsenal defence just stood off him allowing the former Hoffenheim man far too much time on the ball. Having scored two Firminho was unfortunate not to add a third when his excellent flicked effort struck the crossbar.

Yet Firminho wasn’t the only player who could have had a hat trick. Olivier Giroud could have also had a treble to his name. Following Aaron Ramsey’s near post finish to bring the game back to 1-1, Giroud became the focal point for the Arsenal attack. The Frenchman first got his name on the score sheet from a corner, getting his foot onto a near post delivery to divert the ball past the hapless Simon Mignolet and once again get the Gunners back on level terms at 2-2.

Giroud should have got his second just before halftime when excellent play from Joel Campbell saw the Costa Rican wait for the opportune moment before releasing the ball to Walcott in the box. The Englishman’s low ball across the box evaded Mingolet and found Giroud with an open goal at his mercy. However the Frenchman did not connect properly with the ball and the chance was lost.

It was a moment when all those affiliated with Arsenal had their heads in their hands, but Giroud would make amends in the second half. Collecting a deflected pass from Joel Campbell, Giroud turned brilliantly before firing an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner of the goal to give the Gunners the lead. It was an effort which would have been worthy of winning the match, but having taken the lead Arsenal sat back and invited Liverpool onto them.

As the Gunners tired towards the end of the game, they simply couldn’t withstand the home side’s pressure any longer and conceded a very sloppy goal from a defensive point of view. Hopefully Wenger’s side will learn their lesson because in a title race as tight as this, points dropped in such fashion will come back to haunt them come the end of the season. Next up for the Gunners is the always difficult away trip to Stoke, which has now taken on more significance. If Arsenal can emerge victorious from the Britannia stadium for only the second time in Premier League history, the deflation of Wednesday night will be forgotten.