Arsenal vs Liverpool: Title Race Heats Up As Reds Beat Gunners to Close Gap on Man City to 1 Point

Arsenal vs Liverpool: Title Race Heats Up As Reds Beat Gunners to Close Gap on Man City to 1 Point

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:58 PM
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  • Liverpool took control of the game in the second half after a finely poised first period ended 0-0
  • Arsenal was energetic and lively throughout the game but fell behind in the second half after Diogo Jota’s snap-shot crept beat Aaron Ramsdale in the near post
  • Substitute Roberto Firmino made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute to take the game completely away from Mikel Arteta’s side

Liverpool are now only a single point behind Manchester City thanks to a clinical display which saw off Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates on Wednesday, March 16.

Second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino were enough to ensure Jurgen Klopp’s side completed the double over the Gunners, who were energetic but lacked the finishing touch on the day.

Prior to the opener, Arsenal showed impressive attacking intent and energy as the youthful North London side tried to break down Liverpool.

Arsenal vs Liverpool
Liverpool took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half after an finely poised first period ended 0-0
Source: Getty Images

Jurgen Klopp will in particular feel indebted towards Alisson, who made a brilliant block to stop Martin Odegaard from scoring.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli was also brilliant on the night, as he consistently caused problems for Trent-Alexander Arnold throughout the game.

But for all of Arsenal’s impressive display, everything as undone in the 54th minute with Jota opening the scoring following Arsenal’s failure to get the ball out of the final third.

Firmino, a second-half substitute, was on hand to make it 2-0 with an expert flick from Andrew Robertson's cross and from then on, Arsenal did not look like coming out with anything from the game.

Notably, Klopp somehow derailed his opponents by starting Mohammed Salah on the bench as the Egyptian was a doubt for the game following a foot injury scare in his side’s previous match.

What next for Arsenal?

The result is by no means a disastrous one for Arsenal in their hunt for a top-four finish as they remain a point ahead of Manchester United with two games in hand.

After full time, Arsenal faithful at the Emirates applauded their side for a display that was rather impressive if you took away Liverpool’s goals.

Tottenham see off Brighton

In the other Premier League game on Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur’s top four hopes were reignited once again thanks to a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Spurs started this encounter against Brighton on an impressive note, but they had to wait until the 37th minute before scoring their first goal through Cristian Romero who benefited from an assist by Dejan Kulusevski.

Harry Kane then raced onto Rodrigo Bentancur's incisive pass to steer home a low shot as the North London side claimed all three points.

Authors
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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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Jürgen KloppMikel Arteta