Mo Salah on Target as Liverpool Impress in Arsenal Victory

Arsenal vs Liverpool fixture has become a red-letter day on every football fan’s calendar, and their most recent match lived up to the massive pre-match expectations.

On 1st August, Arsenal faced a new look Liverpool in a highly anticipated preseason friendly. This match gave American fans a chance to catch a close glimpse of their beloved players. Almost 70,000 fans attended this thrilling match at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.  

With the start of the upcoming Premier League season just three weeks away, Liverpool’s latest match up with Arsenal might have offered a preview of this season’s title race. 

Liverpool vs Arsenal: Summary 

Following a hugely successful 9-year stint, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool parted ways. It would be an understatement to suggest that Klopp became a hero for all Liverpool fans, as they guided the club away from obscurity to Premier League and European glory during his tenure. He has firmly established himself as one of the greatest Liverpool managers of all time. So, replacing Klopp wasn’t straightforward. However, Arne Slot’s impressive resume and track record instilled confidence within the Reds’ hierarchy. And the initial signs under his leadership appear promising. 

Arne Slot started his Liverpool tenure with a commanding 2-0 win over Real Betis. However, facing Arsenal presented a completed different task. But Slot’s men handled the Arsenal challenge with flying colors, as they etched out a 2-1 victory over the Gunners. 

Liverpool named a strong starting 11, as Mo Salah, Diogo Jota, Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elloitt started the game. Arsenal also named a formidable starting lineup, consisting of the likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel, Ben White and Kai Havertz.  

All signs pointed towards a thrilling match up, and it was Liverpool who opened the scoring. Mo Salah latched onto a brilliant through ball from Harvey Elliott and calmly slotted it into the bottom right corner of Arsenal’s net in the 13th minute. Liverpool’s confidence grew as the half progressed, and in the 34th minute, the Reds doubled their advantage. Harvey Elloitt again played a crucial role, as his delicate lobbed through ball unlocked the Gunner’s defence. Fabio Carvalho finished the move by smashing in a thunderous volley from close range. 

Arsenal pulled one back in the 40th minute when Kai Havertz pounced on a rebound from Martin Odegaard’s shot. However, the Gunners were unable to draw level. Arsenal dominated the possession stats, but they lacked any sort of inspiration in front of goal. The Gunners took 13 shots during the game, of which only two were on target.  

This performance highlighted several weaknesses in both Liverpool and Arsenal’s game. And both Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot would look to rectify those weaknesses as soon as possible, with the Premier League season just three weeks away. 

Liverpool vs Arsenal: Post-Match Reactions 

Despite losing the game against Liverpool, Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta expressed that the squad is in much better shape than they were 10 days ago. In a post-match interview, Arteta said, “We’ve got a lot from these 10 days in many things. The way we’ve lived together with all the staff and the players, and the way the new ones joined and in the condition they are all in, ready to play after three or four days in a game like this.” 

Arteta also reserved huge praise for all the academy stars who have joined the senior team on the tour. He said, “I’m really pleased that we had time to spend with our academy players. They’ve been phenomenal and I would loved to have given an opportunity to all of them, I couldn’t, but the ones that had it, they really grabbed it with both hands and I’m really pleased with that as well.” 

On the other hand, Liverpool boss Arne Slot expressed his delight not only with his team’s win but also with their overall performance. He said, “I think even though it's a friendly, you always want to aim for a win... You need to win your games, you try to do everything to win. So that's a good thing that we did that today but I'm more pleased about the way we did so.” 

Liverpool and Arsenal’s Next Game 

After their 2-1 win against Arsenal, Liverpool face fellow Premier League giant Manchester United in their next preseason match-up. The game will take place on 4th August 2024 (Sunday). The match will kick off at 5:00 AM (Indian Standard Time).  

Arsenal will travel back to London to face German champion Bayer Leverkusen on 7th August 2024 (Wednesday). The match will kick off at 10:30 PM (Indian Standard Time). 

Also Read: Liverpool vs Arsenal: 3 Instant Classic Matches in Recent Memory