Liverpool missed the chance to close the gap at the top of the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield. The Gunners moved three points clear at the summit, as Manchester City dropped points to Brighton. Andoni Iraola's side had appeared to click after early-season hiccups, with tentative talk of a title push, but failed to find the net despite being the better team for large periods.
Iraola's decisions under the spotlight
The loss was attributed to Iraola, who made two poor decisions on Sunday evening. The game was won and lost in the opening ten minutes in midfield, where Declan Rice was everywhere while Liverpool chased shadows. The Reds, plagued by midfield problems all season, were easily bypassed, with Florian Wirtz offering little defensively. Wirtz, showing signs of brilliance in recent weeks, was too passive when his side weren't attacking.
Trey Nyoni, making his full Liverpool debut, needed time to settle, but that didn't come before Kai Havertz opened the scoring. Once the Reds clawed their way back into the game, Nyoni was substituted, and Liverpool lost control of midfield again.
Controversial call overshadows the match
The game was overshadowed by an incident involving Alexander Isak after Liverpool fell behind. The Swedish striker got the run on Jurrien Timber and looked set for a free header, but the Dutchman stuck out his arm and pulled Isak back. Isak didn't complain or hit the deck, yet the challenge was a penalty every day of the week, but referee Andy Madley and his VAR team failed to see it that way.
Liverpool were in the ascendancy at that point and looked destined to score, but saw shots saved, blocked, and rattle the woodwork. It became increasingly frustrating against an Arsenal side that mastered the dark arts, buying cheap fouls to reset. With every Arsenal trick, Liverpool fans grew more irate, projecting their feelings onto the pitch and playing into Arsenal's hands.
Setback for the Reds
The setback saw Liverpool slip out of the top four, surrendering their spot to Chelsea. Arsenal returned to the top of the table, having been three points behind rivals City two weeks ago, as Mikel Arteta finally got his Anfield win.
