The triumph means that Arsenal are only two points behind the top of the table in the Premier League. In advance, many experts pointed out that only victory would be good enough if the London team was to be a realistic title challenger for the rest of the season.
Arsenal responded by signing up in full. Lurking in the background is reigning champion Manchester City, who are five points behind and have played two games less than the teams ahead of them.
Martinelli made it 2-1 halfway through the second half when Virgil van Dijk and Alisson really nailed it in Liverpool’s back ranks.
Van Dijk miscalculated a long play and then completely missed the away team’s goalkeeper. This meant that Martinelli could easily put the ball in an open goal.
After the match, Van Dijk laid flat and took the blame.
– I take full responsibility. The goal was the big turning point in the game and I should have done better and made a better decision. It hurts me and the team,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports.
Red card
In overtime, Leandro Trossard secured the victory by sending the ball between the legs of Alisson. Liverpool were at that time reduced to ten men as a result of Ibrahima Konaté’s sending off (two yellow cards) a few minutes earlier.
Before the break, Arsenal took an early lead through Bukayo Saka. He headed in a rebound after a solid Alison save in the 14th minute.
Up front, Kai Havertz was played through beautifully by Martin Ødegaard, but the German’s finish was weak. Nevertheless, it ended well for the hosts a second later.
Andre tap i Nord-London
The lead looked set to last until the break, but three minutes into added time, Gabriel was pressured by Luis Diaz to put the ball into his own net. Arsenal were punished mercilessly for defensive sloppiness.
Later, the same would happen to Liverpool, who suffered their second Premier League loss of the season. The first also came in North London when Tottenham won in September after controversial VAR decisions.
In the victory interview, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta referred to Sunday’s opponent as perhaps Europe’s best team.
– We have come a long way, but now it is about being stable. “Liverpool have been doing it for six or seven years,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
Arsenal’s next league match is away to West Ham on February 11, while Liverpool host Burnley the day before.
[ Højlund scoret i egen bursdagsfest – United herjet på hjemmebane ]