Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-0 courtesy of goals Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino in match day 12 of the English Premier League at Anfield, kept pace with Premier League leaders Chelsea.
The hosts started with a front three of Jota, Mane and Salah, while Arsenal fielded a 4-4-2 formation with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in attack.
Liverpool took their time to get into the game, with Salah dragging a shot wide and Virgil van Dijk sending a header over the bar in an uneventful opening quarter. The Reds took the lead when Alexander-Arnold sent a brilliant free-kick into the area and Mane emerged from a group of queuing Liverpool players to nod past goalkeeper Ramsdale.
Liverpool continued where they left off in the second half, creating a chance through Oxlade-Chamberlain. However, Arsenal were the architects of their own downfall, as Liverpool extended its lead after a Nuno Tavares blunder.
With Arsenal’s insistence in playing out from the back cost them as Tavares’ wayward pass found Jota, who glided past Ben White and Ramsdale before tapping in Liverpool’s second into the empty net.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was denied by the legs of Alisson as the Gunners captain missed the chance to reduce the deficit with 25 minutes remaining, and it proved a costly miss as Liverpool put the game to bed.
After Ramsdale had produced another superb save to keep Jota’s drive out, the Gunners stopper was beaten for the third time when Jota’s brilliant headed through pass released Mane, who squared for Salah to turn into the empty net from all of two yards.
Three minutes later, insult was added to Arsenal injury when Alexander-Arnold set up substitute Minamino to put the icing on the cake with Liverpool’s fourth with what was his very first touch.
The victory sees Liverpool return to winning ways, lifts them into second place in the table and ends Arsenal’s eight-game Premier League unbeaten run, with the Gunners remaining fifth, three points outside the top four.
“All the games are opportunities for us. It was an exceptional performance. We grew into the game, we got better and better,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
“We controlled the game in a good way and played exciting stuff in the right moments. It was a mixture of a mature and exciting performance. In games like this it’s important you keep your opponent as far away from your goal as possible and be decisive in the other areas.”
Liverpool host Porto in the Champions League group stages on Wednesday, before Southampton head to Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday. Arsenal host Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.
Premier League results
Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea
Aston Villa 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Burnley 3-3 Crystal Palace
Newcastle United 3-3 Brentford
Norwich City 2-1 Southampton
Watford 4-1 Manchester United
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 West Ham United
Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal.
