07 January 2024 , 18:35
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Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup on their own patch as Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners at the Emirates to seal their place in the next round.
In what was comfortably the most anticipated tie of the round, Jurgen Klopp dug deep and held on in the face of immense Arsenal pressure to then snatch the tie late on. Rarely has one side dominated a first-half quite like the Gunners did in this clash, with Mikel Arteta's men wasting a ludicrous amount of chances.
Kai Havertz was the most guilty party of all, heading wide from close range as well firing straight at Alisson. By the time the interval rolled around, the Germany international alone had five shots on goal. Jakub Kiwior's own goal with 10 minutes to spare made life difficult for the hosts, before Luis Diaz's late strike ended the game as a competition.
Mirror Football has taken a look some of the game's winners and losers as Liverpool march on, while Arsenal are left reeling from their third successive defeat.
Winners
William Saliba
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William Saliba was typically dominant against LiverpoolWhat more can be said about this supremely gifted, technically sound and aerially dominant central defender? William Saliba's maturity often defies his 22 years and all of the aforementioned qualities were on display once again against Liverpool.
The France international is elegance personified, dealing with almost everything thrown at him with a borderline arrogant calmness. Darwin Nunez struggled to get any joy out of Saliba and often aimed to target Arsenal's other centre-back, Gabriel.
Saliba's slide tackle on Nunez just before the hour mark was nothing short of remarkable, timing it to perfection to leave both the referee and those in the VAR room with no doubt that it was clean and fair. However, the Frenchman did pick up a rare booking for a pull on Diogo Jota.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold set up a goal for LiverpoolIt almost feels disingenuous to call Alexander-Arnold a right-back these days, given the Liverpool academy graduate takes up positions all over the pitch to showcase his sensational passing.
It was Alexander-Arnold who set up Salah's strike against the Gunners just before Christmas and he was once again the provider this time. It was his free-kick that was nodded beyond Ramsdale by Kiwior to seal Liverpool's place in the fourth round of the competition.
In a Liverpool side without Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold donned the armband and stepped up as a leader, undoubtedly the most instrumental Reds figure in what was somewhat of a smash-and-grab victory at the Emirates.
Losers
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta may be missing a trick if he doesn't sign a striker this monthIf ever a game highlighted one side's need for some attacking reinforcements, it was this one. Arsenal had managed 12 attempts on goal inside the opening 40 minutes to Liverpool's one, but still couldn't make that pressure pay.
Odegaard rattled the bar, Havertz tested Alisson and Nelson fired wide but none of them managed to beat Alisson after multiple times asking. Gabriel Jesus was ruled out of this clash with an injury and while the Brazilian can't be blamed for that, his fitness record suggests he can't exactly be relied upon.
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Brentford's Ivan Toney has been linked with a move to the Emirates for some time now and the Bees talisman would undoubtedly back himself to have had at least a brace by half-time were he lining up for the Gunners this evening. It is up to Arteta to act this month and rectify this issue.
Darwin Nunez
As mentioned, Nunez failed to get the better of Saliba for the overwhelming majority of the game but was also wasteful in possession at crucial times. For the £85milllion forked out on him, the striker could hardly be deemed clinical in front of goal.
The second half saw Nunez fire wide of Aaron Ramsdale's upright on multiple occasions. Klopp could be forgiven for thinking that if those chances had fallen to the feet of Salah, away on international duty with Egypt, Liverpool could have been out of sight sooner.
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka endured one of his worst performances of the season against LiverpoolArsenal's no.7 has been their shining light on several occasions in recent years, but Saka was nowhere near his usual standard against the Reds. The England international was guilty of overhitting some key passes at vital times.
During one passage of play in the second half, all Saka had to do was play a gentle pass back into the six-yard box for Odegaard to head home with the goal begging. Instead, the Arsenal academy graduate got his pass all wrong and ended up skying it over the crossbar.
He failed to give Joe Gomez much to think about all game and had the Gunners had anyone on the bench that could even pass as a replacement, he may well have been withdrawn.