04 February 2024 , 19:21
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Celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan aimed a foul-mouthed rant at William Saliba and David Raya after confusion between the duo allowed Liverpool to equalise against their side.
The Gunners had gone a goal ahead in their top-of-the-table clash with the Reds, thanks to Bukayo Saka's early strike. But as the match entered the third minute of first-half stoppage time, a bizarre mix-up in defence allowed the visitors to get back on level terms.
A long ball was sent forward by Liverpool, with Saliba looking to shield it from Luis Diaz and into the hands of Raya. But the Gunners keeper hesitated in coming off of his line, allowing Diaz to poke the ball back into the six-yard box.
As Gabriel ran back to defend, the ball caught his hand and was sent rolling into the net. That goal sucked the life out of Arsenal, who took a while to recover in the second period.
The incident also left Morgan furious, with the broadcaster blasting Saliba and Raya. He tweeted: "Best first half Arsenal have played all season, until that stupid last few seconds. What the f*** were Saliba & Raya doing?"
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The goal also sparked confusion from the pundits on duty for Sky Sports. Legendary former Manchester United captain Roy Keane hailed Diaz for his work to capitalise on Raya's hesitation.
"Well, it's perseverance more than anything else, a little bit of luck as well. I think they would’ve been expecting to go into halftime 1-0 down but this is a huge bonus for them," Keane told Sky Sports.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was your man of the match as Arsenal beat Liverpool? Comment below.
A defensive mix-up from Saliba and Raya allowed Liverpool to equalise (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)"Do they deserve it? Absolutely not, but Arsenal get themselves in a mess and it’s a shocker from them at the back. They need to do better defensively, they need to do better around the goalkeeper as well."
Keane's former team-mate and successor as United skipper Gary Neville also felt for Arsenal. He slammed the "dilly-dallying" between Saliba and Raya that led to Liverpool claiming their equaliser.
He said: "Dilly-dallying between Saliba and Raya, Gravenberch plays a ball over the top, Saliba is shielding Diaz away waiting for Raya to come out for the ball but he hesitates. Diaz pokes it back onto Gabriel’s hand and he drags it into his own net - that is unbelievable."
Arsenal were able to recover from that sucker punch, with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring to hand them a crucial win. The result left Morgan much happier, as he tweeted: "What a game.. what a performance.. what a win… brilliant stuff Arsenal."
The Gunners are now just two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race. Morgan will have been happy to see Mikel Arteta's side close the gap on the Reds, especially after their goal made him so angry.