Positive response but inability to hold onto leads costs Arsenal
This game was played against a backdrop of unrest and uncertainty created by the tension that manifested itself in alarming circumstances when Granit Xhaka reacted to fans jeering his substitution against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Both sides made 11 changes and the match quality was consequently diluted but the Gunners showed plenty of spirit in a hugely entertaining game which had just about everything. It shouldn’t have had a penalty shoot-out, however, given Arsenal were 3-1, 4-2 and then 5-4 up entering stoppage time.
Their inability to hold on to a lead ultimately cost them yet again – just as it did against Palace – but the sizeable away support applauded their team off at the end, a sign that there was something to build on here in terms of fight. And that must rank as a positive given the fractious atmosphere at Emirates Stadium last time out.
Ozil impresses but doesn’t avoid substitution
This competition may be the lowest in both clubs’ list of priorities but it was a big night for Mesut Ozil, who hadn’t featured in a matchday squad since Arsenal’s third-round win over Nottingham Forest.
The 31-year-old had a point to prove after having his attitude and application questioned but one thing most can agree on is his quality when on song. And there were some sublime touches tonight, producing a cool pass inside the box which eventually led to Lucas Torreira’s 19th-minute equaliser and a superb touch to release Bukayo Saka for Gabriel Martinelli to score.
His best moment, however, came with a sublime back-flick to hand Ainsley Maitland-Niles the simplest of tap-ins, yet he was substituted just 11 minutes later.
Perhaps that was due to fatigue but he could surely
Martinelli can’t stop scoring
Two first-half strikes – both simple but nevertheless clinically dispatched – take Martinelli’s tally to seven goals in seven appearances this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are obviously significant hurdles to overcome but a first Premier League start surely cannot be too far away, even if a bad second half miss is a reminder the Brazilian needs time to develop.
He is now the first player to score four times in his first four starts since Ian Wright. Moreover, the 18-year-old is now the topscoring teenager in Europe’s top five leagues. He took his penalty well in the shoot-out, too.
Mustafi set to stay in the wilderness
It was a moment that has plenty of competition but Shkodran Mustafi has rarely been more like Skhodran Mustafi when contriving to turn Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s sixth-minute cross into his own net under modest pressure at the near post.
He recovered a degree of poise as thereafter but being part of a defence which conceded four times to a much-changed Liverpool attack is probably not the advert for his abilities the 27-year-old had hoped for.
A January move remains the most likely outcome to his Arsenal career.
