There’s been little respite in an exciting, intoxicating and unpredictable first half at the Emirates.
Arsenal came out the blocks flying, peppering Simon Mignolet’s goal in the first ten minutes. Had it not been for a smart save and some exceptional handling from the Reds No.1, soon followed by an equally pivotal last-ditch tackle from former Gunner Kolo Toure to deny Olivier Giroud, the visitors could’ve easily found themselves chasing a deficit before creating their first attack.
Liverpool grew into the game soon after however, with the proverbial pendulum taking an almighty swing. Lazar Markovic and Raheem Sterling both broke through Arsenal’s backline to find themselves in a two-on-one situation with goalkeeper David Ospina, but the former’s square pass to the latter fizzed past him, much to Brendan Rodgers’ uncontrollable disappointment.
Another Liverpool break after half an hour had the Gunners’ defence stretched and exposed, but Sterling’s short, sharp cross looped just over the on-running Jordan Henderson.
And just as the pace of the match was beginning to peter out somewhat, with the ball finding itself mostly in midfield, Arsenal youngster Hector Bellerin drifted in from the flank to find his second Premier League goal of the season. The full-back finished a jinking run from the right with a curled and cultured finish, narrowly evading trailing legs and Mignolet’s outstretched hand, to find the bottom left corner of the net on 37 minutes.
4 minutes later however, the home side were at it again – this time through Mesut Ozil. The £42.2million man stepped up to a free kick around 28 yards out and coolly converted with a powerful, accurate and swerving shot.
That knocked the stuffing out of Liverpool, resulting in what looked a rather uneventful final five minutes of the first half. That was until an expert ball from Bellerin found an unmarked Alexis Sanchez on the edge of the area, who duly volleyed a thunderous strike for Arsenal’s third of the afternoon. Commentator Michael Owen pondered on whether the Belgium international could have done better; Sanchez’ strike looked suspiciously central when replayed.
The Reds will feel their performance has been on par with Arsenal’s – at times, arguably superior. But their failure to capitalise upon key moments of the match has duly cost them.
Brendan Rodgers will almost certainly now make changes to his Liverpool line-up. Daniel Sturridge, currently warming up on his own, is expected to come on.