Liverpool were well and truly beaten by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, falling to a crushing 3-1 defeat which saw their lead at the top of the Premier League table cut to just two points.
With Mohamed Salah still injured and Darwin Nunez only fit enough for a spot on the bench, Liverpool were limp in attack and uncharacteristically shaky at the back, often proving to be the architects of their own downfall with a series of errors.
Here’s how the Reds fared in 90min‘s player ratings.
In this uncomfortable role at the base of Liverpool’s midfield, Alexis Mac Allister was one of the few players who could leave the game with their head held high.
The Argentine did his best to keep Liverpool ticking as one of the only players to really show up in the first half, and further improvement after the break saw the Reds fight their way back into the game for a short period.
With skill and decision-making deserting everyone in Liverpool’s front line, Luis Diaz went for the old Diogo Jota trick of just charging head-first at things like a bull in a china shop and hoping things work out.
He yielded the results by causing Arsenal’s comedic own goal but it was a mere bright spot on an otherwise disappointing showing.
Look, Alisson’s probably the best goalkeeper in the world, and one bad performance does not change that, but boy, was this a bad performance.
The stopper came flying off his line and terrified Virgil van Dijk so much that the pair allowed Gabriel Martinelli to tap into an empty net, and his nightmare showing ended with Leandro Trossard firing directly through his legs for the third. A night to forget, for sure.
Alisson’s partner in crime, Van Dijk didn’t do his share to keep Martinelli’s goal out either, appearing too focused on the Brazilian and forgetting to check his surroundings. For a defender of Van Dijk’s undisputed quality, that’s inexcusable.
Van Dijk looked nervous throughout, struggling to deal with Martinelli’s pace or Kai Havertz’s movements, and the mistake only compounded his difficulties.
