Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool: 'A huge missed opportunity for Gunners' - but is Arteta heading for failure?

Arsenal went into the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool overflowing with hope and expectation, only to end well beaten and empty-handed on a night when manager Mikel Arteta's trophy hopes were extinguished.

The cards looked to have fallen in Arsenal's favour. The semi-final legs were reversed to give them the conclusion in front of their own fans after Liverpool were granted a cancellation of the scheduled first game. The Gunners had achieved a superb goalless draw with 10 men at Anfield. Liverpool were without world-class striker duo Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.

What better chance would they have to make a statement about their current status under Arteta than by beating a superpower such as Liverpool?

They made a statement all right — but not the sort Arteta would have wanted as even a stripped-down, although still strong Liverpool simply had too much nous, street wisdom, quality and ruthlessness for Arsenal.

As Arsenal's players applauded banks of empty red seats after the final whistle, the reckoning on their season so far was an unflattering one.

No European football after last season meant they could firmly concentrate on domestic cup competitions and the fight for a top four place in the Premier League.

Instead, the last fortnight has seen a miserable FA Cup third round shock at Championship side Nottingham Forest, and here was an opportunity squandered for a Wembley final to inject fresh momentum into their season.

And the sub-text to what was a largely average performance was that Arsenal remain a level below the top teams and now face a real dogfight for the top four, with West Ham United and Tottenham above them as they lie sixth and Manchester United on their shoulder.

It cannot be ignored that there is