Liverpool's hard-fought victory over Arsenal demonstrates Premier League title-winning talents

Arsenal’s top-four hopes were dealt a blow when they lost to Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s men demonstrated their class. Mikel Arteta’s men had been closing in on a Champions League finish this season, with games in hand on Manchester United. Win them and they would appear to be the side likely to take the final place for the biggest European tournament next season.

Ad/> At the start of the season it had appeared that Arteta was in danger of losing his way. The club were bottom of the table in August, and players such as Ben White were yet to establish themselves. Alexandre Lacazette stepped in to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when the manager took the risk of cutting out his best player.

But as the season progressed, players such as Martin Odegaard, Buyako Saka, and Aaron Ramsdale started to prove their worth. Champions LeagueKlopp pleased with Inter win 'without playing brilliantly'08/03/2022 AT 22:48 Ramsdale’s transfer from Sheffield United demonstrated Arteta’s plans — young, talented players who could displace senior players — in this instance Bernd Leno — who were not quite good enough. The limitations of this strategy were summarised in the defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night.

When Diogo Jota fired in from a tight angle, Ramsdale should have saved. Instead, the ball squeezed in as a result of the goalkeeper’s mistake. A more consistent, more experienced stopper might have been aware of the danger and kept the shot out.