Liverpool dump Arsenal out of FA Cup

Liverpool eliminated Arsenal from the FA Cup as they won 2-0 on Sunday evening at the Emirates Stadium.

An own goal from Jacub Kiwior gave Liverpool the lead with ten minutes left before Luis Diaz wrapped up the game with a thumping finish in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

The result meant that Arsenal suffered their third straight defeat and a fourth in seven games in all competitions.

The hosts started the better of the two sides as they came out with ferocious intensity, but despite creating several clear-cut opportunities, failed to score.

Arsenal miss host of chances

First, Reiss Nelson spurned a glorious opportunity while being through on goal before Martin Odegaard struck the post just minutes later.

Kai Havertz had a couple of great chances, but the German fluffed on both occasions to let Jugen Klopp’s side off the hook.  

Liverpool did settle down after the slow start, but they were second-best throughout the pitch.

The Reds hardly created any opportunities while the hosts failed to make their dominance count. Trent Alexander-Arnold then came close for the visitors on the stroke of halftime when he rifled his shot against the bar.

The Reds however came out the brighter of the two sides right from the restart. Darwin Nunez flashed just wide of the far post in the 54^th minute before Aaron Ramsdale brilliantly saved Diaz’s low drive in the Arsenal goal.

From the resulting corner, it was Diogo Jota who struck the post with a string header as the Merseyside outfit were relentless on their attack.

Liverpool strike late to secure victory

The visitors took the lead in the 80^th minute when Alexander-Arnold’s cross from the right skimmed off Kiwior’s head, nothing short of what Klopp’s men deserved from their second-half showing.

Arteta made several attacking chances after falling behind but the hosts failed to trouble Alisson in the Liverpool goal. Diaz then sealed the win for Liverpool with effectively the last kick of the game with a brilliant finish as Arsenal were caught trying to look for an equalizer.

The result will come yet another blow for Arsenal, who have scored only five goals in their last seven games and managed one clean sheet in the last nine. Liverpool would be buoyed with the result, getting the job done with key players absent including Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

Following the victory, Trent Alexander-Arnold said, “We’ve got a lot of players missing today so it’s a huge result. We changed things around at half-time and created a lot of chances after that. In the first half there were times when we were a bit naïve; we got caught playing out from the back and they had their chances from our mistakes.”

“We mixed it up more – we want to get players like Harvey on the ball but also find Darwin and Lucho in behind. Darwin went wider and I think his speed, one on one with their full-back, made a real difference. [On the first goal] You just want to hit an area and make it as difficult as possible for them to clear the ball. We hit the woodwork a couple of times so we had our chances as well, and we put them away at the end of the game.”

Photo credit: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo