3️⃣ points as Liverpool shine in comeback win against Arsenal | OneFootball

Liverpool continued their perfect start to the Premier League season by coming from behind to defeat Arsenal tonight.

Alexandrea Lacazette’s opener was quickly cancelled out by Sadio Mané before Andy Robertson scored and Diogo Jota added a late debut strike.

This is what we made of it.

Red dead redemption

This fixture hasn’t been particularly kind to Liverpool of late.

They were beaten at the Emirates in July in a league dead-rubber (for them at least) before losing the Community Shield final a few weeks ago – but gained a small measure of retribution for those losses here.

And it was a deserved victory for the champions too, who were in complete control for the opening half and then dealt well defensively with a more spirited Arsenal resistance after the break.

Virgil van Dijk sailed through the game superbly (who was writing him off again?) and the full-backs caused Arsenal plenty of problems in an attacking sense, with Trent Alexander-Arnold in particular enjoying his best performance of the season so far.

While Arsenal didn’t hit the heights they often have in big games under Mikel Arteta, they’re still a very good and dangerous side, who were made to look ordinary by the class of Jürgen Klopp’s men.

There are still deficiencies there but this was a very good result achieved without two of their first-choice midfielders. What a team they are.

A Lac of cutting edge

Arsenal had three shots on target in the game and all three fell for Lacazette, who seemed to have his boots on the wrong feet in this one.

Yes, he scored the Gunners goal but it came from a huge Robertson mistake and even then his finish wasn’t convincing – although that is harsh on him as he did still find the net.

But in games like this against the champions on the road, you aren’t going to get many clearcut openings for more goals.

At 2-1 in the second half, his poorly executed chip when through one-on-one could have been costly but the offside flag being raised afterwards did spare his blushes a little.

However, he was played in again shortly afterwards and this time, he was onside. Again, his attempt was poor, shifting on to his right foot and then firing straight at Alisson.

Those types of chances just can’t be missed in such fixtures.

You can’t help but feel the result could have been different had such openings fallen for Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. Or even Eddie Nketiah …

Handball consistency

Where the hell is the consistency when it comes to the ridiculous handball rule?

If you are going to give goals and penalties for minor infractions that aren’t deliberate, then at least make sure you’re calling it every time.

Yet again over the weekend, the rule caused havoc and came under the spotlight again for causing problems – and it was more of the same at Anfield.

Why was Diogo Jota’s late third for Liverpool allowed to stand? He’d clearly used his arm (whether intentional or not is irrelevant) in controlling the ball for his debut goal.

He took the volley well and hats off to him for netting on his debut for the club but it shouldn’t have stood under the current law.

We’re already fed up with it and if the rules aren’t being adhered to consistently then that is only going to get worse.

Bonus point: Bellerín’s throw-ins

It is rare to see a foul throw-in the game these days. Let alone two. Let alone both coming from the same player!

That was the case for Arsenal’s Hector Bellerín, who couldn’t believe what he was being pulled up on.