Why did Arsenal stop attacking Liverpool in the second half? | OneFootball

The match between Arsenal and Liverpool ended 2-2, which wasn’t that bad, though it left some of us Gooners with questions. The main question, I’m sure, is: if we had our strongest squad, would Liverpool have stood a chance against us?

Putting that aside, Bukayo Saka posed another question in his post-match reaction that left me wondering: could Arsenal have easily won the game if they had maintained their first-half momentum in the second half?

Bukayo Saka, speaking about the atmosphere in the Arsenal dressing room after the draw, stated, “We are disappointed.

“Congratulations to Liverpool; they are a good team, but we also felt that we did not play well enough in the 90 minutes today.

“100%, we did not do well enough in the second half. In the first half, we showed quality from the whole team; we dominated and did not give them any chances. In the second half, we were more timid and did not play at our best.”

Arsenal got off to a bright start against Liverpool; by the 9th minute, they had already broken the deadlock, with Saka scoring minutes after his injury return.

Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last long; nine minutes later, Liverpool equalised from a corner. Either way, the Reds were just lucky to score that goal. In the first half, Arsenal completely dominated them, winning duel after duel and maintaining possession (52%); Liverpool just couldn’t match the Gunners physicality. Mikel Merino’s goal, scored two minutes before the halftime break, solidified the dominance of the North Londoners in the first half.

At halftime, Arsenal had a 2-1 lead; they just had to return after the break, score another goal, or just hold on to that lead.

But the Gunners were poor in the second half.Gabriel’s injury, which led to his early substitution and Timber’s withdrawal due to some discomfort, further hindered Arsenal’s performance in the second half, preventing them from maintaining their first-half momentum.

Liverpool, who had clearly struggled in the first half, regained momentum in the second half, limiting Arsenal to just 38% ball possession.

Not dominating in the second half prevented our boys from winning one of the most crucial fixtures of the season, right?

Darren N

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