One loose pass from a goal kick and Havertz scored at 16'. Liverpool then had 17 shots and 52 touches in Arsenal's box, and not one shot on target.
The numbers
| Liverpool | Arsenal | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 56% | 44% |
| Shots | 17 | 10 |
| On target | 0 | 3 |
| xG | 1.05 | 0.98 |
| Touches in opp. box | 52 | 24 |
| Corners | 7 | 4 |
Result the chances deserved: Liverpool 37% / 31% / Arsenal 33% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Araújo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Nyoni, Gakpo, Wirtz, Barcola, Isak.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya, Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Guimarães, Rice, Madueke, Ødegaard, Tzolis, Havertz.
Arsenal subs: Lewis-Skelly (62', Guimarães), Hincapié & Gyökeres (84', Tzolis & Havertz), Merino (88', Ødegaard) (FotMob). Arsenal coach: Mikel Arteta.
Booked: Barcola (45+2'), Madueke (55'), Kerkez (67'), Lewis-Skelly (72'), Mac Allister (80'), Timber (80'), Raya (90+3') and Van Dijk (90+7') (FotMob). Attendance 60,406 (Liverpool FC). Shots on target: Opta first credited Muñoz's late header as on target and then removed it (The Sporting News), so ESPN still shows one; Arsenal's three are from ESPN. Stats from FotMob; corners from ESPN.
Key moments, move by move
- Liverpool play out from a goal kick. Alisson's short pass, meant for Jacquet, goes astray and Arsenal pick up the loose ball (ESPN, Liverpool FC).
- Guimarães moves it to the right, to Madueke (beIN SPORTS).
- Rice overlaps Madueke down the right, and Madueke slips the ball into his path (Liverpool FC, NBC Sports).
- Rice plays it low across the box, past Van Dijk, and Havertz taps in at the back post (Liverpool FC, FotMob). Iraola: "we conceded when we mess up a goal-kick".
Liverpool had the ball and the box; Arsenal had the lead and the bodies
- Who played. One change from the Brighton win: Nyoni, 19, started next to Mac Allister and Gravenberch was on the bench (Liverpool FC). Iraola: "he gives us good control on the ball" (Sky Sports, via Sports Mole). With the ball, the 4-2-3-1 became a 3-2-5: Kerkez pushed up on the left, Araújo stayed back and Wirtz looked for the pockets behind Arsenal's midfield (Goal's tactics board).
- The goal. At 16' Alisson's short pass from a goal kick went astray. Guimarães moved the ball to Madueke, Rice overlapped, and Rice's low ball across the box found Havertz at the back post (Liverpool FC, beIN SPORTS). Until then Arsenal had the better start; Iraola: "I think the start hasn't been at the level of the game" (Liverpool FC).
- Until half-time. Liverpool's best spell. They had 28 touches in Arsenal's box in the first half, the most by any side against Arsenal in a first half since 2008/09 (Opta Analyst). Wirtz's free-kick hit the bar, Mac Allister headed Kerkez's cross over, and Timber pulled Isak's shirt as he went for Barcola's cross. Isak stayed up and no penalty was given. Iraola: "The Alex one is a clear penalty" (AFP).
- After the break. Arsenal sat deeper. Iraola: "they didn't need to take risks and they go deeper" (Liverpool FC). Arsenal made 36 clearances (ESPN). Szoboszlai came on at 59', "to see if we could maybe score from one shot outside the box", then Ngumoha, then three more at 81'. Liverpool finished with 17 shots and none on target, while Alisson saved from Tzolis at 73' to keep it at 1–0 (FotMob, NBC Sports).
Tactical scenes
Liverpool pinned Arsenal back and kept getting into the box, mostly from the left, where Kerkez pushed up. Mac Allister headed Kerkez's cross over from in front of the penalty spot, Isak fired over from a tight angle after Kerkez slipped him in, and Araújo's shot from close range was blocked. Muñoz's late header from Tsimikas' cross was the nearest Liverpool came. Iraola: "We've put them under pressure, we've put them inside the box."
Evidence: Liverpool had 52 touches in Arsenal's box to 24, 17 shots and 1.05 xG (FotMob), but no shot on target, a first at home in the Premier League on Opta's record since 2003/04 (Opta Analyst). Arsenal made 36 clearances (ESPN). FotMob match page · Liverpool FC match report · Opta Analyst: Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal stats
Recreate it in FM26
Liverpool · Iraola's 3-2-5 against Arsenal's block · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Iraola's 3-2-5 against Arsenal's block
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Alisson | Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Araújo | Inside Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Jacquet | Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Van Dijk | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Kerkez | Advanced Wing-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Mac Allister | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Nyoni | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Gakpo | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Wirtz | Advanced Playmaker | Central Outlet Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Barcola | Winger | Wide Outlet Winger |
| ST | Isak | Centre Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Goal KicksShort
- Attacking WidthWider
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineHigher
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: Build short with a back three made by an Inside Full-Back, push the other full-back high and fill the box. It needs a keeper who stays calm under pressure and a midfielder who arrives late; without one, a set defence heads everything away.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce one loose pass from a goal kick or the penalty that wasn't given for the pull on Isak.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Gravenberch on at 59' (for Nyoni), Szoboszlai on at 46' (for Gakpo). Keep the shape, but bring Szoboszlai on for Gakpo at half-time and Gravenberch for Nyoni when he tired. More shots from outside the box against a deep block, with the midfield control kept. It might have been worth a goal; it doesn't undo the goal-kick error. It moves Liverpool's win chance from 37% to 42% (xG 1.05–0.98 becomes 1.20–0.93). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Liverpool needed
Ryan Gravenberch
Liverpool lost control in midfield after Nyoni went off (Yahoo Sports), and Szoboszlai came on as a shooter. Gravenberch takes the ball under pressure from Rice and Guimarães and carries it past the first line, and he would have been one more safe option when Liverpool played out from the back.
Viktor Gyökeres
Liverpool had 52 touches in Arsenal's box and no shot on target, and most of the chances came from crosses. A centre-forward who attacks the near post and holds off a centre-back would have turned some of those crosses into headers on target.
What the analysts said
“I think the start hasn't been at the level of the game.”Andoni Iraola (Liverpool FC)
“It's true we conceded when we mess up a goal-kick.”Andoni Iraola (Liverpool FC)
“I think we've done today more than enough to score.”Andoni Iraola (Liverpool FC)
“The thinking is that he's playing very well and we trust him.”Andoni Iraola on Nyoni, to Sky Sports (Sports Mole)
“When we conceded the goal, after that we started to play much better.”Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool FC)
“It's been such a long time without this feeling here, that we really needed it.”Mikel Arteta (AFP, via Yahoo)
Liverpool had the ball and the box, but never made Raya work.
What's happening. Arsenal won 1–0 at Anfield for the first time in 14 years. Liverpool are fifth, nine points behind them. One mistake decided it: Alisson's short pass from a goal kick went astray and Havertz scored at 16'. After that Liverpool had most of the ball and the better chances, but none of their 17 shots hit the target.
How it works. An early lead lets a good side drop into two banks of four and defend its box. Arsenal's wide men tracked the full-backs, the centre-backs took the crosses, and the clock did the rest. Against that, the attacking side needs something other than crosses: a runner from midfield who arrives late, a shot from outside the box, a winger who beats his man. Building short from goal kicks has its own cost. One loose pass and the opponent is already at your box.
What the shots say. FotMob gives Liverpool slightly more xG and twice as many touches in Arsenal's box. It was also their first home league game without a shot on target on Opta's record. One reading: Liverpool were the better side for an hour and lost to an error, the crossbar and a missed penalty call. The other: a lot of the ball, little quality. The best chance, Mac Allister's free header, went over, and Raya barely had a save to make.