Liverpool wasteful again as Unai Emery haunts Arsenal – Premier League hits and misses | Football News

Arsenal must respond to Arteta’s challenge

Aston Villa’s win at the Emirates isn’t fairly as devastating to Arsenal’s title hopes as Brighton’s victory in north London in Might final 12 months however it has the identical impact – handing the initiative to Manchester City in the title race.

Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat by the hands of Unai Emery, their former supervisor, means they missed the prospect to return to the highest of the desk, as an alternative handing champions Metropolis a two-point lead with six video games to play.

Whereas there are 18 factors nonetheless to play for, the indicators are ominous for Arsenal and fellow title chasers Liverpool. Metropolis are six video games from a fourth successive title for a purpose – they know tips on how to shut issues out at this stage of the season.

Mikel Arteta’s response to the defeat felt pointed. The supervisor admitted he anticipated his aspect to endure a setback in the course of the run-in however urged his aspect to “get up”, including: “The second is now”.

Arteta has challenged his aspect to point out they’re stronger than 12 months in the past, after they blew their lead on the prime of the desk as Metropolis had been topped once more.

How Arsenal reply to this defeat, in addition to their supervisor’s phrases, will probably be instructive. Victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday will present classes have been discovered – however a Champions League exit will go away a second consecutive season in peril of tapering off.
Joe Shread

Liverpool’s finishing will cost them the title

Not less than the blame could be shared. Darwin Nunez ought to have scored however so ought to his alternative Diogo Jota. Curtis Jones will probably be questioning how he missed however the midfielder can share that frustration with the group’s star ahead Mohamed Salah.

Crystal Palace defended gamely in beating Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield and can really feel their resilience was rewarded however the house aspect can solely look to their very own ending. Jamie Carragher felt they may have had 4. Jamie Redknapp opted for six as an alternative.

The sober statistical evaluation supplied by Opta means that the expected-goals determine for the probabilities created by Liverpool was virtually three. The fact is that they scored none. This wastefulness as a decisive stage of the season is more likely to show pricey.

Liverpool are being outscored within the Premier League title race by Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal. Not by a lot. However it’s vital as a result of Jurgen Klopp’s aspect have really created many extra possibilities than their rivals. The distinction in ending is marked.

Metropolis would have been anticipated to attain 68 objectives from their possibilities however have really scored 76. Arsenal would have been anticipated to attain 62 objectives from their possibilities however have really scored 75. However Liverpool’s possibilities, value 75 objectives, have yielded solely 72.

Nunez’s lack of composure in entrance of objective is properly documented and it’s maybe no shock that Metropolis have been colder however Arsenal too? That’s damning. Salah, as soon as such a medical finisher, is underperforming his anticipated objectives for the second season in a row.

It has been a recurring theme of late, costing them two factors towards Manchester United at OId Trafford. Right here, it was all three. No disaster, only a disappointment. And more likely to show the distinction between Liverpool and their rivals on this Premier League title race.
Adam Bate

Phenomenal Emery returns to haunt Arsenal

It simply needed to be, did not it? The weekend Arsenal may have moved one level clear on the prime of the Premier League with simply six video games remaining, solely to be haunted by their former boss Unai Emery.

It was all arrange for Arsenal to take pole place within the title race, with Liverpool being stunned at home by Crystal Palace earlier on Sunday, however the Gunners had been left shocked themselves in entrance of their very own followers.

Whereas the headlines will probably be about Arsenal squandering their probability to return to the summit, it is essential to reward Villa for what Gary Neville described as an “excellent” show. Emery’s aspect have huge ambitions of their very own and are actually in an important place to complete within the prime 4 following Tottenham’s heavy defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.

Paul Merson believes Villa are underrated and he has a degree. Having not completed increased than fifth since 1997, Emery took over a aspect languishing close to the underside of the league in October 2022 and has since led them to inside touching distance of Champions League soccer and a European trophy.

His appointment at Arsenal six years in the past got here on the improper time however there isn’t any doubting Emery is an exceptional coach. The 52-year-old guided the Gunners to a fifth-placed end in his solely full season in cost and whereas they’ve undoubtedly improved underneath Mikel Arteta, Emery may properly have dealt them a killer blow of their quest to finish their 20-year anticipate the title.

Emery has now misplaced simply one in every of his seven video games in all competitions towards Arsenal. How pivotal will this consequence towards his ex-employers develop into?
Dan Sansom

Plucky Palace enjoy Anfield more than any other

A whole lot of cliched soccer sayings are bogus. Born out of idle pub chat, often after a lemonade or two. However the phrase ‘bogey group’ holds real advantage. Liverpool’s is Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are the primary opposition aspect to win three Premier League video games at Anfield since Jurgen Klopp took cost. No different group has received there greater than as soon as. And this newest triumph eclipsed all others.

Liverpool’s anticipated objectives complete reached 2.87 – their most on file in a sport through which they didn’t rating (since 2010-11). The brilliance of Joachim Andersen and makeshift centre-back associate Jefferson Lerma made certain of that.

Andersen made 14 clearances, seven of these headed, probably the most of any participant on the pitch. Lerma received 100 per cent of his aerial duels too. It was a brilliantly managed, calm, and at occasions heroic efficiency from a aspect whose defensive file has been patchy.

This was Liverpool’s first house league defeat since October 2022, however their second within the area of 4 days in all competitions after falling to Atalanta on Thursday. Jurgen Klopp had promised a response to that, however did not account for Palace’s dogged willpower and defiance, finest summed up by Tyrick Mitchell’s stretch to dam Mo Salah in second-half stoppage time.

Oliver Glasner’s group can breathe a lot simpler now, with the reward daylight between themselves and the drop zone.
Laura Hunter

Silva finally bringing the best out of mercurial Pereira

English audiences first set eyes on Andreas Pereira in a Man Utd shirt a decade in the past, though he went on to solely make 45 appearances in complete throughout a stop-start profession at Previous Trafford, together with loans to Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo, earlier than Marco Silva determined to deliver him to west London in July 2022.

The Portuguese backed his man-management expertise and training talents to get the perfect out of the, at occasions, irritating Brazil worldwide and that’s precisely what he has executed.

Silva spoke within the aftermath of Fulham’s 2-0 win at West Ham, through which Pereira starred to attain his first-ever Premier League double, of how he has modified the participant’s place in midfield to assist deliver the perfect out of him.

“This afternoon the plan was clear for him,” mentioned Silva in his post-match press convention. “We mentioned to by no means be [in front] of the 2 West Ham midfielders. We needed him within the pockets, between the strains, that is how we deliberate the sport. About him arriving within the field, that is one thing we’re demanding of him.”

And boy did the 28-year-old heed his supervisor’s recommendation on the London Stadium to deliver up his twelfth objective involvement in 40 matches in all competitions to this point this season, with Pereira particularly operating over to embrace his supervisor on the touchline after opening the scoring with the duo’s shut bond there for all to see.
Richard Morgan

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