5 talking points as Liverpool punish wasteful Arsenal to progress in FA Cup
An own goal from Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior and a late strike from Luis Diaz sent Liverpool through to the FA Cup fourth round, as the Gunners were made to rue a slew of missed chances.
Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp both put out strong line-ups, signifying their desire to get this tie over and done with on the day. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka squandered most of Arsenal's opportunities which came within the first hour, but it was one of their own team-mates who dealt the crucial blow and put the Premier League leaders into the hat before Diaz clinched it.
Here are five talking points from the Emirates.
1. No More Red
Anyone who flicked on the TV and were none the wiser to the Arsenal's anti-knife crime campaign would've been baffled to see home side Arsenal draped in all-white and Liverpool in a full purple strip. There was, of course, a reason for the change, as the Gunners and kit manufacturers Adidas relaunched the 'No More Red' campaign which aims to combat youth knife crime in London.
It meant that Arsenal wore their full white kit at home for the first time in the club's history, having done so for their third-round clashes away to Nottingham Forest and Oxford United in the past couple of years. Liverpool chose to do their part by also avoiding their primary colours, having won both previous games wearing purple in the 2023-24 season.
Mikel Arteta's dream Arsenal line up as last-gasp January transfers are secured
Arsenal wore all white at home for the first time in their history (Julian Finney/Getty Images)2. Arteta and Klopp go strong
When this tie was drawn, first came the excitement, the sudden realisation that this cup tie might be water down by the dreaded rotation. But Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp gave us a welcome surprise, opting to go strong and signal their intent of making it to the fourth round without a replay.
Arsenal's only major unforced change came in goal, as Aaron Ramsdale was given the nod over new No.1 David Raya. For Liverpool, captain Virgil van Dijk was rested, while they were forced to be without star man Mohamed Salah and midfield dynamo Wataru Endo, who are now at the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively.
Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta didn't do much rotating (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)3. Misfiring Havertz strikes again - or not
The story of the first half was Arsenal dominance, barring a Trent Alexander-Arnold shot which rattled the crossbar, but at the break they had nothing to show for it. Excellent pressing of the Liverpool back line led to a flurry for chances, with Martin Odegaard striking the bar and Ben White stinging the palms of Alisson Becker.
But much of the half-time analysis was centred around Kai Havertz, who had five failed attempts. Whether it was passing to a team-mate instead of taking a shot, being too slow to pull the trigger or failing to hit the target with a header from close range, the German forward didn't do himself any favours as far as his major criticism of not being clinical enough goes.
For £65million, a return of five goals by January doesn't represent a good return on Arsenal's big summer investment. Alan Shearer had some advice for him mid-game, saying on commentary for the BBC : "[You] just don't need that touch. You're not going to get the time to take that extra touch and another one at this level. You're given an opportunity, just take it."
Your turn! Will Kai Havertz eventually prove his worth at Arsenal? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
Kai Havertz squandered a hoard of chances (Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)4. Kiwior does Klopp a favour
With 15 minutes to go and having already brought on his two senior substitutes, Klopp decided to haul off Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones for teenage duo Conor Bradley and Bobby Clark, the latter being the son of former Fulham and Newcastle midfielder Lee.
The changes marked Liverpool's best spell of the second half, with Diogo Jota firstly hitting the crossbar and then Darwin Nunez missing the follow-up. The Reds weren't made to rue their misses for long, though, as Alexander-Arnold's corner was nodded in by Arsenal's Jakub Kiwior to send the nearby away end wild.
5. Another trophy gone for Arteta
The FA Cup still marks Arteta's only trophy as Arsenal manager and the Gunners boss won't be able to get his hands on it again this year. Out of the League Cup - unlike Liverpool, who have their semi-final against Fulham in midweek - Arteta and co now only have the Champions League and Premier League to put their focus on, but they're now on a run of three defeats in a row.
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