Arteta and Klopp's touchline behaviour summed up Arsenal vs Liverpool opening

04 February 2024 , 17:20

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Arteta and Klopp's touchline behaviour summed up Arsenal vs Liverpool opening

Arsenal flew out of the blocks in their clash with Liverpool on Sunday, and there were times when Mikel Arteta seemed to be doing just as much running as the players.

The meeting between the sides third and first in the table had been billed as a must-win one for Arsenal if they are to stand any chance of sustaining their title challenge this season, and that was a message conveyed by the crowd to the home side during their impressive and vibrant start.

Liverpool were being outnumbered in midfield where Alexis Mac Allister struggled to get a grip on the game and Ryan Gravenberch failed to impose himself. At one point the Dutchman's loss of possession led to a frustrated shake of the head from Jurgen Klopp, who turned to his bench and made his displeasure known.

In the opposite technical area however, Arteta was a bundle of energy as he urged his side on and frequently ran to retrieve the ball when it went out for an Arsenal throw. Quick restarts were clearly the order of the day for the Gunners boss, while it was also intriguing to see Arsenal's ball boys and girls put the ball down for Liverpool's players instead of quickly returning it to them. A tactic to try and delay the Reds' restarts perhaps? Maybe.

Arteta was pumped up for the clash at the Emirates (Michael Zemanek/REX/Shutterstock)

There was no stopping Arteta though, and after he leapt into the air in frustration when Bukayo Saka failed to connect with a headed chance, he was soon jumping for joy when the England man fired his side into a deserved lead shortly afterwards.

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Klopp, meanwhile, remained unmoved, and it would take him until half an hour before he first registered his displeasure to the assistant referee on his side. That was just before Arteta became even more incensed with referee Anthony Taylor's decision to book Ben White.

The Gunners boss reacted in disbelief when his defender was cautioned, but he was soon back to ball boy duty when he leapt in the air to catch a stray pass and deliver it to White.

The pumped up nature of their manager was transmitting to the stands and onto the pitch, and the Gunners would have been good value for a half-time lead if they hadn't conceded such a bizarre equaliser when Gabriel handled the ball into his own net.

Mark Jones