Arsenal Soaring and Liverpool Struggling in EPL
Last updated
Last updated
By defeating Tottenham 3-1 in the north London derby on Saturday, Arsenal made it seven victories in eight games to start the season, guaranteeing Mikel Arteta's club will remain in first place for at least another week.
Arsenal's lone loss came at Manchester United, but only after a promising and dominant performance for significant stretches at Old Trafford.
After a 3-3 draw at home against an entertaining Brighton club that had already been shaped in the daring manner of its new Italian coach, Roberto De Zerbi, getting into the top four might be the end of Liverpool's goals.
On present form, finishing in the top four and regaining Champions League eligibility for Arsenal seems well within reach.
At Anfield, Leandro Trossard scored three goals in the 83rd minute after Roberto Firmino's double had ignited Liverpool's comeback. Trossard scored twice in the first 17 minutes.
Liverpool, the reigning champion in 2020 and Manchester City's strongest league adversary in recent years, is 11 points behind Arsenal and has only won two of its first seven games.
Conor Gallagher's 90th-minute goal gave Chelsea a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace, the team he was on loan from the previous season.
At 10-men, Newcastle won 4-1. Fulham, Everton, who came from behind to defeat Southampton 2-1 at home, West Ham, who defeated Wolverhampton 2-0, Bournemouth, and Brentford all drew 0-0.
DERBY JOY
Arsenal defeated Tottenham at Emirates Stadium with ease thanks to goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, and Granit Xhaka as the visitors played with 10 men starting in the 62nd minute. When the score was 2-1, Emerson Royal was given the red card for an unnecessary studs-up challenge on Gabriel Martinelli.
Tottenham's Harry Kane converted a penalty to tie the score. Had Tottenham won, they would have passed Arsenal into first place, but instead their 13-game league unbeaten streak, dating back to last season, was snapped. With a victory over crosstown rival Manchester United on Sunday, City can close the gap on Arsenal to just one point once more.
DE ZERBI'S FAST START
As Graham Potter's replacement, De Zerbi instantly made an impact on Brighton. At Anfield, he occasionally set up his team in a 3-2-4-1 style and took chances in possession against one of the strongest pressing sides in the world.
With goals from Trossard in the fourth and 17th minutes, it was a risky move that caught Liverpool off guard.
Even Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp acknowledged that Brighton earned a point for their daring play when Virgil van Dijk flubbed a clearing from Kaoru Mitoma's cross and Trossard finished at the back post.
Brighton's playing style was mastered by Liverpool, who then made a comeback. Prior to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's errant punch from a corner that struck his own defender, Adam Webster, Firmino scored twice each side of halftime. In the 63rd minute, the ball dribbled into the goal.
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