Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal: goals from Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Salah, Firmino

From our correspondent Davide Chinellato

April 9th
– london

Liverpool try to reopen the Premier League. He blocks Arsenal at 2-2, equalizing in the 87th minute through Roberto Firmino, a game they probably deserved to win, and allows Manchester City to reduce their lead over the leaders to 6 points, with one game to recover and a direct match to be played at Etihad on 26 April. The Gunners confirm the Anfield curse: they haven’t won us since 2012, they entered us with an open series of 7 victories in the league, they come out after having recovered the two goal lead built in a sensational first half hour as rulers, having risked collapsing in recovery, saved by Ramsdale. And now they are less certain that they are holding their first title since 2004.

the keys

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Firmino’s goal is the minimum reward for how Liverpool played from the 40th minute onwards. He put the leaders on the ropes, forced her to defend herself after starting the comeback with Mo Salah in the 42nd minute and having missed the 2-2 penalty at the start of the second half, again with the Egyptian. He deserved to win, he didn’t succeed due to mistakes in front of goal and Ramsdale’s saves in the final. The Reds are in the fourth game in a row without a win: they are always eighth, now with 44 points in 29 games, but the distance from that fourth place considered the minimum goal to immediately return to greatness next season has risen to 12 points, with Newcastle and Manchester United who have played the same number of matches. Liverpool in the second half, however, resembled the real Liverpool, the one that got lost along the way this year and that Klopp can’t find again. After that sensational first half hour, enhanced by goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal were crushed in a rare way this season. The Gunners held up only because Ramsdale confirmed that he is an extraordinary goalkeeper, because the team defended itself by always finding a way to save itself even when he made mistakes. In terms of the title, Arteta’s team remain in control of their own destiny, but will also have to live with the pressure of having City breathing down their necks.

the match

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Arsenal are unreachable in the first half hour. Already in the 8th minute Martinelli took advantage of the limits of the Liverpool defense and unlocked it, then served in the 28th minute a splendid assist for Jesus who headed it to make it 2-0. A head-to-head clash between Xhaka and Alexander-Arnold in the 40th minute has the power to awaken the Reds and the entire stadium: shortly after, Salah reopens the game, slipping Ramsdale thanks to a Henderson bank. As the two teams return to the locker room, Robertson is booked for protests for having complained to the referee about an elbow received… from one of his assistants. Anfield explodes when in the 52nd minute Liverpool earns a penalty for a foul by Holding on Jota: from the penalty spot, however, Salah angles too much and sends wide. Klopp inserts Nunez at game time, in the last 10′ the Firmino card is also played, who has scored 10 goals for the Gunners in his career: Liverpool continues to play the game, to keep Arsenal in check. The equalizer arrives in the 87th minute: Alexander-Arnold escapes Zinchenko and hits the target for Firmino, who heads in to make it 2-2. The Reds had two sensational chances in the 7′ of added time, but Ramsdale outdid first on Salah and then on Konaté. And he saves Arsenal from an unexpected turnaround.