Arsenal Expose Liverpool at Anfield: The Worrying Truth

• Liverpool failed to register a shot on target at Anfield
• Seventeen shots produced just 1.15 XG and little jeopardy
• Iraola’s bench tweaks couldn’t crack Arsenal’s back line

What Arsenal Exposed at Anfield

Anfield has seen miracles, but this was a sober reality check. For the first time since records began in 2003-04, Liverpool ended a Premier League game at Anfield without a shot on target. It’s not an isolated blip either — they also drew a blank away at Arsenal in January. The atmosphere created waves of pressure, as Declan Rice put it, but pressure isn’t the same as quality. Liverpool racked up 17 efforts for a combined 1.15 XG; outside of Florian Wirtz rattling the bar from a free kick and Alexis Mac Allister heading over, there wasn’t much to make David Raya sweat. And when you’re sizing up title rivals — and eyeing form like punters checking the best football betting sites — that lack of precision matters.

Yes, Liverpool can grumble about Jurrien Timber’s tug on Alexander Isak not yielding a penalty. But a side that gifted possession for the decisive goal and didn’t test the keeper has to look inward first. Arsenal’s structure was outstanding; Liverpool’s 34 crosses too often met fresh air.

Why the £100m Forwards Misfired

This is the dilemma: three £100m men in the front four, plus the ever-reliable Cody Gakpo, yet no cutting edge. Wirtz remains without a league goal this season and Liverpool have created just seven big chances in the campaign — thin gruel for your chief creator. Bradley Barcola brought blistering pace and lit up the first half, but his goals so far have come against LASK, not the elite. And Isak — a striker Liverpool prized to the tune of £125m — was kept at arm’s length by a defence that relishes these occasions. He’s been prolific overall, but that defining goal in a title-shaper still eludes him.

Did Iraola’s Changes Help?

Andoni Iraola rolled the dice: Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz for fresh legs, Dominik Szoboszlai for a long-range threat. The intent was right, the impact limited. Ngumoha added spark between the lines, but Arsenal’s block stayed intact and Liverpool’s only goal across their last three meetings with the Gunners remains Szoboszlai’s stunning free kick last August. The wider concern? With Hugo Ekitike still sidelined, there’s no elite finisher to change the picture from the bench; instead, it’s promise in Lewis Koumas rather than punch.

Arsenal are the benchmark now — hardened, ruthless, and hard to rattle. Liverpool under Iraola have the energy and the names, but the cohesion in the final third is missing. Until that sharpness returns, the title conversation belongs more to Mikel Arteta’s men than the challengers from Anfield.

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