Liverpool and Arsenal played out a humdinger of a match at the Emirates in their first game of the Premier League season. The Reds from Merseyside haven’t had the best of times when facing Arsenal away but finally got a victory after nearly 20 attempts thanks to a 4-3 score line.
It was Arsenal who started the scoring first but Liverpool hit back with four goals. Arsenal though got a couple of goals in the end to make it a nervy affair for Liverpool. This was the fourth strength season that Liverpool started their campaign with a win and that certainly should give Jurgen Klopp and his men a tonne of confidence going into the season.
Arsenal though haven’t had the best of times in opening games and surely the boos were back for the manager. Liverpool though should revel in their win and here are three positives for the club from this game.
Sadio Mane looks worth the price tag
Many had an issue with the £34 million Liverpool paid Southampton for the 24-year-old Senegalese star but this match showed what he can do on the pitch. Mane was absolutely fantastic from the first whistle and his energy and running was a problem for the Arsenal defence.
It wasn’t just that, the winger was linked up with the rest of the team like he has been part of the side for a long time. He even took on three players and scored a wonderful fourth goal for Liverpool. The signs look good for Mane and hopefully, he should continue this performance in the days to come for the Reds.
Ragnar Klavan could be Liverpool’s rock
Another player who signed for Liverpool, not for the crazy money paid for Mane which made him the world’s most expensive African, was Ragnar Klavan, the most expensive Estonian ever in the history of the game.
The Estonian might not be that expensive or even the biggest and most well-known name in the Liverpool defence but his performance against Arsenal proved that he can be a starter for Liverpool in this campaign.
The 30-year-old did not put a foot wrong and even though he was not the fastest player in the game, he dealt with the pace and trickery of Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott very well. Klavan could well turn out to be the bargain of the season if he continues putting in performances like this.
Not capitulating under pressure
Liverpool started the game by giving away a needless penalty and they went behind a minute or so later thanks to a goal from Theo Walcott. While the Reds could have capitulated under the pressure they stayed in the game and Philippe Coutinho ensured that the Reds went in level at half-time.
Even when the Reds were pegged back to 3-4 by the Arsenal team, they held on and actually could have scored a couple of goals at the end. Normally Liverpool would have succumbed to the pressure but that did not happen.
Jurgen Klopp’s side could have scored a few more and made the game safe but there surely are more positives to be taken from the game than negatives and that should be the way forward for the team this season.