Arsenal and Liverpool drew 0-0 in one of the most uneventful games of the season.
Games between the two sides are often full of goals. In fact, in their previous 20 meetings in the Premier League, 79 goals were scored at an average of 3.95 per match.
The clash at the Emirates on Thursday night showed no signs of that, and many people on social media have been pointing the finger at Arsenal for making the game ‘boring’.
However, a key stat shows that Liverpool were actually worse.
Who was your Man of the Match against Liverpool?
Not much quality on show tonight
Liverpool failed to even have a shot on target against Arsenal
Liverpool were much better than Arsenal in the second half.
Arne Slot made a tactical tweak at half-time after seeing his side struggle in the first half, and his changes worked.
The visitors overloaded the midfield, outnumbered the Gunners’ trio of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard, and didn’t allow Arsenal to get out for large parts of the second half.
That has made many people believe that Liverpool dominated Mikel Arteta’s side, but that’s not true at all. They just retained the ball better and controlled the game in midfield.
Despite their possession, Liverpool didn’t even come close to scoring against Arsenal. In fact, they didn’t have a shot on target all game.
According to the Premier League’s X account, the clash on Thursday night was the first time Liverpool failed to have a shot on target in the English top flight in 600 games.
Arsenal’s solid structure and incredible defence are why that happened.
Poor attacking or Arsenal’s excellent defending? The last time Liverpool failed to have a shot on target in the Premier League was 600 games ago
Arsenal fans are forgetting the big picture after Liverpool draw
Arsenal fans are right to be disappointed with the result against Liverpool.
The Gunners should be beating this Reds side, and the performance in the second half was not good enough. Every single player will admit that.
However, some of the criticism we have seen on social media has been a bit too much.
Yes, Arsenal dropped two points, but people need to remember that they are still unbeaten since that defeat to Aston Villa over a month ago.
To add to that, they remain six points clear of Manchester City and are still the favourites to win the Premier League.
A draw against Liverpool in a game where they didn’t even have a shot on target is not the end of the world.
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