Arsenal were disappointing in their defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, although there were some positive performances from a handful of players.
The Gunners were beaten by a solitary goal from Dominik Szoboszlai, who stepped up and curled a beautiful free-kick in off the post and past David Raya with eight minutes left to play.
While far from a disastrous display from the North London outfit, they never really threatened Liverpool’s goal and some fans were left frustrated by Mikel Arteta’s conservative approach.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard will be delighted with how certain players performed on the day and will be keen to see these individuals build on this moving forward.
Rio Ferdinand says Jurrien Timber was ‘brilliant’ vs Liverpool
Noni Madueke was impressive for Arsenal, constantly running at Milos Kerkez when he received the ball, looking to beat the Hungarian consistently.
Meanwhile, Cristhian Mosquera produced a valiant effort after being introduced early in the match in place of William Saliba.
The centre-back was composed on the ball, while demonstrating his ability to read the game and impose himself physically on a handful of occasions.
Despite this, Rio Ferdinand opted to single out a different Arsenal player who impressed him at Anfield.
The former Manchester United defender highlighted Jurrien Timber, who he felt was ‘brilliant’.
“It looks like he’s hurt himself Timber, wow, this could be a terrible day at the office [for Arsenal],” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“It was [William] Saliba in the first five minutes, now it is Timber, and he has been brilliant.”
Jurrien Timber’s statistics vs Liverpool
It was a solid showing from Timber.
Gunners fans have become accustomed to seeing the Dutch full-back perform excellently on a consistent basis, and when some of his teammates didn’t show up on Merseyside, he did.
Locking down his compatriot Cody Gakpo, Timber negated the winger’s threat by being aggressive and front-footed.
| Jurrien Timber’s Statistics vs Liverpool | |
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 46 |
| Clearances | 5 |
| Recoveries | 4 |
| Ground Duels Won | 3/5 (60%) |
| Accurate Passes | 21/25 (84%) |
| Touches in Opposition Box | 3 |
| Chances Created | 1 |
Making five clearances, four recoveries and winning three ground duels, it was a pristine defensive performance.
However, the 24-year-old didn’t just hold down his side, but also contributed to driving Arsenal forward, completing 84% of his passes, creating one chance and managing three touches in Liverpool’s box from right-back.
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