{"id":181594,"date":"2016-01-14T07:44:42","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T07:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=181594"},"modified":"2016-01-14T07:44:42","modified_gmt":"2016-01-14T07:44:42","slug":"liverpool-hold-arsenal-at-anfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=181594","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool hold Arsenal at Anfield"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arsenal had their advantage at the top of the Premier League cut after Joe Allen\u2019s late equaliser gave Liverpool a deserved point in an Anfield thriller.<\/p>\n

Olivier Giroud\u2019s second-half strike \u2013 his second of the night and 18th of the season \u2013 looked to have put the Gunners on course for a crucial victory, but substitute Allen rewarded the hosts for a display bursting with energy and spirit with a low 90th-minute finish.<\/p>\n

Roberto Firmino twice gave Liverpool the lead in a breathless first half, the second a spectacular 20-yard drive, but Arsenal took advantage of poor defending from Jurgen Klopp\u2019s side to level through Aaron Ramsey and Giroud.<\/p>\n

Giroud also missed an open goal in the first half, while Firmino struck the bar in a wide open game.<\/p>\n

With 10 minutes remaining, Arsenal\u2019s lead at the top of the table was four points. Yet Robert Huth\u2019s late winner for Leicester City at Tottenham and Allen\u2019s late strike left Arsenal only ahead of the Foxes on goal difference.<\/p>\n

\n
\"JoeJoe Allen\u2019s goal was his first in the Premier League since April 2015 (Image credit: AFP)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Arsenal pay the price for frailty<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The visitors looked to have finally established supremacy in this topsy-turvy encounter when Giroud turned to put them ahead 10 minutes after the break \u2013 but then failed to press home the advantage and paid a heavy price.<\/p>\n

And it will be a matter of concern to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that on nights like this at places like Anfield, they did not show the necessary ruthlessness to close out a game that was within their grasp.<\/p>\n

The Reds deserve great credit for the way they responded to the disappointment of going behind after leading twice \u2013 but Arsenal showed no assurance or authority when the pressure mounted in the closing stages and there was an inevitability about Allen\u2019s equaliser.<\/p>\n

Arsenal, when they should have been pressuring a desperately poor and under-strength Liverpool defence, instead allowed themselves to be pushed back. This was two points lost and Klopp will be the much happier manager.<\/p>\n

Two sides to Olivier Giroud<\/p>\n

For such a regular goalscorer, Giroud remains a maligned figure by some Arsenal fans who regard him as just short of the highest class \u2013 and yet his strike rate speaks eloquently on his behalf.<\/p>\n

He showed a poacher\u2019s instinct to touch home his first from Ramsey\u2019s corner then showed good awareness and movement to turn Kolo Toure and score his second.<\/p>\n

And yet those who remain unconvinced by Giroud will point to his astonishing first-half miss when he somehow failed to convert Hector Bellerin\u2019s pass from a matter of inches in front of the Kop.<\/p>\n

Here, though, he demonstrated again that he will get goals and that is the best answer he can give to those who still doubt the France striker\u2019s pedigree.<\/p>\n

\n
\".\"Olivier Giroud\u2019s second goal was an excellent finish but the move leading up to it was just as impressive \u2013 it all started with Laurent Koscielny playing a pass back to goalkeeper Petr Cech<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Mignolet on borrowed time<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet is poised to sign a new five-year contract at Anfield and has won the consistent backing of manager Klopp despite his fragile form.<\/p>\n

And yet he was once again a very obvious weakness behind a Liverpool defence that was an accident waiting to happen for large portions of this enthralling game.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old Belgian was beaten too easily inside his near post when Ramsey equalised after Firmino\u2019s opener, then was hopelessly stranded as Giroud\u2019s faint touch allowed a corner to sneak in. It was desperately poor keeping.<\/p>\n

For all Klopp\u2019s public assurances \u2013 he would not do otherwise \u2013 he must surely be concerned at Mignolet\u2019s obvious frailty, alongside the glaring inadequacy of his deputy Adam Bogdan, as proved by his errors at Watford and Exeter City.<\/p>\n

Liverpool have recalled 22-year-old Welsh keeper Danny Ward from a successful loan spell at Aberdeen so he is now in the mix \u2013 but Klopp has to consider a more reliable, experienced long-term solution after Mignolet\u2019s latest blunders.<\/p>\n

Man of the match \u2013 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)<\/p>\n

\n
\"RobertoWith Christian Benteke on the bench, this was a big night for Roberto Firmino and he responded with a performance which showed why Liverpool paid around \u00a329m to sign the Brazil forward. His second goal was truly delightful (Image credit: Reuters)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What the managers said<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: \u201cWe started so good and played good football. It showed all of us how good we could be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we concede a goal from a set play and we have to work at it. Organisation is one thing and sometimes we have a little problem with concentration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gave them two easy goals after we had to work really hard for our goals. We had many moments which I am happy with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: <\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m very disappointed but, overall, I cannot fault the effort and commitment of the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a difficult start. At 3-2, we should have made it 4-2 and didn\u2019t make the right decision in the final third.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiverpool fought until the last second.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stats you need to know<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Olivier Giroud has scored four times in his past four Premier League games against Liverpool<\/li>\n
  • The Frenchman has scored 11 goals in his past 11 appearances away from home in all competitions<\/li>\n
  • Roberto Firmino ended a seven-game Premier League run without a goal, having last scored v Man City in November<\/li>\n
  • Two of Joe Allen\u2019s past three Premier League goals have come in 3-3 draws, also v Palace in May 2014<\/li>\n
  • Aaron Ramsey has been involved in five goals in the past four Premier League games versus Liverpool (two goals, three assists)<\/li>\n
  • This was the first Premier League fixture at Anfield to see both sides score twice in the first 25 minutes<\/li>\n
  • The last 10 Premier League meetings between these clubs at Anfield have seen 41 goals scored<\/li>\n
  • James Milner made his 300th Premier League start in this fixture. He provided his first Premier League assist v Arsenal in his 23rd game against them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    What next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Liverpool don\u2019t have long to recover before they entertain fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday (14:05 GMT). Arsenal\u2019s next game is a trip to Stoke, where they have failed to win on their past five Premier League visits, on Sunday (16:15 GMT).<\/p>\n

    –<\/p>\n

    Source: BBC<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Arsenal had their advantage at the top of the Premier League cut after Joe Allen\u2019s late equaliser gave Liverpool a deserved point in an Anfield thriller. Olivier Giroud\u2019s second-half strike \u2013 his second of the night and 18th of the season \u2013 looked to have put the Gunners on course for a crucial victory, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-181594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=181594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181594\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=181594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=181594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=181594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}