Analysis: Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp set Liverpool up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho in the deep central midfield roles. Xherdan Shaqiri, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane supported Mo Salah in attack.

The hosts looked to try to draw Arsenal into the centre of the pitch before then looking to exploit the wide areas. They often made this possible by dropping one of their three attacking midfielders deeper, in among Arsenal’s second defensive line; they could then receive into feet, attracting players on each side, which would create space outside for the home side’s advancing full-backs.

The Reds targeted their right side more, where they would often play passes between Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac for the runs of Salah. This would have the Egyptian running away from goal in the first instance, but he would take the centre-back with him. This then opened up a route for him to receive and then run back towards goal, as for the penalty he won and converted himself just before half-time – or it would open up space for a run from deep from Shaqiri, Firmino or even right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

With Mane, Firmino and Shaqiri often playing on different lines to Salah, the Liverpool attack could use quick combination play around the box to pull the Arsenal defensive unit on to different lines. The hosts tried to exploit this as much as possible; with a higher level of finishing, they would have added to their already impressive goal tally.

Out of possession, the Reds initially pressed high. Mane looked to close down Shkodran Mustafi while screening the pass to Stephan Lichtsteiner; Firmino positioned himself between Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, but moved towards whoever was closest to the ball; Salah would be the other side of Torreira, effectively joining Firmino in a two-on-two but also ready to press Sokratis should Arsenal switch the ball; Shaqiri, finally, would help to press Sokratis while screening the ball into Kolasinac.

Later in the game, with the points safe, Liverpool switched to a 4-4-2 mid-block and looked to conserve energy. Firmino and Salah would form the top line, while Mane and Shaqiri tucked in alongside Fabinho and Wijnaldum. The three midfielders nearest the ball would stay close to each other to prevent any penetration – this meant moving across quickly when Arsenal looked to switch play, which was easier to manage when the fresher Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana were introduced in the second half.

The Reds also then used a 4-1-4-1 shape, with Fabinho in between the lines to nullify the threat of any Arsenal players receiving in these areas. Firmino moved to left midfield and Shaqiri stayed on the right, while Henderson and Lallana played centrally. Salah stayed high on the Arsenal defensive line and looked to provide a counter-attacking threat once Liverpool regained possession, but in truth the hosts rarely looked threatened in a second half they managed intelligently ahead of Thursday’s huge visit to Manchester City.