Class is permanent
When you are gifted, there is really nothing that can be done about that. Ozil has been beaten severally with different sticks, but one cannot deny his supreme ability. As the Gunners struggled to break down Liverpool, the German took it upon himself to dictate tempo and direction. First, a delightful pinged pass found Aaron Ramsey, who set up Hector Bellerin for the first goal. Moments later, Ozil himself casually lifted a free-kick past Simon Mignolet with deadly grace. What can we say about Alexis Sanchez? He’s been looking tired recently, but his explosive finish before the break, is exactly why Liverpool were itching to buy him last summer.
Arsenal to finish second?
With this 4-1 win, Arsenal have now moved up to second place. Arsene Wenger’s men are four points behind Chelsea and two ahead of Manchester City, who travel to a resurgent Crystal Palace on Monday. Here is the kicker. Next week, Arsenal travel to Burnley, while the Manchester Derby is scheduled for late kick-off next Saturday. Let’s just say in the next seven days, Manuel Pellegrini really need to show they will finish behind Chelsea.
Liverpool back to mediocrity
In the first 10 or 15 minutes, Liverpool players were chasing shadows. They could not keep up with the zip, passing and urgency of Arsenal players. Save for a spell, in which Lazar Markovic should have done better, they hardly threatened the home team. With this back-to-back loss against teams fighting for Champions League places with them, you really can’t see a way back for the Reds this campaign.
Top scorers
Sanchez’s ferocious volley was his 20th goal in all competitions for Arsenal. What a player! Not far away from him, is Olivier Giroud, who has taken 2015 by storm. With 10 goals in his last 10 games, you can’t bet against the French striker hitting the 20-goal mark too.
Sterling fails his audition
Liverpool’s preparations for the game, were overshadowed by Raheem Sterling’s interview on BBC. The England international went on air to claim he is not a “money-grabbing 20-year-old”, despite turning down a 100,000-per-week contract. One of the teams reportedly circling around the winger is Arsenal. But from his anonymous showing on their own turf, one can expect Wenger will re-adjust his summer shopping list – that is if Sterling was on it at all. ——–
‘Ifreke Inyang tweets via @Ifreke
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