Fans online were unimpressed with William Saliba’s performance during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal. The French defender was quite shaky at the back as the Gunners fought back to secure a 2-2 draw at Anfield.
While Liverpool had already been confirmed as 2024-25 Premier League Champions, Mikel Arteta’s men had a positional battle to fight for. Hence, it came as no surprise when Arsenal fashioned the first clear chance of the evening inside four minutes, courtesy of Bukayo Saka. The hosts responded a few minutes later as Luis Diaz forced David Raya into a brilliant save.
However, the Spanish goalkeeper couldn’t do much to prevent Cody Gakpo from scoring the opener from an unmarked position in the 20th minute. Anfield was rocking again in less than 90 seconds following a brilliant move involving Mohamed Salah, Diaz, and Dominik Szoboszlai. Arsenal’s failure to register a shot on target in the first 45 minutes meant Liverpool took a 2-0 lead into the break.
The Gunners started the second half strongly, and their efforts paid dividends just two minutes after the restart. Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back, heading home Leandro Trossard’s cross into the far corner.
The visitors continued to crank up the pressure as the game progressed and were back on level terms by the 70th minute. Martin Odegaard unleashed a fierce shot from a distance, and Alisson’s save hit the post and went into the path of Mikel Merino, who planted a header into the unguarded net.
The Gunners makeshift striker would go on from being the hero to a villain as he was sent off nine minutes after his equalizer. Andy Robertson thought he had won it for Liverpool at the death, but his goal was chalked off for offside.
Saliba, who has continued to be a regular figure in Arteta’s starting XI, had an evening to forget. He was caught out of position far too often and was Arsenal’s joint lowest-rated player that started the game. He received a rating of 6.6 as per Sofascore. After the match, fans took to social media to call out his performance, with one writing:
Another tweeted:
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was very disappointed in the aftermath of their 2-2 draw with Liverpool. He was particularly critical of how they started the game, which saw them trailing by two goals after 21 minutes.
He told the media after the match:
However, he added that he’s responsible for how his players played.
Arsenal remain rooted in the second position on the league table with 68 points after 36 matches.
An ardent Chelsea fan, Ezekiel’s journey as a football fan began in his childhood, witnessing Ronaldinho dazzle with his skills. His interest in the beautiful game deepened after Nigeria were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; he was impressed with the Super Eagles’ fighting spirit in their 2-2 Group B draw against South Korea. Some other World Cup matches which have left a deep impact on him were Belgium’s incredible comeback against Japan in the round of 16 of the 2018 version and the 2022 final.
Lionel Messi is the one true GOAT for Ezekiel and he also follows the Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League owing to him and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he spends his free time deepening his SEO knowledge and watching skits.
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