Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0 (pen. 4-5)- Match Recap: Shooting Blanks

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Liverpool left it up to pens, and once again came up short in the shootout against the Gunners.

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Liverpool 0 - 0 Arsenal

(penalties 4-5)

Reds: Milner O, Wijnaldum O, Minamino O, Origi X, Jones O, Wilson X
Gunners: Lacazette O, Cedric O, Elneny X, Maitland-Niles O, Pepe O, Willock O

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Pre-Match

Another interesting line-up from Klopp. Xheradan Shaqiri is apparently being held back with a potential transfer underway. Good news, bad news for James Milner. He’s captaining the side...but doing so from left back. Unlucky. Otherwise we have Williams and Williams and Virgil Van Dijk making up the rest of the backline. Mohamed Salah gets a rare appearance in a domestic cup, and Diogo Jota earns his first Liverpool start. Curtis Jones is in the midfield, but sadly no Harvey Elliott. Hopefully we’ll see Elliott in the second half.

First Half

The first danger of the night comes from the visitors, but backup keeper Adrian does brilliantly to clear the danger when it looked like they were in.

Liverpool do great to create a fantastic chance off a corner, but Grujic makes a mess of the chance and his weak shot goes wide of the target.

With 25 minutes gone, the match is still very cagey, with neither side really gaining a foothold.

OFF THE POST! I’m not sure how Minamino didn’t score there! Just before the break, Liverpool have their two best chances. Jota tests the keeper with a great header back across the goal, and then Taki hits the post off the rebound. Unlucky!

The two teams were always going to have trouble replicating the intensity from Monday night, especially with the heavily changed sides. There were flashes of brilliance, but not enough to create a goal. It’s a disjointed performance so far, but hopefully things pick up in the second half.

Second Half

Liverpool go close again, and once again off a corner. The ball is headed down into Van Dijk’s feet. Leno does great to get down for Virgil’s shot, and the match remains scoreless. However, the Reds are slowly turning up the pressure as the hour mark approaches.

Klopp makes his first subs of the night, hooking Mo Salah and Van Dijk for Divock Origi and Joe Gomez, respectively.

Leno is having an annoyingly good match. He’s made several saves at full stretch so far tonight. And it’s good luck from an Arsenal perspective; they’ve offered nothing going forward in the second half.

And just as I say that, Arsenal create a great chance from a header, but Adrian is alive to the danger and makes the big save.

Gini Wijnaldum is coming on for Liverpool’s last sub of the night. Jota makes way. These sides look punched out as we enter the last 15 minutes or so.

Looks like this is heading to penalties...

Final Thoughts

Losing on pens. One of them, innit.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com