What Arsenal’s celebrations against Liverpool really told us about the title race
The celebration police will undoubtedly be on high alert, but if Arsenal defeat West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday there could be some justification to Mikel Arteta’s side believing victory is worth more than just three points in the Premier League title race. The Gunners have already lost twice to David Moyes’s side this season, in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in early November and a dismal home defeat in the Premier League in late December.
Add in costly dropped points from a 2-0 lead towards the end of last campaign, and Arsenal suddenly have recent history to overturn against their city rivals, revenge to earn.
It helps, then, that Arsenal return to east London on the back of their result of the season so far, a 3-1 win against leaders Liverpool that propelled Arteta’s side back into the title race. If it was billed as a must-win game from an Arsenal perspective, it was celebrated as such, too. In the subsequent days, much has been made of Arteta’s sprint along the touchline and captain Martin Odegaard’s eye for a photograph as well as a pass: though if the whole debate has felt overblown, it would return with a thunder should Arsenal fail to build on their gathering momentum. West Ham are out-of-form, winless in six – or since they won at Arsenal on 28 December.
Despite the accusations that followed last weekend’s victory over Jurgen Klopp’s side, Arsenal’s players would be the first to say they have won nothing yet; with Manchester City ominously setting off on a winning run and Liverpool set to respond following a rare defeat, Arteta knows his team will need to be perfect if they are to prolong a three-way fight for the title.
The Gunners are back in must-win territory but if the relentless pressure caught up with Arsenal last season as they took on Pep Guardiola’s champions, they can afford to attack the run-in from a different perspective this season.
Arsenal will hope they are already through their difficult patch. They returned from a mid-season break to Dubai refreshed and recharged. Add in what was at stake as they hosted Liverpool, knowing defeat would leave them eight points adrift, and it contributed to Arsenal’s best display of the season: a timely reminder of their intensity and power. The hosts benefitted from a disastrous mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, but Arteta’s side harnessed the occasion, the crowd and the jeopardy. After believing they had kept their hopes of a title challenge alive, why not celebrate?
As Arsenal now look to back it up against West Ham, the ending of another streak could inspire confidence. Although gifted by Van Dijk and Alisson’s epic blunder of miscommunication, Gabriel Martinelli’s decisive goal against Liverpool signalled the first time in the Premier League this season that both the Brazilian and Bukayo Saka had scored in the same game.
There were seven Premier League games last year where dynamic young duo on Arsenal’s flanks both scored – indeed, one of them was when Arsenal last beat West Ham on Boxing Day 2022 – and the fact it took until February for one this season has been indicative of a wider drop-off.
For all of the questions around Gabriel Jesus and whether Arsenal needed to buy a No 9 in January, what the Gunners have really missed is the production from their wide and secondary forwards. Martinelli’s goal against Liverpool was just his fifth in the Premier League this season, Saka has eight, Odegaard just four; last campaign, they combined for 44. Fatigue has been cited as a factor: certainly, given how often Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard started together last year, there was always going to be a risk of that coming into the new campaign.
It’s why Arsenal needed their mid-season break more than most, and now Martinelli has three in three, Saka two in two. Partnering Jorginho and Declan Rice against Liverpool perhaps restored a better balance to Arsenal’s midfield and can provide a platform for Martinelli, Saka and Odegaard to continue working towards last season’s output. The presence of the Italian could also be good news for the former West Ham captain: Rice’s two appearances against his former side have ended in ignominious defeats, although his return to the London Stadium came from the bench as Arsenal were knocked out of the Carabao Cup.
It was hard to disagree with Arteta’s assessment then, after he took responsibility for his side’s display and team selection; it is inconceivable now that Rice, Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli start on the bench again. Arsenal, after all, are back in the heat of the title race, and if you couldn’t tell by the celebrations, they dare not drop points again.
