April 11th 2023.
Chris Sutton believes Mikel Arteta will be ‘furious’ with Granit Xhaka, after Arsenal's hard-fought draw with Liverpool at Anfield.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) After the Gunners scored twice in the opening 28 minutes, it looked like they were on course to restore their eight-point lead over Premier League title rivals Manchester City. However, Liverpool responded before half-time through Mohamed Salah, and dominated the second half.
The Reds were close to earning a crucial win, as Salah missed a penalty and Aaron Ramsdale denied Darwin Nunez, but Roberto Firmino headed home a late equaliser to secure a draw.
Former Premier League striker Sutton believes the game changed after Xhaka and Alexander-Arnold clashed, giving Liverpool the motivation to stop playing passively. He suggested that Arteta will be ‘furious’ that Xhaka provided the hosts with the spark they needed, and praised Klopp's team for their fighting spirit.’Jurgen Klopp used to describe his Liverpool players as “mentality monsters”,’ Sutton said. ‘But for the first 40 minutes of this match, they were more like “meek mice”.
However, Xhaka's clash with Alexander-Arnold gave Liverpool the wake-up call they needed, and their energy and animosity was contagious, bringing the team back to life.
Chris Sutton believes Mikel Arteta will be 'furious' with Granit Xhaka after Arsenal's impressive draw with Liverpool at Anfield. The Gunners had stunned Anfield by scoring twice in the opening 28 minutes, and looked on course to restore their eight-point lead over title rivals Manchester City. However, Liverpool responded before half-time through Mohamed Salah before dominating the second half. Despite Salah missing a penalty and Aaron Ramsdale denying Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino headed home a late equaliser to earn a share of the spoils.
Former Premier League striker Sutton claims Xhaka's clash with Trent Alexander-Arnold was a turning point in the match and says Arteta will be 'furious' that Xhaka gave Liverpool 'a reason to stop playing so passively'. He said: 'Jurgen Klopp used to describe his Liverpool players as "mentality monsters" but for the first 40 minutes of this match, they were more like "meek mice". Liverpool were asleep, 2-0 down and doing nothing to encourage any noise from their supporters. Then Granit Xhaka woke them up.
However, his actions sparked a positive change, giving Liverpool a much-needed boost of energy and enthusiasm to fight back and secure an impressive draw.
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