In today's Premier League focus game Liverpool hosted Arsenal at home, there was a very controversial scene: in the 21st minute, Arsenal captain Odegaard was defending in the penalty area, and he stumbled and did not stand firmly, causing him to subconsciously slap the ball with his hand almost a "basketball action". After that, Salah and others quickly told the referee, but the referees did not approve of it, and the game continued.
It should be said that there is nothing wrong with the slow release, this is a standard handball in the box, and the penalty is a must-blow. Therefore, it is inevitable that there will be a huge dissatisfaction, and Liverpool fans will of course be very angry. Considering the many performances of Premier League referees this season, it is helpless to have such low-level mistakes in such a crucial game. It's the best race in the world!
Of course, this is even more true when considering the actual development of the game. Arsenal's blitzkrieg goal is a display of their youthful energy, creating fouls, taking penalties, and scoring goals, which is indeed very impulsive. Liverpool may not have even been in the game when Arsenal started scoring and celebrating. This is Arteta's style of play.
Therefore, Odegaard's foul when defending in his own penalty area this time can be regarded as Liverpool's efforts and the team's struggle to chase points. Unfortunately, they were worn out by the referee team to wear out these positive elements.
Fortunately, Liverpool deserved to be England's old team, and they quickly pulled away from the incident just nine minutes later, completing the goal, and once again dragging Arsenal back, 1-1.
This time, Liverpool's big foot found the striker, and Salah's stop and unloading shot showed their excellent form very well, and also fully demonstrated their strategic design, which is not outdated.
Of course, it must be said that Arteta's side did have the help of the referee, but they were able to get points at Anfield and it was also a matter of their own efforts. After this controversy was drowned out by the balance of power, both sides began to experiment with their routines according to the style pattern, hoping that the other party could naturally "follow" and defeat the opponent in the game they were familiar with.
However, since they are all championship contenders, they will not be fooled so easily. The fence erected by Arteta's team at the back is the fundamental reason that Liverpool cannot be defeated, and Rice with Saliba and Gabriel's midfield trio is indeed too brilliant. They didn't suffer in the confrontation with Salah, Gakpo and Dias, which was the basis for them to keep 1-1.
You know, one of Arsenal's big problems last season was that they didn't play at all after getting the advantage. It is inevitable to be equalized or even overtaken by the opponent. This is closely related to the fact that their defense system is not stable enough. This season, under Mikel Arteta and Declan Rice's help, the team's defensive stability has indeed been upgraded, and they have always been able to maintain it after 1-0, no longer like in the last few games at the end of last season, when the lead was tied and then faced with the Blue Moon to send the opponent to the title.
For Liverpool, who are playing at home, this game is also a bit of a pity. Leaving aside the 12-yard line opportunity that must be blown for the time being, they are not efficient enough to dribble in the middle of the front, and the main problem is related to their own performance, but also related to the arrangement of the field of the game. It does look too slippery. It was also interesting to see Salah and Dias fail to accelerate several times on the counter-attack. You know, they're a team that wins by speed!