Arsenal continued their blistering start to the season with a crucial 3-2 victory against Liverpool to return to the summit of the Premier League table at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Gabriel Martinelli struck in the first minute, and Bukayo Saka followed with a brace to sink Liverpool to their second Premier League loss and into 10th place in the table.
Arsenal started at a frantic pace and opened the scoring within the first minute.
Extended play down the right wing ended with Saka turning the ball inside to Martin Odegaard. He severed Liverpool’s back-line open with an incisive pass latched onto and finished by Martinelli.
The hosts looked convinced in the early stages. Still, Liverpool grew into the affair midway through the first half, and their increased effort was rewarded 11 minutes before half-time, as Darwin Nunez scored his second league goal of the season.
Liverpool was exposed down their right side again, allowing Martinelli to flash a pin-point low cross to Saka, who swept home past Alisson.
In a back-and-forth game, Liverpool struck back level eight minutes after half-time. Diogo Jota’s pass stretched the Arsenal defence, and Roberto Firmino dispatched a left-footed strike past Aaron Ramsdale into the far corner.
But typical of Arsenal and Liverpool’s notoriously high-scoring affairs, there was yet another twist, and it went the way of the hosts as Arteta’s side was awarded a penalty in the 74th minute when Thiago Alcantara was penalised for dangerous play on Gabriel Jesus
Saka doubled his tally, slotting past Alisson despite the Brazilian goalkeeper diving the right way.
Arsenal held on to overtake Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Liverpool is yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season (D2 L2); this is the first time since 2010-11 under Roy Hodgson that they’ve failed to win any of their opening four away games in a Premier League campaign.
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