The first real test of the new Emery regime ended in an action-packed 1-1 draw as Liverpool took a second half lead, with Arsenal forward Alex Lacazette leveling with ten minutes or so left on the clock. Having seen his men fall to both Manchester City and Chelsea in the opening two weeks of the season, Emery then went about implementing his methods quietly under the radar establishing a momentum filled winning run that's now a thirteen match unbeaten streak. So after winning game after game (with a hiccup away at Palace), fellow top six team Liverpool visited the Emirates looking for another win over Arsenal.
A scintillating first half (that did feature a dubiously disallowed Sadio Mane goal) was end to end from start to finish. There were chances galore at both ends but it was the Gunners who had the better of these chances and bar a little misfortune could have gone into the break two or three up.
No changes at half time for either side meant more of the same in the second half. And us fans weren't left disappointed. Adding to the first half performance, Arsenal delivered pretty much the best performance to date under Unai Emery and didn't deserve to go one-nil down on the hour mark when James Milner smashed home a rebound. A couple of changes after this saw Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang leave the pitch five minutes apart and were replaced by Alex Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey. Both injected even more life into the match and were equal catalysts to another gear in the Arsenal machine that eventually built some neat play through to Lacazette who looked to round the keeper. Forced wide, he turned full circle and curled home a rifled strike into the side of the net to send the Emirates Stadium mad. Celebrations carried and the roar around the stadium actually showed more than just a good equalising goal but actually showed a togetherness and belief that went missing during the latter years of Arsene Wenger's tenure. 1-1 was the minimum requirement though and although there is clear progress in the Emery regime, this is just first step. Plenty more to do in what will surely be an exciting season.
Ratings
Bernd Leno - 7.5
Generally kept well but what actually earned him this rating is his continuous ability and confidence to build from the back. We see him kick short and long with both feet consistently and accurately relieving pressure when necessary. Slightly slack for Milner's goal giving a juicy rebound but was there actually anymore he could do?
Hector Bellerin - 7
Consistent going forward and although there were a few hairy moments at the back, Mane was quieter than Salah and much of this was testament to Bellerin defensively. His natural pace did stand him in good stead though.
Skhodran Mustafi - 7
Another better than average but not quite great performance from the German centre back who is starting to build something good with Rob Holding. Happy to receive the ball from his keeper at all times, Mustafi defended well and helped contribute to Firmino's little impact on the game.
Rob Holding - 8.5
The young English centre back put in yet another impressive performance against Liverpool and although he was assisted by Mustafi, he kept Brazilian Firmino quiet for the game's entirety so much so that he was withdrawn for Xerdan Shaqiri with ten minutes left on the clock. Much like Mustafi, he's not blessed with great pace and therefore uses his football brain much more to better understand where and how he needs to position himself in order to be successful.
Sead Kolasinac - 7.5
The Tank somewhat silenced the haters in this one, as having been drafted straight in after injury had to deal with Mo Salah for ninety minutes, often quite isolated and unassisted by his left winger. He stuck to his guns well and generally kept Salah out. There were of course moments where Salah's class shone through but a better than average performance from the Bosnian when nothing less was required.
Lucas Torreria - 9.5
MOTM - Two words for this man in this game...absolutely outstanding. Started slowly for his standards but warmed to the game where all bar conceding (which wasn't his fault) tainted his display. Aggressive, organised, disciplined, tough and fit - everything the midfield general needs to patrol in front of his back four.
Granit Xhala - 9
A close second for man of the match, who arguably saw the better moments. Most passes, most recoveries and most tackles than anyone else on the pitch generally, and generally more action than anyone else. Xhaka was at the heights of any deep lying playmaker should be and dictated everything from minute one. Another step in the direction that could take him to Arsenal skipper in the not to distant future.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 6
Involved in very little and did nothing to justify his selection over the in-form Iwobi. Unfortunate that any sub entering the fray comes on against tired players and therefore impresses that bit more but the Armenian did show maturity and defensive noust a little more than we are used to seeing which certainly helped his rating.
Mesut Ozil - 7.5
Some will say 'Ozil went missing again' but did he really? No. He controlled attacking midfield with caution and maturity and surprisingly enough tracked back and did the dirty a lot more than we are used to seeing. He saw Granit Xhaka take the game by the horns and dug in for a solid and responsible performance rather than looking to steal the show. Just the job that was needed with Xhaka taking centre stage.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 7
The Gabonese found it hard it get into the game at times, and when he did he then found it just as hard to stay in the game. Took it to his man on a few occasions but generally a quiet evening at the office for the league's joint top goal scorer.
Alex Lacazette - 8.5
Stole the show with a well deserved equaliser late in the game, and celebrated with pure passion. Ran hard, pressured tirelessly and linked well often enough. Another solid performance from the Frenchman who rediscovered his scoring touch to keep pace with those leading the scoring charts.
Subs
Alex Iwobi - 7
Came on with plenty of time to leave his mark and boy did he. Ran at a tired looking Alexander-Arnold solidly with dazzling feet (with almost at must stardust as his old uncle JayJay Okocha) and eventually created a hole and slid a nice through ball to Alex Lacazette for him to bend home.
Aaron Ramsey - 6.5
Slightly less time on the pitch than Iwobi but still made an impression. The Welshman added a level of energy to the midfield that Liverpool just could not match. Great attitude again considering his position.
Danny Welbeck - 5
Saw roughly ten minutes of action but got the crowd on their feet a few times with some rapid bulldozing runs. Had a go down both flanks and looks confident, even coming off the bench. Clearly content enough with his role right now.
@craigbennett10
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