‘That’s brutal’ – Gary Neville in awe of what one Arsenal player did in first half vs Liverpool
Gary Neville was almost in complete disbelief at a moment of magic during a Premier League thriller between Arsenal and Liverpool on Thursday.
Arsenal narrowly beat Bournemouth to move six points ahead of Man City and Aston Villa, before welcoming Arne Slot‘s side to the Emirates Stadium for a huge test on 8 January.
The Gunners started brighter, putting Alisson under huge pressure in the Liverpool goal, and Mikel Arteta will have felt that his side should have gone ahead in the early stages.
Bukayo Saka has not been at his best for Arsenal this season, but after dancing around Milos Kerkez inside the Reds’ penalty area in the opening 15 minutes, he had fans on their feet.
While the move eventually came to nothing, it was a huge warning sign to Slot and his players, and the Reds finally settled into proceedings, with neither side allowing for a goal to be scored.
Bukayo Saka dances around Milos Kerkez with ease
Arteta’s side had the best of the early chances, and Saka’s was the best of the bunch, finally being thumped away by anxious opposition defenders, but only just.
Speaking live on Sky Sports (8 January, 8:17pm), Neville watched on as Saka drove past Kerkez into the six-yard box, saying: “How good is that by Saka? They’re on the ropes here a little bit, the away side.
“What a joy. From the moment he came into the Arsenal team to this moment here, ripping full-backs to shreds. That’s brutal. It would’ve been a beautiful goal.“
The England international has just four goals and three assists to his name in the Premier League thus far, and with Noni Madueke adapting to Arsenal life, he is fighting for his spot in the team.
Arsenal’s opposite winger at the centre of controversy
Saka was unable to win the game for his team. And in Gabriel Martinelli‘s attempt to secure all three points, he created the biggest talking point of all in the closing stages.
Conor Bradley was clearly down injured, clutching his knee, and the Brazilian decided that he would try pushing the defender off the pitch, with the clock ticking down in North London.
That decision sparked a melee between players, with Ibrahima Konate also getting cautioned, and it left many onlookers stunned, just due to his poor decision-making in the moment.
It completely overshadowed the game, which was supposed to be a huge game for the top-of-the-table title race, but all anyone can talk about now is how the winger acted in the closing stages.
Arteta danced around the topic when asked about it, but ultimately, he should be disappointed with his player.