Liverpool's open play crosses: Second half

A WONDERFUL WINNER

We started on the front foot and took a deserved lead 16 minutes in via a Havertz tap-in at the far post. The goal stemmed from an error by Alisson when he tried to play out from the back, but his loose pass to Jeremy Jacquet was cut out by Martin Odegaard. Alive to the possibility, our captain was very sharp to intercept the pass even when he was second favourite:

From there we moved the ball from left to right, but it was Declan Rice’s decision to make a long, arcing run around Noni Madueke which proved to be the most decisive call. Identifying an opportunity to create a 2v1 overload around left-back Milos Kerkez, the midfielder’s galloping run was too hot for Bradley Barcola to keep up with as he tracked back:

For his part, the German striker was intelligent in the way he hung back at the rear post to create a 2v1 around Ronald Araujo. Had Havertz sprinted into the centre of the six-yard box, he would have been easier for Liverpool to mark. This quality of this well-constructed goal was worthy of winning a match of this magnitude.

SENSIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS

Mikel Arteta has made a habit of getting his second-half changes spot on, and he was at it again at Anfield. Just after the hour mark we were struggling to stem the tide of Liverpool attacks, with no outlet to relieve pressure, and our distribution not as secure as we would have liked it to be.

Recognising this, Arteta brought on Myles Lewis-Skelly to add some calmness, and his arrival immediately signalled a change. The young midfielder was assured on the ball, and helped to take us up the pitch with greater authority and regularity.

As this Match Momentum graphic shows, we had a vital spell of pressure in the second half that gave our overworked defenders a much-needed physical and mental rest:

During that excellent period, Christos Tzolis, who impressed on his return, almost set up Odegaard to score, and Alisson denied him a goal with a wonderful save. The Greek gave way to Piero Hincapie after 84 minutes, another inspired change that helped nullify Reds' replacements Victor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha in the final, vital stages.

PHENOMENAL WORKRATE & DESIRE

All over the pitch, individuals ran their legs off for the team, and that work rate unquestionably helped secure three valuable points. Odegaard ran the furthest of everyone, 11.84km, just ahead of Rice and Madueke. In fact, seven of the top 10 players in terms of distance covered were ours.

As you can see below, we ran a collective 8.11km further than Liverpool at Anfield, which is a remarkable disparity:

One key difference was our willingness to cover ground at high speeds. Odegaard, who pressed with great enthusiasm throughout, did so much unselfish running was the only player to cover over 1km at high speed.

Havertz was also tireless. He chipped in with some superb pieces of defending, tracking back to clear danger on numerous occasions. His defensive chalkboard highlights this:

RICE WAS COLOSSAL

The match stats are relatively modest when analysing Rice’s performance, but the eye test told you he had an extraordinarily influential game. Always on the scene, our box-to-box giant helped break up play and press Liverpool players from start to finish.

His assist, his fifth of the season so far, was glorious to watch, but overall, it was the England international’s infectious desire to shut Liverpool out which stood out most.

Covering teammates like his life depended on it, just as he did to help recover from a Konsa mistake, Rice led by example on a memorable afternoon for The Arsenal.