Liverpool were back in action after the International break to take on Arsenal. Klopp’s side were looking to bounce back after their defeat to West Ham.
Mikel Arteta’s side came to Anfield with an impressive 10 games unbeaten strike. Even though for Arsenal, Anfield hasn’t been a happy hunting ground but Arteta was pumped up for the game and was confident of taking away something from the game.
Liverpool started slow and Gunners started vibrantly. The moment Liverpool lose the ball Arsenal looked for a counter.
And then on the 32nd-minute mark of the game, Sadio Mane’s foul on Tomiyasu heated up both the dugouts. Arteta was claiming that Mane caught Tomiyasu with an elbow which Klopp disagreed with.
The war of words and confrontation led both the managers to receive yellow cards.
The dugout incident added a layer of intensity at Anfield. Liverpool looked more aggressive and Mane scored to make it 1-0 and took the lead to move into halftime.
After the break, it was all Liverpool, as Jota scored the second after Tavares’s loose pass lead to the goal.
The Reds looked very sharp in the second half. Jurgen Klopp and Co. were pressing Arsenal like a wolf pack.
Liverpool scored third and this time it was The Egyptian King Mo Salah, who scored his 11th goal in the League. A classic Liverpool counterattack.
And the fourth and final was scored by the substitute Minamino, who scored from his first touch of the match.
The Reds turned from mediocre to menace as the game went on.
Normal service resumes for Jurgen Klopp’s side and deservedly took away all three points.
Arsenal were very poor in the second half and they have themselves to blame for all the goals they conceded.
Key numbers from the game
Since October 2015, when Jurgen Klopp took the Reds charge, Liverpool has scored the most Premier League goals against Arsenal (37) than one side has scored against the other in the league.
Moreover, the Reds have the 2nd highest win-record against the Gunners (8) since the German’s arrival at Anfield. The most are against Crystal Palace (11).
With this, Liverpool have now registered the most goals from a set-piece since the title-winning 2019-20 PL season (37, excluding penalties) equalling with West Ham.
Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal: Post match reactions
Klopp responds on whether the result and performance was the perfect response to the defeat at West Ham United
So we had to show a reaction, that’s clear.
We were in control in the beginning but we just were not used to the way Arsenal played today. The boys did really well.
It was a mix of a very mature performance and a very exciting [performance], with very, very exciting moments: very exciting goals, great counter-press, great high-press, it was really good. And then finishing the situations off and it’s an impressive result, no doubt about that.
Klopp’s reaction on his touchline disagreement with Mikel Arteta in the first half
So the situation is that it was a completely clean situation, so nothing happened.
Two players jumped in the air, nobody touched the other, at least not like a foul, and the bench of Arsenal is going for whatever and I just asked: ‘What do you want for that? What do you want?’ There is no contact really and it looks like everybody wanted a yellow card.
I am really sick of these situations that everybody tries to go for Sadio in these moments.
When asked about whether that incident fired up the crowd and improved the atmosphere in Liverpool’s favour
It was not the plan but if it helped then it’s OK.
But it was, how I said, a controlled game, but not the most exciting one and maybe the crowd needed a little help so they defended from that moment on first me, and then pushed the team again that’s absolutely fine.
What’s next for Liverpool?
Liverpool will face FC Porto for the UEFA Champions League clash in mid-week. The Reds have already qualified for the knockout stages but it’s a home game which makes it intriguing to watch.
Porto are also in contention to qualify for the next round which makes the fixture a crucial one for them. But they must be worried after seeing Klopp’s side resounding victory against Arsenal.
