Arsenal slammed by Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher as Liverpool decision speaks volumes

Mikel Arteta's approach for Arsenal was criticised against Liverpool (Image: DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

Heading to Anfield, Arsenal boasted a brilliant recent record against the top six. It was so good that the club's official site wrote about it online, publishing on Sunday morning ahead of the trip to Liverpool.

Dating back to a 3-1 home win against Chelsea in May 2023, Arsenal had gone 22 games unbeaten against their rivals (Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Liverpool). For just how much of that time Chelsea, United and Spurs were genuinely among the top six best teams is debatable, but the fixtures bring an added level of spice regardless.

That run was ended on Merseyside thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai's late free kick . It took a 32-yard dead-ball stunner to see David Raya beaten for the first time this season, which says plenty about Arsenal's increasingly dominant defensive performances, but the manner in which the 90 minutes played out left a lot to be desired.

Arsenal only managed one shot on target throughout the game, and that came via a corner. Liverpool only had three, and the quality of chances for both sides was low. However, having controlled much of the first half, the lack of penetration was telling.

A tough start to the season for Arsenal has brought a respectable six points. They have scored six times as well. Only two of those have come from open play, though.

In the two away matches (at Old Trafford and here against Liverpool) they have managed one goal and that came almost directly from a Declan Rice corner, which was eventually nodded in on the line by Riccardo Calafiori. It is a trend which continues on from last season.

When it came to asserting themselves and making the most of their settled possession, Arsenal were unable to find a way through and rarely threatened to try. It is something which ground down Gary Neville on commentary as he criticised Gabriel Martinelli for being passive when faced with a one-on-one against the out-of-position Szoboszlai, who was stationed at right-back.

Martinelli shaped up to his opponent but passed backwards. Noni Madueke was much more dangerous on the right, where he deputised for the injured Bukayo Saka, but Arsenal's current handbrake-on nature saw them fall afoul of the eventual free-kick dagger. It leaves them with an average of 0.6 goals per game away at Liverpool and City under Mikel Arteta in all competitions.

For as good as their wider run has been against top-four-challenging English teams, Arsenal have not won in any of Arteta's 15 trips to their two nearest contenders. In that time he has lost eight times and drawn seven, scoring just nine goals and conceding 29 (an average of 1.9 per game).

Whilst there are statement wins at home over City in each of the past two seasons, Arsenal have not been able to make their efforts count on the road. This is, by very definition, one of the toughest things to do. But the trend has started to paint a picture which cannot be ignored.

Speaking in the aftermath of Szoboszlai's goal, Neville hit out at Arsenal's approach. "Can Arsenal get back into it? They've waited in this second half and you can't wait in big matches; and they keep waiting in big matches, thinking that a draw is a big point away from home. They keep falling afoul, you've got to go for it now."

Arsenal did make a late push but it was not enough. Neville went on: "Same old, same old [for] those Arsenal fans. They've seen this before. They look comfortable in a big game, but at this moment in time haven't got that risk in their game. That courage to go and think that they can win."

At full-time, there was a similar sentiment. "Well, Liverpool have got something that man [Arteta] hasn't quite got right now," he said. "That edge; that something; that mentality to go and win big matches and big away grounds.

"Liverpool believe they should be winning these matches. I'm not sure Arsenal do. They're happy not to lose, and it's costing them." In the Sky Sports studio, pundits Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher agreed.

"I think that [mentality] definitely comes into play 100%," said Keane. "We talk about Liverpool's problems and the issues that they've had in the last couple of games with regard to defending and giving up goals and chances. But you still have to beat them."

Although Arteta can point towards being without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard (who was only fit enough to make the bench) as well as losing William Saliba in the opening five minutes, it is not enough to excuse the safety-first methods.

Neville regularly called out the backwards passing from both sides, labelling it a "disease" in the game and pondering why Arsenal, in particular, would take such risks with the ball in their own box when feeding a marked Viktor Gyokeres , but not when they get over the halfway line.

Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was more defensive of the Gunners, turning to just how fine the margins were that decided the game. "Look, you have got to really look at the game and feel there was one incredible moment that won them the game and that's the difference out of nothing.

"And it looked like it was going to go 0-0 throughout the whole game and the game plan was going to plan. It changed slightly when [Eberechi] Eze came on, there was a little bit more creativity. But like the guys were saying, the sign of champions is: you would find the result. But they didn't manage to do that.

"There's still good signs in patches where they've not played well, Arsenal. But look, they've had some difficult games, obviously. Man United and Liverpool away, so still many, many games ahead and it's not going to be won or lost today."

Keane comes back to where the match got away. "Arsenal's attacking play just wasn't good enough and sharp enough. It has to be better."

Walcott added: "I wouldn't say that Arsenal were at the level where they didn't deserve to win the game, I don't think anybody deserved to win the game. It was always going to be a moment, I felt, today to make sure they win the game. But this is the difference.

"We talk about the risk and that's the thing that Arsenal haven't been doing at times. Forwards have to take risks if you want to be able to win."

Is that down to Arteta? "I think he made the substitutions at the right time. The game plan was going for Arsenal and there were signs of Eze coming on. He had the Liverpool defenders in the back and caused problems there but you want to see it earlier. That's the one thing I would say."

Carragher was looking elsewhere for an explanation . "There was a lot of talk last season of Arsenal and what they need. It was 'they need someone up front to finish the chances that they create.' I've never believed that Arsenal's problem was finishing.

"Arsenal's problem is creating. That was the problem last season. They don't create enough. Look at the goals they scored, their xG, the numbers, it's all there in black and white. I felt from last season they needed a shift to become more proactive on the ball.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

"You bring [Martin] Zubimendi in for on the ball. The guy up front. Eze has come in. It's only three games but the two away games we've seen Arsenal this season, nothing has changed. Heavily reliant on set-pieces, they don't create anything from open play and they're the best team in Europe defensively."

Keane finished: "I think it's great when you have the defensive record like they have and they're very good at set-pieces. We've got to give Arsenal a thumbs up for that but if you just depend on that all the time and then come to Liverpool. Set-pieces, Liverpool have defended them well.

"It's hard to score at Liverpool but do something a little bit different. Rice and taking the corners. He's taking ages. That's alright, you're slowing the game down, get people in position. But you're looking at Arsenal, do something off the cuff.

"Do it quickly, something. Whatever. Yeah, there was a bit of a rush at the end when they were chasing a goal but in general play you're thinking 'do something quickly, do something off the cuff.' They're a bit, they're still, going forward they're a bit robotic.

"There's nothing wrong with the set-pieces and defensive record, you give them a thumbs up but you have to find something else. Theo there mentioned about deserving. This game, sometimes you don't get what you deserve in this game. It's about finding ways to win football matches and Liverpool so far this season, you can analyse and be really critical of Liverpool but after the game they must be thinking, 'well, we're winning' and I was part of teams like that.

"Your memory plays tricks on you and you look back and you think you played well every week. Far from it but you found a way to win. At half-time, the manager says something and you make substitutions. That's a sign of a really top team."

Arsenal have been able to fight with the really top teams of late but also haven't managed to make it count in the biggest moments when it comes to winning away or turning these moments into trophies. That is the accusation now being levelled at Arteta and Arsenal still have a point to prove.