Gabriel Martinelli’s smart finish opened the scoring. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
2. Gabriel Martinelli
Up next is another Brazilian, Gabriel Martinelli. After briefly losing his place to Leandro Trossard and not quite connecting with Eddie Nketiah, he has found a rich vein of form in recent games and he continued this good form on Sunday.
While fans will continue to be haunted by his misplaced pass to Bukayo Saka in stoppage time, the rest of the game should not be overlooked. Martinelli was unplayable in the first half. He had the beating of Trent Alexander-Arnold every time. He swapped positions with Jesus to slide in the first goal. For the second, it was his off-ball movement and pinpoint cross that assisted his countryman.
The second half was more difficult for the team as a whole. Control was lost, rendering the attacking players disconnected from the midfield and defence. Yet as the game got stretched, Martinelli’s pace was crucial in getting Arsenal up the pitch. Although none of the counterattacking opportunities resulted in goals, his work rate and effort must be applauded.
Continued on the next slide…
#Arsenal</a> players who absolutely love playing together. A ruthlessly superb goal. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://t.co/8yNudzahSZ">pic.twitter.com/8yNudzahSZ
<p>— Adam Keys (@adamkeys_) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://twitter.com/adamkeys_/status/1645787031467970561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 11, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<h2>3. Gabriel Jesus</h2>
<p>Arsenal’s star striker finally returned from injury a few weeks ago. Fans, manager and players alike would have been monitoring his fitness with one eye on the Liverpool game. He was deemed fit enough to start and what a revelation that was.</p>
<p>From the first minute, Jesus showed exactly why he was the statement signing from Manchester City. He displayed all of the qualities fans associate with him. The Brazilian was energetic in attack, harassing Liverpool defenders time and time again. He was also a useful outlet, dropping deep before receiving and attacking the backline. His intelligence off the ball was seen multiple times as well.</p>
<p>Jesus peeled off to the left, allowing Gabriel Martinelli to occupy the centre forward’s position, a position he quickly scored from for the opening goal. For the second, Jesus attacked the space between Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, heading home to double the lead.</p>
<p>He seemed to tire out later in the second half. Jesus’s fitness is being monitored closely and his continued availability will be crucial to Arsenal continuing to get points on the board.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133545" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133545" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2132,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1251122963.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2132" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1251122963.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1251122963-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Gabriel Martinelli’s smart finish opened the scoring. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>2. Gabriel Martinelli</h2>
<p>Up next is another Brazilian, Gabriel Martinelli. After briefly losing his place to Leandro Trossard and not quite connecting with Eddie Nketiah, he has found a rich vein of form in recent games and he continued this good form on Sunday.</p>
<p>While fans will continue to be haunted by his misplaced pass to Bukayo Saka in stoppage time, the rest of the game should not be overlooked. Martinelli was unplayable in the first half.<a title="Analysing Gabriel Martinelli’s battle with Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/analysing-martinelli-battle-alexander-arnold/" rel=""> He had the beating of Trent Alexander-Arnold every time</a>. He swapped positions with Jesus to slide in the first goal. For the second, it was his off-ball movement and pinpoint cross that assisted his countryman.</p>
<p>The second half was more difficult for the team as a whole. Control was lost, rendering the attacking players disconnected from the midfield and defence. Yet as the game got stretched, Martinelli’s pace was crucial in getting Arsenal up the pitch. Although none of the counterattacking opportunities resulted in goals, his work rate and effort must be applauded.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133510" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133510" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2208,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1251130654.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2208" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1251130654.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1251130654-768x530.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Aaron Ramsdale rescued a point for Arsenal. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>1. Aaron Ramsdale</h2>
<p>Who else could be at the top of the list? Aaron Ramsdale was, without a doubt, Arsenal’s man of the match. He proved exactly why he was bought and<a title="Did Aaron Ramsdale have his best performance to date at Anfield?" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/3-standout-arsenal-players-draw-away-liverpool/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/11/evolution-aaron-ramsdale/" rel=""> treated fans to one of the best goalkeeping displays in recent history.</a></p>
<p>Ramsdale has largely been known for his ability on the ball, with his shot stopping good but not great. Against Liverpool, his shot-stopping was world-class. Making crucial save after crucial save, he singlehandedly kept Arsenal in the game.</p>
<p>His confidence and imperiousness in one-on-ones merit praise as well. Darting quickly off his line, making himself big and giving opponents little time to think resulted in missed shots and more saves.</p>
<p>While he could not have done anything about the goals conceded, he did everything he could for the rest of the game. The rest of the team will be proud of him and he should be proud of himself for what was an exceptional performance indeed.</p>
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<p>Despite dropping two points, the Arsenal players can be proud of their performance. They dominated the game in periods and had chances on the break. Going toe to toe with a current top-four and previous title contender away from home is a tall ask and Arsenal did well to answer it. They <em>must</em>, however, get back to winning ways on the weekend.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
