Football news - Roberto Firmino hits hat-trick as Liverpool embarrass Arsenal
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ByEurosport
Updated 29/12/2018 at 23:00 GMT
Premier League, Anfield – Liverpool 5 (Firmino 14, 16, 65(p.), Mane 32, Salah 45'(p.)) Arsenal 1 (Maitland-Niles 11)
Liverpool-Arsenal
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Roberto Firmino hit a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield in the Premier League to open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table.
The result sees Liverpool move on to 54 points, nine clear of Tottenham and 10 clear of defending champions Manchester City, who play Southampton on Sunday.
The Gunners started brightly and led through Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who snuck in at the far post to slot home Alex Iwobi’s centre with 11 minutes gone but Unai Emery's men were behind just five minutes later after Firmino struck a quick-fire double, the second of which was a stunning solo strike.
Goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah sent the home side to the interval with a 4-1 lead and the Gunners’ misery was complete when Firmino completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Sead Kolasinac was adjudged to have impeded Dejan Lovren in the box with 65 minutes gone.
The victory opens up a significant gap at the top of the table, but Arsenal remain fifth place and could be five points adrift of the top four if Chelsea win at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
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The scoreboard shows the final score for 5-1 to Liverpool at the 90 minute mark during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 29, 2018
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TALKING POINT - Liverpool pass another test with flying colours
It had been 364 days since Liverpool last fell behind at home in the Premier League until Maitland-Niles' 11th-minute opener but the Reds came roaring back with a simply devastating attacking display, as they passed yet another challenge with flying colours.
After Tottenham's surprise defeat to Wolves earlier in the day, Liverpool are now an eye-watering nine points ahead in the race for the title at the half-way stage, and with Manchester City in a challenging moment, Klopp's side are odds-on to finally land the trophy for the first time in 29 years. They can now look ahead to a huge match against Pep Guardiola's side on Thursday, and having won nine consecutive league games, netting nine in their last two, they will approach the tie full of confidence.
The Reds were simply too fluid, too intense for an Arsenal side whose defensive fragilities were underlined once again. Emery's side have now conceded 30 goals this season and the Spaniard must find a way to stop the leak if the Gunners are to play Champions League football next season.
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Arsenal's German defender Shkodran Mustafi (R) reacts after English referee Michael Oliver (unseen) awarded Liverpool's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) a penalty after he was fouled by Arsenal's Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos during the En
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MAN OF THE MATCH - Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
The obvious choice. Liverpool were in trouble until Firmino netted a quick-fire double to turn the game on its head. It was a really special performance from the Brazilian who covered the entire front-line, popped up in space time and time again, ran with pace at retreating defenders and generally caused a nuisance.
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Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino celebrates shooting from the penalty spot to score his team's fifth goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on Decembe
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PLAYER RATINGS
Liverpool: Alisson 7, Robertson 7, Van Dijk 7, Lovren 7, Alexander-Arnold 7, Wijnaldum 8, Fabinho 6, Shaqiri 7, Mane 8, Salah 9, Firmino 10. Subs: Clyne N/A, Henderson 6, Lallana 5.
Arsenal: Leno 6, Lichsteiner 5, Sokratis 4, Mustafi 4, Kolasinac 5, Xhaka 5, Torreira 5, Ramsey 5, Maitland-Niles 6, Iwobi 7, Aubameyang 4. Subs: Koscielny 5, Lacazette 5, Guendouzi 5.
KEY MOMENTS
11' - GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Arsenal: Arsenal are ahead, Maitland-Niles breaks the deadlock! Lovren's hopeless punt from the back is cut out and Iwobi picks up possession. He plays a lovely one-two before drilling a low ball across the face of goal for Maitland-Niles to tap in at the far post.
14' - GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal: Firmino, with his seventh goal of the season, levels the scores! Salah's shot takes a wild richochet, it takes a couple of lucky bounces and lands at the feet of Firmino who guides it into an empty net with a no-look finish!
16' - GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal: Well, what about that? Firmino with two goals in the space of 120 seconds turns the game on its head! The first was fortunate but his second is just pure class. The Brazilian twists and turns past a couple of defenders on his way into the penalty area before sliding the ball past Leno.
32' - GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal: It's too easy for the Reds who could run away with this! Arsenal clear from a corner but are too slow to get out. Robertson plays a wonderful ball over the top for Salah who side-foots it across to Mane and he pokes home for Liverpool's third.
45' - PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL! Sokratis clips the heels of Salah inside the box and Michael Oliver points to the spot!
45'+2 GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Arsenal: Salah hammers the penalty past Leno and Liverpool are cruising to victory at Anfield!
64' - PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL! Lovren is pulled down by Kolasinac as a cross comes in and the referee gives the Reds their second spot-kick of the night.
65' - GOAL! Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal: Firmino slots the ball into the bottom corner to net his first hat-trick for the Reds. A special moment; a special player; a special team.
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Roberto Firmino of Liverpool celebrates with team mates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on December 29, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom
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KEY STATS
- Liverpool have accrued 54 points from their opening 20 Premier League games this season; when assuming three points for a win, only Chelsea (55 in 2005-06) and Manchester City (58 in 2017-18) have ever had more at this stage in English top-flight history.
- Roberto Firmino has become the third Brazilian player to score a Premier League hat-trick, after Robinho (Man City v Stoke in Oct 2008) and Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough v Man City in May 2008).
- Firmino's hat-trick is the sixth to have been scored in fixtures between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League - the most hat-tricks in a single fixture in Premier League history.
- Firmino has now scored eight goals against Arsenal in the Premier League, only Robbie Fowler (nine) has netted more goals for Liverpool against the Gunners in the competition.
- There were exactly 90 seconds between Roberto Firmino's first and second goals for Liverpool.
- Mohamed Salah has both scored and assisted in the same Premier League game for the 10th time since the start of last season; only Neymar (11) has done so on more occasions in the big-five European leagues in that time.
- Sadio Mane has scored four Premier League goals against Arsenal for Liverpool, more than he has against any other opponent for the Reds.
- Arsenal vs Liverpool is now the highest scoring Premier League fixture in the history of the competition (155 goals).
- Arsenal conceded four goals in the first half of a Premier League game for the fourth time, with Liverpool responsible for two of those (also Man Utd in February 2001 and Chelsea in March 2014).
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