Liverpool and Arsenal played out an entertaining pre-season friendly overnight in the United States, with the Reds prevailing 2-1 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Early goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho put Arne Slot’s side two up in the first half, while Kai Havertz pulled one back for the Gunners just before the break.
Mikel Arteta’s men were unable to find an equaliser and fell to defeat in Philadelphia, but both outfits were able to get good minutes in the legs of some key players ahead of the new campaign.
Here are four takeaways from Wednesday night’s encounter.
William Saliba and Declan Rice remain Arsenal’s glue
Arsenal established themselves as by far the Premier League’s best defensive team during the second half of the 2023/24 season.
Arteta has constructed a monstrous backline that you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of, boasting several six-foot-plus defenders and midfielders to do his team’s dirty work.
But two key members of that cohort – William Saliba and Declan Rice – are still on holiday, and boy did that look noticeable against Liverpool. It must have been a shock for Gunners fans to see their team frantically backtracking to defend open spaces rather than calmly plug those gaps.
And yeah, it’s such a massive shock that Arsenal don’t look as good without two of their best players, but it did show their fragility when you remove those figures from the picture. The signing of Riccardo Calafiori should give them greater flexibility and depth, at least.
Harvey Elliott is ready for a real breakout
For a couple of years now, Harvey Elliott has looked at home when starting for Liverpool.
The next step is to nail down a place in the starting XI, and he’s wasted no time trying to impress Slot this summer.
After playing as a withdrawn forward in their opening tour win against Real Betis, Elliott returned to an advanced midfield role here, coming up with assists for both of Liverpool’s goals – including a delectable scoop for Fabio Carvalho’s second.
At 21, Elliott falls into the category of a bright prospect with plenty of top-level experience under his belt, and a noted player-improver like Slot must be relishing the chance to mould him into a true Premier League star.
Liverpool may not need new centre-backs
It’s a fairly well-known and open secret that Liverpool are scouring the transfer market for new centre-back options.
But the Reds hierarchy should make sure that whoever they do target is not actually any better than some of the younger and promising options already on their books.
Jarell Quansah is relishing this early opportunity to stake his claim to Slot, while Sepp van den Berg might be worth keeping rather than selling if he can fill in so seamlessly.
If Liverpool can find a top central defender to come in and be great right away, then for sure they should consider such a move. There’s just a little more food for thought in regards to the next generation.
Young talent prevalent for both sides
Speaking of the next generation, both Liverpool and Arsenal are well-stocked for years to come.
Slot has granted fans’ wishes to see more of Trey Nyoni during their tour, and Arteta has given extended opportunities to Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis-Skelly of late.
Pre-season friendlies while senior players are still on luxury annual leave will always allow the kids to get a look in, given. That doesn’t mean these aren’t talented players deserving of these minutes, however.
