There were positives to take from Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, but erratic finishing and an unwanted statistic also stood out.
The Reds were beaten in the Premier League, with Kai Havertz’s first-half goal snatching a first win at Anfield for the Gunners since 2012.
There was, though, a period in the opening 45 minutes where Liverpool were dominant, with their finishing the only shortcoming.
In the end, Arsenal showed why they are strong favourites to retain their title, and why the Reds remain a work in progress.
Here’s how the media reacted to Liverpool’s defeat.
It was a promising afternoon, but ultimately a frustrating one
The Daily Mail‘s Harry Bamforth focused on the Reds’ wastefulness in front of goal:
“It’s the first time EVER that a Liverpool side have failed to have a shot on target in a Premier League match at Anfield. That’s a crazy stat.
“In fact, Liverpool have scored just four goals at Anfield in the Premier League this season, their joint-fewest after five home matches in a top-flight campaign (also four in 1913/14 and 2012/13).
“That is something Liverpool need to sort out, and if they do, they will be a proper team.”
Gregg Evans of The Athletic feels this was a huge opportunity missed:
“It’s not as painful as the defeat to Man City last month, but it’s an opportunity that has once again slipped by.
“This was important for so many reasons — none more so than to stand up and be counted. But while Liverpool impressed for large periods, they couldn’t find a way to grind Arsenal down and were then left looking a little vulnerable in the second half.
“To be nine points behind the leaders after nine games is bruising. It already feels like a long way back.
“Perhaps there can be positives taken from the performance — most notably that Liverpool are still improving — and that can then inspire a run leading up to Christmas.
“But catching the champions feels like it’s going to be a tough ask.”
David Hytner of the Guardian said Liverpool went flat after a promising period:
“Liverpool ran out of ideas as their five-match winning streak in all competitions came to a shuddering halt.
“They provided high energy enjoyment in the first half but fizzled out badly, the invention drying up.”
Paul Joyce of the Times was another who thought this was a case of what might have been:
“There was not too much for Liverpool to beat themselves up about, except for the reality that they did not force David Raya into a meaningful save during an afternoon in which Van Dijk spent the closing stages as an auxiliary striker.
“Small margins or a bigger problem?”
“It was, Opta statisticians said, the first time on record that Liverpool had failed to muster a shot on target in a league game at home, a sequence dating back 442 matches to the start of the 200/04.
“Iraola will know they had only themselves to blame for that.”
But BBC Sport‘s Gary Rose thought there was lots of good on show from Liverpool:
“This was a defeat for Liverpool that leaves them some way off the pace in the title race, but there were still plenty of reasons for their fans to leave Anfield feeling optimistic.
“The team and style of football Andoni Iraola is looking to create has become more and more obvious in the past few games and it is an exciting prospect.
“Their pace on the attack and high press left Arsenal under near constant pressure in the first half.”
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was impressed with both teams:
“I think Liverpool can take confidence from the performance. But in terms of Arsenal, what we saw from them today was an incredible performance.
“Liverpool can take positives from today. I thought they did lose some control as the game went on, but, ultimately, it was Arsenal’s day.”