LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom —
Liverpool ended
Arsenal's three-month unbeaten run with a 4-0 thrashing of the Gunners at
Anfield on Saturday to ease up to second in the Premier League.
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The Reds' front three of
Sadio Mane,
Diogo Jota and
Mohamed Salah were all on target before substitute Takumi Minamino set
the seal on a return to form for Jurgen Klopp's men after losing for the first
time in 26 games in their last outing at West Ham.
Victory lifts the Reds to within four points
of leaders
Chelsea.
Klopp was at the center of a heated argument
with
Arsenal boss
Mikel Arteta that woke Liverpool from their slumber of the
opening half-hour.
Visibly riled by the Spaniard, Klopp
conducted the Anfield crowd with delight once Mane opened the floodgates six
minutes before half-time.
Arsenal's 10-game unbeaten run in all
competitions has hauled them to within three points of the top four.
But they had not faced a side in the top
seven of the table in that sequence and suffered another lesson on how far they
still have to go to compete with the Premier League's elite after heavy defeats
to Chelsea and Manchester City earlier in the campaign.
The visitors had started well until Arteta
undid much of his side's good work as the two managers became embroiled in
touchline spat that lit Liverpool's fire.
Arteta was unhappy with Mane leading with
his arm as he crashed into
Takehiro Tomiyasu.
There was no punishment for the Senegalese,
but both coaches were booked for confronting each other.
The Reds were reenergized as
Aaron Ramsdale had to continue his fine form to deny Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Arsenal were finally breached in soft
fashion when Mane headed home unmarked from Alexander Arnold's free-kick.
Liverpool then started the second period
with the urgency they lacked in the opening stages as they constantly hounded
Arsenal into mistakes deep inside their own half.
Nuno Taveres was the culprit for the killer
second goal as his sloppy pass teed up his compatriot Jota, who coolly left
Ben White and Ramsdale on the floor before tapping into an empty net.
Ramsdale earned his first England cap in the
10-0 demolition of San Marino on Monday as the Three Lions booked their place
at the
World Cup in Qatar.
The 23-year-old is making a strong case to
dislodge Jordan Pickford as Gareth Southgate's number one and kept the score
respectable for Arsenal in the closing stages with another fine save from Jota.
However, he was helpless as Liverpool struck
twice in four minutes at their counter-attacking best.
Jota's flick freed Mane down the left and
his cross was tapped home by Salah for his 16th goal in as many games this
season.
Salah was involved again for the fourth goal
as he teed up
Alexander-Arnold to fire in a low cross that only required a
simple tap-in from Minamino.
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