Martin Keown pinpoints 3 Arsenal stars who were at fault in 2-0 FA Cup defeat against Liverpool
Arsenal icon Martin Keown reckons Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Jakub Kiwior were at fault for Liverpool's opening goal at the Emirates on Sunday, January 7. The Gunners lost 0-2 against Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup, sending them out of the competition.
Mikel Arteta's side dominated the first half but missed numerous big chances to break the deadlock. They were made to pay in the 80th minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick skimmed off Kiwior's head into the back of the net. Luis Diaz doubled Liverpool's advantage in the 95th minute with a thunderous strike that hit the roof of the net.
Keown criticized Kiwior for his own goal, before questioning Gabriel's decision-making, and Ramsdale for being too slow to get off his line. He told BBC One (via METRO):
"I just wondered if Gabriel could have headed it the other way, he seemed to just collapse. The goalkeeper can’t get to it, Ramsdale is late to move off. Kiwior, I feel he should be doing a lot better. Of course he is not doing that deliberately. But there is always something you can do to improve that."
Arsenal have now lost three games in a row across all competitions, scoring just one goal in the process. They next face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on January 20.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Gabriel Jesus after Liverpool loss
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful that Gabriel Jesus' injury isn't serious. The comments came after he missed their FA Cup loss against Liverpool due to pain in his knee.
Jesus has had a decent start to the season for the Gunners, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 21 appearances across all competitions. However, he has struggled with a knee injury and hamstring issue, which have sidelined him for eight games.
The 26-year-old was expected to lead the line against Liverpool on Sunday. However, he was pulled from the matchday squad after scans revealed he had sustained an injury to the same knee from earlier this season. Kai Havertz started against the Reds in place but failed to have an impact.
Arteta said (via Arsenal's official website):
"He had some pain in his knee, so we did a scan and it showed something. Hopefully it is not something big, it’s the same knee that he had [previously injured] so we cannot take any risks. Hopefully not [a big injury]"
Arteta also revealed that Jesus is expected to travel with the squad for their upcoming team training camp in Dubai.