"Most overrated player in the world", "Just a fraud" - Fans blast Arsenal star as Gunners crash out of FA Cup after 2-0 loss to Liverpool
Fans on X slammed Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka after he failed to make an impact during their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday, January 7. The Gunners have now lost three games in a row across all competitions and have been knocked out of the FA Cup. Meanwhile, the Reds progressed to the fourth round.
Liverpool were without Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo due to their commitments to their national teams, while Virgil van Dijk missed out due to illness. Meanwhile, the Gunners missed Gabriel Jesus due to a knee injury and Takehiro Tomiyasu due to national duty.
Mikel Arteta and Co. got off to a dominant start, controlling most of the possession in the first half. Arsenal had 13 shots but were unable to find the back of the net. Martin Odegaard struck the crossbar in the 11th minute.
Kai Havertz had a great chance from a corner in the 39th minute but failed to land his header on target. He then miscued a good chance straight to Alisson Becker five minutes later.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's shot hit the crossbar in the 45th minute to inject some much-needed confidence in Liverpool. Bukayo Saka missed a pair of good chances for Arsenal early in the second half and looked short of confidence in front of goal.
Diogo Jota's header crashed against the crossbar in the 78th minute. But the Reds weren't to be denied two minutes later when Alexander-Arnold's free-kick was accidentally headed into the back of the net by Jakub Kiwior. Luis Diaz's rocket of a strike in the 95th minute sealed a hard-fought 2-0 win for Jurgen Klopp's men.
Saka had a poor outing against the Reds. The 22-year-old winger completed 26 out of his attempted 36 passes with an accuracy of just 72 percent. He also landed just one shot on target from five attempts, missed one big chance, and completed none of his four dribbles. In addition, he lost seven ground duels.
One fan posted:
"Saka’s one of the worst wingers in the Premier League man, senseless footballer. Most overrated player in the world. I’d take Summerville over him."
Another fan wrote:
"He’s just a fraud."
Arsenal vs Liverpool: Exploring the stats from FA Cup clash
Liverpool showed great resilience to defeat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates in the FA Cup third round to book their spot in the next round. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Arsenal dominated possession with 55 percent of the ball. They also attempted a total of 481 passes, with an accuracy of 81 percent. In contrast, Liverpool had 45 percent possession and attempted 412 passes with an accuracy of 82 percent.
Arsenal also looked the more threatening side in attack as well but were unable to make the most of their chances. They registered a total of 18 shots, with five being on target. On the other hand, the Reds had 12 shots in total, with three being on target.