Jota grabs first Liverpool goal as spirited Arsenal are beaten at Anfield
Diogo Jota scored his first Liverpool goal as the Reds came from behind to beat Arsenal 3-1 at Anfield on Monday evening.
Substitute Jota struck late on after goals from Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson had cancelled out Alexandre Lacazette’s opener for the visitors.
Jurgen Klopp’s men came out all guns blazing, with Mane seeing a shot deflected wide before he tested Bernd Leno from a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross.
The home side then hit the woodwork when Alexander-Arnold’s 25-yard drive took a big deflection off Hector Bellerin and rattled the crossbar.
But it was the Gunners who took the lead, completely against the run of play, in the 25th minute when they beat Liverpool’s deep press.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles broke clear down the left, his cross was a poor one but Robertson made a hash of the clearance and Lacazette was there to send a scruffy volley bouncing over Alisson.
The lead was short-lived, however, as the home side hit back almost immediately through Mane.
Referee Craig Pawson played a good advantage, after a clear foul from Granit Xhaka, and Mo Salah jinked his way into the box before unleasing an effort which was pushed out by Leno, straight into the path of a grateful Mane three yards out.
It was 2-1 to a rampant Reds side in the 34th minute when a superb Alexander-Arnold cross was met at the back post by Robertson, who controlled with his midriff before flicking the ball over Leno.
GOAAAALLLLLLLL!!!! ROBBO!!!!
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 28, 2020
A much more even second period was devoid of real goalmouth action until the hour mark when a fierce Virgil van Dijk drive was well pushed out by Leno.
However, the visitors should have been level moments later when Dani Ceballos played in Lacazette, but the France striker smashed his effort straight at Alisson with only the keeper to beat.
As Arsenal threw more bodies forward in search of an equaliser more gaps opened up at the other end of the pitch, with Roberto Firmino seeing an effort deflected just wide.
Jota was introduced for his Liverpool league debut with 12 minutes to go, with Mane somewhat surprisingly making way.
And the Portuguese missed a golden chance to open his account for the club minutes when he hit the side-netting from a tight angle after an excellent Salah pass.
But he did get his goal to wrap up the points in the 88th minute when Alexander-Arnold’s cross was poorly headed out by David Luiz, and Jota controlled on his knee before volleying past Leno from 18 yards.
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