WILLIAM SALIBA IMPRESSES FOR ARSENAL IN FA CUP LOSS VS LIVERPOOL

William Saliba was one of the bright spots for Arsenal during their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup third round on Sunday evening.

The Gunners went into the game on the back of successive losses in the Premier League and it was anticipated that they would respond.

The club dominated the proceedings for most of the first half, but the front men were guilty of missing wonderful chances to open the scoring.

In the second half, the game was quite even and the Reds eventually broke the deadlock from an unfortunate Jakub Kiwior own goal.

With the Gunners chasing an equaliser in stoppage time, Luis Diaz sealed Liverpool’s victory with a thunderous strike beyond Aaron Ramsdale.

Mikel Arteta’s side were once again disappointing in the final third and they were guilty of squandering four big chances to find the back of the net.

Despite this, there were some positives to carry forward. Martin Odegaard was lively from the number 10 role, providing four key passes in 90 minutes.

However, Saliba was undoubtedly the club’s best player, in our view. He had a solid day at the back, making six clearances alongside two tackles.

The 22-year-old won 88 per cent of his passes with 76 touches and looked comfortable with his defensive duties.

Saliba’s individual form should please Gunners fans but ultimately the result matters. Arteta must find a way of getting the attack back into their groove.

The Gunners have created plenty of goalscoring opportunities lately, but have failed to capitalise on them. This needs to change sooner rather than later.

Arsenal will be back in Premier League action on January 20 against Crystal Palace. Anything less than a victory could lead to serious doubts over their title prospects.