LONDON, KOMPAS.com - Drama enam gol terjadi pada pertandingan Premier League - kasta teratas Liga Inggris - antara Arsenal dan Liverpool di Stadion Emirates, Jumat (22/12/2017) malam atau Sabtu dini hari WIB. Laga tersebut berakhir imbang 3-3.
Gol Alexis Sanchez (53'), Granit Xhaka (56'), dan Mesut Oezil (58') sempat mengatasi defisit dua gol Arsenal dari tim tamu. Adapun tiga gol Liverpool dicetak Philippe Coutinho (26'), Mohamed Salah (52'), dan Roberto Firmino (71').
Hasil ini tak mengubah posisi kedua tim di klasemen Premier League. Liverpool tetap di urutan ke-4 dengan 35 poin dari 19 laga, unggul satu angka atas Arsenal.
279 - Since Jurgen Klopp’s first match in charge in October 2015, Liverpool’s Premier League games have seen 279 goals scored (174 for, 105 against), more than any other club. Entertainers. pic.twitter.com/avWG5okA6u
KOMPAS.com - Akhir pekan ini, Liga Inggris menghadirkan partai bergengsi ketika Arsenal menjamu Liverpool di Emirates Stadium, Jumat (22/12/2017) atau Sabtu dini hari WIB. Bigmatch pekan ke-19 Liga Inggris ini akan disiarkan secara langsung oleh televisi nasional RCTI pukul 02.40 WIB.
Memang, terlalu dini bila membicarakan persaingan meraih gelar juara Premier League musim 2017-2018. Namun, pertandingan ini akan mempengaruhi posisi kedua tim di papan klasemen mengingat mereka hanya terpaut satu poin di papan atas.
Liverpool saat ini menempati urutan keempat dengan raihan 34 poin, terpaut 18 angka dari Manchester City di puncak. Lantaran hanya unggul satu angka atas Arsenal yang persis di bawahnya, tak ada pilihan bagi The Reds selain meraih kemenangan untuk menghindari ancaman The Gunners.
Rekor pertemuan masih berpihak kepada Liverpool karena dari total 223, The Reds meraih 86 kemenangan dan 59 duel berakhir tanpa pemenang. Artinya, Arsenal baru mengoleksi 78 kemenangan atas Arsenal.
Bila dikerucutkan lagi dalam lima pertandingan terakhir pada ajang Premier League, Liverpool tetap dominan. Pasalnya, pasukan Juergen Klopp mendulang dua kemenangan dan sekali kalah serta dua lainnya berakhir imbang.
Menarik untuk menyaksikan bagaimana duel akhir pekan ini.
Jadwal siaran langsung akhir pekan ini:
Sabtu, 23 Desember 2017
Premier League
Arsenal vs Liverpool, Bein Sport 1/RCTI pukul 02.40 WIB
Everton vs Chelsea, Bein Sport 1 pukul 19.30 WIB
West Ham Unied vs Newcastle United, Bein Sport 3/MNCTV pukul 21.55 WIB
Southampton vs Huddersfield Town, Bein Sport 2 pukul 21.55 WIB
Manchester City vs Bournemouth, Bein Sport 1 pukul 21.55 WIB
La Liga
Real Betis vs Athletic Bilbao, Bein Sport 2 pukul 01.30 WIB
Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Bein Sport 2/SCTV pukul 19.00 WIB
Minggu, 24 Desember 2017
Premier League
Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur, Bein Sport 1 pukul 00.30 WIB
Leicester City vs Manchester United, Bein Sport 1/RCTI pukul 02.45 WIB
La Liga
Deportivo La Coruna vs Celta de Vigo, Bein Sport 2 pukul 00.30 WIB
Eredivisie
PSV Eindhoven vs Vitesse Arnhem, Fox Sport 3 pukul 01.45 WIB
Ajax Amsterdam vs Wilem II Tilburg, Fox Sport 2 pukul 20.30 WIB
Feyenoord vs Roda JC, Fox Sport 2 pukul 22.45 WIB
Arsenal scored three goals in a crazy five-minute spell to ultimately earn a draw despite being outplayed for much of the match
Christmas is supposed to be a time for miracles and, from a sporting perspective at least, the five second-half minutes that Arsenal produced to rescue this game was something close.
They had been comprehensively out-played, out-run and out-fought by Liverpool for almost an hour and were actually flattered by the 2-0 deficit. The two teams had seemed almost to be playing at two entirely different speeds and all the pundits that have dismissed Arsene Wenger as yesterday’s man in the face of a new breed of supposedly more tactically sophisticated coaches were clearing their throats for a familiar analysis.
Then upped stepped Alexis Sanchez, Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil to suddenly turn the match on its head and transform the atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium from outright mutiny to pure ecstasy.
Liverpool did still gather themselves and recover to fashion a deserved equaliser through Firmino but, having been so dominant for so long, rightly felt most frustrated by a 3-3 draw.
It was arguably the game of the season - and fabulous festive attacking entertainment for the neutral - even if familiar defensive errors underlined why both teams are ultimately probably locked in a battle with Tottenham to finish fourth.
The greater long-term concerns should still rest with Arsenal. They got away with this and, had Klopp’s ‘Fab Four’ of Mo Salah, Philippe Coutinho, Firmino and Sadio Mane delivered just a fraction more of their usual attacking fluency, the match would have been over by half-time.
