Sports

Again, Arsenal loses season opener at Emirates Stadium

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9 years ago

•…We were not ready for new season —Wenger

ARSENAL Football Club of England again lost its opening match of the 2016/2017 English Premier League (EPL) season at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday after suffering a 4-3 defeat in the hands of visiting Liverpool.

Tribunesport recalled that Arsenal lost the 2015/2016 opener 0-2 to visiting West-Ham United when goalkeeper Petr Cech misjudged Dimitri Payet’s free-kick to allow Cheikhou Kouyate to nod in the Hammers’ first. After the break, Mauro Zarate finished from 20 yards after being given the ball by the Gunners defence.

In Sunday’s match against Liverpool, Theo Walcott fired in the first goal for the Gunners in the 31st minute moments after missing a penalty.

Philippe Coutinho pulled one back with a brilliant free-kick before Adam Lallana fired in after the break.

Coutinho poked in his second and Sadio Mane slammed home, before Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a great solo goal and Calum Chambers headed in.

It was billed as the best game of the Premier League opening weekend and more than lived up to expectations.

After quite a dull 30 minutes, Alberto Moreno’s second defensive mistake lit the flame for the encounter that followed.

It was the second half that will long live in the memory. Four of the five goals were exceptional.

There was Lallana’s chest control and strike followed by a 19-pass move finished off by Coutinho. Mane then capped off an impressive debut with a goal reminiscent of his strikes at Southampton – driving at the defence before a fierce finish.

And substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain then produced a delightful cameo when he dazzled the Liverpool backline and then slotted past Simon Mignolet.

Chambers’ header left Liverpool wondering whether a great win would become ‘what could have been’ – but they hung on.

Meanwhile,

ARSENE Wenger has admitted his Arsenal team were not ready for the start of the season.

Wenger, in a post-match interview revealed his side were not prepared physically.

He said: “We are bitterly disappointed.

“We are physically not ready. We have to be ready next week because we go to Leicester.

“We have been a bit unlucky with the injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel.”