Arsenal look lost at sea and Liverpool sail towards title contenders - Five things we learned from Anfield

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free

Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Liverpool tore through Arsenal at Anfield to confirm themselves as finally ready to stake a claim, even if it is not a big one, to win the title under Jurgen Klopp.

Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and substitute Daniel Sturridge put Arsenal to the sword as the ‘Wenger OUT’ brigade hit full pace already.

Here are five things we learned from Anfield…

Arsenal are synonymous with having a plethora of midfielders but against Liverpool their midfield seemed to have nobody in it. The Gunners’ central duo of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey were completely overrun by their Anfield counterparts and at times completely devoid of any responsibility – or even any interest in taking any.

Ramsey was removed at half-time after spending almost the entirety of Liverpool’s opener with his back to the play berating Hector Bellerin for earlier giving away possession. With the likes of N’Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic and Eric Dier forming the bedrock of their rivals’ midfield, it is obvious what Arsenal need.

Since Barcelona have got their PR machine in full flow to persuade Philippe Coutinho to leave Anfield, the Reds attack have almost made a point to Jurgen Klopp that he is not needed. Sadio Mane was is scintillating form yet again and the attacking triumvirate of him, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino was seemless at times.

Salah has slotted in perfectly and with Jordan Henderson, Emre Can and Gigi Wijnaldum driving through from midfield, leaving the question at the moment being is there room for Coutinho to start? That £138m would be better off in Liverpool’s bank account than on their bench, with the transfer window closing on Thursday.

Arsene Wenger came to Anfield looking to hold firm and win a point, and that was illustrated as such by him leaving club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette on the bench from the start. What he got was the opposite, with Liverpool tearing through the Gunners at will.

However, at 2-0 down, Wenger’s response was to replace Ramsey with Francis Coquelin, and it wasn’t until way past the hour mark that Lacazette was introduced. To hold out for the draw when the draw had already gone was just the latest in a series of poor decisions. They have not started the season well and unless something drastically changes in the remaining four days of the transfer window, they could be looking at another season outside the top four.

Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez remain Arsene Wenger's biggest headache, with both out of contract next summer. Sanchez's return was supposed to be a boost for this side but, instead, it came in a performance so bad it could prove an Arsenal milestone. Ozil was once again invisible in a big game for the Gunners.

In a depressing twist for the Gunners, it is Sanchez who is likely to go and Ozil who can be expected to put pen to paper on a new contract. Yet the lingering feeling is that he is a luxury player who has simply not done it against the best teams.

Spending big money on a player, like they did with Ozil to smash accusations of being frugal, means there is some expectation of big performances in crucial matches. With the German international they have been few and far between.

For Lacazette, Wenger's other huge-money buy, there wasn't even a start today. Wenger could barely have got it more wrong, Ozil could barely have been more disappointing and the worst news for Arsenal fans is that it's not over yet. It will get worse before it gets better at the Emirates.

Liverpool remain behind their arch rivals Manchester United at the top of the table but, in demolishing Arsenal, they sent out a message that they might be ready to challenge at the top.

The Reds played in the way that Jurgen Klopp had been planning all summer, with searing speed and unforgiving finishing to put Arsenal in a coffin.

If they can attack like this then they will be one of the best teams in the league to watch but they will also pose a danger to every team they come up against. It is up to Jurgen Klopp now to strengthen this backline before the window closes. It is their only barrier to a title challenge and must be addressed.