A Closer Look At How Coutinho And Sterling Destroyed Arsenal

Hands up, who saw that one coming? Flicking through the fixture list there was no way I could have guessed that Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool would have battered Arsenal in the way that they did, nor would I have guessed the 5-1 result. The Reds were brilliant yesterday, but there were two men who were at the heart of most of the attacks.

Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling are the pair that I refer to, and there is good reason for that.

The way Liverpool steam forward in numbers was brilliant to watch and while the Brazilian was pulling the strings from the central areas, Sterling was using his pace to get in behind the Arsenal full-backs and pulling the defensive unit apart.

During the game Coutinho completed 83% of his passes, which included a sublime, weighted pass into the path of Daniel Sturridge for his goal. He registered five key passes and won all three of his dribbles and generally opened up the Arsenal side with ease.

Sterling was essential to Liverpool’s game plan. His movement and sheer pace destroyed the Gunners and ultimately won them the game – he scored two goals, hit the target with all five of his shots and was a nuisance throughout.

It really was a spectacular performance from the Reds but these two stood out to me.