Liverpool defeated Arsenal 2-1 in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field, with Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho scoring in the first half of the game. In an intriguing first half, Kai Havertz equalized for the Gunners just before the break, but despite dominating possession after halftime, Mikel Arteta’s men were unable to prevent their first defeat on their United States tour in their last encounter.
On a hot evening with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius at kick-off, Arsenal started well in front of a sell-out crowd of 69,879 – a record attendance for a football match in this stadium – capitalizing on Liverpool’s defensive frailty as they attempted to play out from the back.
Caoimhin Kelleher almost escaped a humiliating error as Gabriel Jesus closed down his third-minute clearance, but the ball deflected slightly wide. Kelleher went further in the 13th minute, which paid off. Diogo Jota assisted Harvey Elliott in receiving his ball forward. Elliott then slid a pass behind Arsenal’s defense line to Salah, who outpaced Oleksandr Zinchenko before putting a low finish past Karl Hein.
After Jarell Quansah made a fantastic save to deny Jesus a tap-in from Gabriel Martinelli’s cross, Liverpool remained dangerous in the first half. Jota hit the post following another superb Elliott pass, and they extended their lead 11 minutes before the break. Elliott sent the ball over Arsenal’s defense, and Carvalho struck a low shot from close range.
The Gunners responded answered five minutes before halftime when Odegaard grabbed on a loose ball in the box, Konstantinos Tsimikas lost his footing, and the Gunners captain found Havertz, who slid an effort past Kelleher. Both teams made adjustments during the interval. Jota was one of Liverpool’s three substitutions, while the Gunners’ Leandro Trossard and Fabio Vieira replaced Martinelli and Reiss Nelson, respectively.
Arsenal controlled play in the second half but struggled to create many opportunities. Vieira’s effort was saved by Kelleher following Odegaard’s clever through ball, while Eddie Nketiah pulled a feeble shot wide. After a 1-0 win over Real Betis the previous weekend, Arne Slot was able to celebrate his second consecutive success as Liverpool’s head coach.
The Reds will face Manchester United in South Carolina on August 3, Saturday, while Arsenal was scheduled to fly back to London from Philadelphia overnight and play a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen at Emirates Stadium next Wednesday.
