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Liverpool (2-0-0, 6 points) have had the far more adventurous route to their flawless record, twice giving back late leads only to score match-winning goals even later.
Last Monday, it was Mo Salah setting up Rio Ngumoha deep in second-half stoppage time to seal a 3-2 victory at Newcastle United, in a contentious environment fueled by the transfer saga surrounding Liverpool’s pursuit of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
But the good news for Reds manager Arne Slot is that so far, his side appears less reliant on the veteran Salah for their attacking production, thanks in no small part to their summer transfer business.
In particular, former Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Hugo Ekitike is off to a quick start at Anfield with two goals and an assist, including Liverpool’s second tally at Newcastle.
“I think he has already made a big impact in the attacking part of our game,” Slot said Friday. “Not only scoring goals but also being part of build-up situations where he was someone that started the attack or was part of us starting an attack. I’m talking about a difference a bit more than last season, although when (Luis Diaz) played there he was also a lot of times part of our build-up.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal (2-0-0, 6 points) have yet to concede in the new campaign and last Saturday romped to a 5-0 home victory over Leeds United that was realistically decided when Bukayo Saka scored the Gunners’ second goal in first-half stoppage time.
But Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard are already dealing with injuries, with the former two expected to miss at least several weeks.
That will put the focus on summer signings like Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, who were acquired in part to help Arsenal combat exactly these kinds of situations.
Gyokeres scored his first two Premier League goals — including one from the penalty spot — against Leeds. Eze has yet to debut for the Gunners after completing his transfer from Crystal Palace for a reported fee just north of $80 million this week.
“It’s the start of the season and we lost three of our main players, but that’s the reality,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “A very unfortunate situation, three very different situations. But that’s why we keep insisting, like everybody else, you need a big squad to be able to cope and sustain the level.”
–Field Level Media
