What happened to last Arsenal team who managed to avoid an Anfield Premier League drubbing
This weekend, Arsenal will have the opportunity to right a historical wrong when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.
The Gunners are flying high atop the Premier League standings and will arrive at Liverpool’s home stadium on Sunday with confidence. With nine games remaining, Mikel Arteta’s squad hopes to hold off Manchester City and win the Premier League title for the first time since 2004.
Liverpool, currently in eighth place and mired in a miserable season, may never have a better opportunity to win at Anfield. Arteta is unlikely to give the club’s record at Anfield much weight, but it is surprisingly poor.
Liverpool has won the last six Premier League meetings between the two teams at Anfield, scoring 22 goals to Arsenal’s meager total of four. Since September 2012, the Gunners have not won in the league at Liverpool, but they did draw in January 2016.
Joe Allen, a midfielder for Liverpool, scored an equalizer in the 90th minute to tie the match at 3-3 on January 16th. That day, three current Liverpool players, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Roberto Firmino, started.
In contrast, none of Arsenal’s starting lineup from that day are still with the club. However, Arteta will have intimate knowledge of that game due to his late substitution. However, for those of us who did not play that day, here is the last Arsenal lineup to avoid defeat at Liverpool.
What happened to last Arsenal team who managed to avoid an Anfield Premier League drubbing
Petr Cech
That day, Arsenal’s goalkeeper was Cech, who was in the first season of his four-year tenure at Arsenal after leaving Chelsea. He remained until his retirement in 2019 and then returned to Chelsea as a technical and performance advisor.
The 40-year-old departed Chelsea last summer following Todd Boehly’s takeover and now spends the majority of his time on ice. Prior to joining the Chelmsford Chieftains, Cech played for the Guildford Phoenix.
Hector Bellerin
From 2013 to 2022, the Spaniard was the most popular player at Arsenal. In September, after spending the 2021/22 season on loan with Real Betis, he was signed by Barcelona.
Bellerin joined Sporting on loan in January and his future is uncertain, as he is expected to move again this summer.
Laurent Koscielny
Between 2010 and 2019, Koscielny was a dependable mainstay at the heart of Arsenal’s defense. The Frenchman amassed a staggering 353 appearances for the club before returning to France with Bordeaux.
In March of last year, he announced his retirement and was forced to vigorously deny racist allegations that cast a shadow over his final days as a professional.
Per Mertesacker
Mertesacker was Koscielny’s longtime Arsenal defensive partner. After seven years with Arsenal, the German giant retired in 2018, but he has not ventured far.
Mertesacker, who is still only 38 years old, is now the head of the Arsenal academy, where he oversees the development of the next generation.
Nacho Monreal
Another player with a lengthy tenure, Monreal played for Arsenal between 2013 and 2019. He left for Real Sociedad, where he played for three years until a knee injury forced him to retire in 2022.
He commented at the time: “My knee sends me a message… loud and clear; I cannot continue! Do I get mad? NO! I listen to it and accept the situation and thank it for everything. A stage is over. Another starts. I’m happy and feeling good. One more time… I FEEL GOOD!!! And that gives me peace of mind.”
Aaron Ramsey
That day, Ramsey scored the opening goal for Arsenal. When he signed with Juventus in 2019, he appeared to have the world at his feet, as the Italian club offered him a monstrous contract. However, it has not gone well for the Welsh midfielder.
Injuries limited him to 70 appearances in three years at Turin, during which he scored six goals and provided six assists. He was loaned to Rangers last season and has since joined Nice, where he plays alongside Ross Barkley and Nicolas Pepe, who is on loan from Arsenal.
Mathieu Flamini
Three years were spent by Flamini at Arsenal before he moved to Crystal Palace and Getafe. Since his retirement from football in 2018, he has pursued a remarkable business career that has made him extremely wealthy.
The 39-year-old Frenchman founded the biochemical startup GF Biochemicals in 2008 out of concern for the future of the planet, and he was appointed CEO of the company he co-founded last year.
Joel Campbell
Campbell, who assisted against Liverpool that day, has played for eleven different clubs despite being only thirty years old. The Costa Rican winger was loaned out six times during his seven-year tenure at Arsenal and made only 40 appearances.
He is currently on loan from fellow Mexican club Leon to Monterey. This season, he has two goals and four assists in 30 games.
Mesut Ozil
Ozil left Arsenal in disgrace after falling out of favor there. However, his time in Turkey never went according to plan. He moved to Istanbul Basaksehir last month before retiring.
He stated, “I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity. But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it’s become more and more clear that it’s time to leave the big stage of football.”
Theo Walcott
Walcott played for Arsenal for twelve years after moving from Southampton in 2006. In 2018, he left for Everton, but he is still thriving in the Premier League with his former club.
His best days are over at age 34, but new Saints manager Ruben Selles has given him numerous starts in recent weeks.
Olivier Giroud
One of three Frenchmen playing for Arsenal against Liverpool. Giroud scored twice against Liverpool and amassed 105 goals for the club in 253 appearances between 2012 and 2018.
At the age of 36, he is France’s all-time leading scorer with 53 goals in 122 games and is still in high demand at AC Milan.
What happened to last Arsenal team who managed to avoid an Anfield Premier League drubbing
What happened to last Arsenal team who managed to avoid an Anfield Premier League drubbing