Arsenal “had no time to prepare players” after Euro 2016 and lacked experience in their 4-3 loss to Liverpool, said manager Arsene Wenger.
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Liverpool resumed the second half on fire as they scored two goals in quick succession.
“Of course we are bitterly disappointed”, said the Frenchman, who will mark his 20th year in charge next month. “It’s a situation where you can only be punished”. “The manager wanted us to pressure them more and said how fit we were and how we can push on in the second half”.
Laurent Koscielny, as well as team-mates Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil, was deemed not ready after only returning to training last week following an extended run with their countries at this summer’s European Championship. Chambers then grabbed a goal himself with 15 minutes remaining, assisted by Santi Cazorla who’d come on after a worrying injury for Aaron Ramsey.
But when Jurgen Klopp’s side, boasting three signings, clicked into gear, Arsenal fell apart to condemn Wenger’s men to their third opening-day defeat in four seasons at the Emirates. “We opened the path for them again”.
Asked how long Ramsey was likely to be out for, Wenger replied: “I don’t know yet”.
They were level though in injury time at the end of the first half and it was a moment of magic from Coutinho, who curled a free-kick from 30 yards over the wall and into the top corner. Ramsey, Koscielny, Özil – they went to the semi-final.
“It’s hard but it’s the Premier League and nothing should be easy in this league so we need to be ready”. “You have to sometimes accept that you can not control absolutely everything”.
Adam Lallana, Coutinho and debutant Sadio Mane were all on target during a blistering spell of attacking football for the visitors before Arsenal substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and centre-back Calum Chambers set up a grandstand finish.
“It was so intense, so warm, the first game”, said Klopp. That I do hopefully one of two times in my life – but not so early in the game, because it was a long time for all of us, and I felt for everybody in this moment “that’s it”.
“Then you look on the watch and see there is still half an hour to go and that is not too good”. “He [Moreno] played the ball is how I saw it, but it’s not important because Simon could make the save”.
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Arsene Wenger was forced to select a makeshift and inexperienced centre-back pairing in Calum Chambers and debutant Rob Holding, the England Under-21 worldwide signed from Bolton Wanderers in the summer.
