Liverpool began their attempt to regain the FA Cup in impressive fashion with a memorable victory at Arsenal on Sunday.

A late Jakub Kiwior own goal and Luis Diaz’s injury-time strike did the damage as the Reds dug in to secure a 2-0 triumph. The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men remain in contention on four fronts as they continued an impressive campaign.

But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.

 

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Odegaard error

There wasn’t a lack of atmosphere inside the Emirates, although come full-time it was the Liverpool support who were making all the noise.

And Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard seemed to lose his bearings when he attempted to gee up the Gunners faithful as the dominant home side pressed for an opener towards the end of the first half.

However, the fans to whom he was urging encouragement were actually those sat in the away end. To be fair, Odegaard was a Liverpool fan growing up. You never forget.

Elliott targeted

Odegaard was later integral in helping Liverpool on their way when he fouled substitute Ryan Gravenberch to concede the free-kick from which the visitors opened the scoring.

It prompted a second show of dissent in the match from the Norwegian, with fellow Arsenal midfielder Jorginho having earlier issued a potty-mouthed tirade towards referee John Brooks despite somehow escaping censure for pulling the shirt of Cody Gakpo.

But when Harvey Elliott reacted negatively to being harshly penalised after a tangle with Odegaard, the Liverpool man was straight into the book. Brooks, don’t forget, was the referee when Virgil van Dijk was given an extra one-match ban for his sweary response to being red-carded at Newcastle United back in August.

Diaz delight

Liverpool’s late double strike prompted significant celebration. The opening goal led to the visiting players rejoicing around the corner flag, joined by one fan whose head was slapped a few times by Darwin Nunez before his hat was removed and thrown to one side by Ibrahima Konate, who then continued to beat his bonce.

And when Diaz thumped in the second goal, his father Luis Manuel Diaz – once again watching on from the way end – was caught on camera bouncing around in the upper tier.

Rumours Diaz’s dad is just trying to get enough credits to ensure a ticket for the Goodison derby in March have just been made up.

Tube joy

There was further reason for joy among the visiting supporters. Not long after Liverpool went ahead, an announcement was made inside the Emirates explaining the planned strike on the London Underground for that evening had been cancelled.

The cheer from the away end, whose trips home were instantly made a lot easier, was almost as loud as the one that greeted the opening goal. Arsenal fans, meanwhile, had almost all departed by the final whistle.

There was a smattering of boos from those who remained, despite losing to the team Mikel Arteta later regarded as the best in Europe at present. Tough crowd, the Gunners fans.