Talking pointsJota's Arsenal record, Klopp follows Shankly and the chase continues

Diogo Jota’s 54th-minute near-post strike opened the scoring for the Reds before second-half substitute Roberto Firmino extended the lead and secured all the spoils just after the hour mark.

Here are five talking points from the action at Emirates Stadium…

Diogo’s Gunners delight

Jota has now bagged seven times in seven games against Arsenal across all competitions since joining Liverpool in September 2020.

The Portuguese forward moved his tally to five goals at Emirates Stadium itself – joining Jamie Vardy at the top of the scoring charts for visiting players.

He fired low past Aaron Ramsdale at the goalkeeper’s near post to spark wild celebrations in the away end just moments before being withdrawn by Jürgen Klopp.

“If you want to finish the game there’s nothing better than to score a goal,” said the No.20, who now has 18 goals in 2021-22, post-match.

Another member of Klopp’s squad with a prolific record versus the Gunners is Firmino.

The Brazilian netted his ninth goal in 16 career appearances against Arsenal after stepping off the bench, deftly diverting in Andy Robertson’s cross to seal victory.

Battling Reds

Two vital tackles from Player of the Match Robertson in the opening 45 minutes typified the opening period for the visitors – not quite at full tilt but digging in when required, to give themselves a platform to push on.

The Reds battled through a tricky first half and re-appeared early for the second period ready to attack the next 45 minutes, which they did in impressive fashion.

Two goals in eight minutes shortly after the interval established a firm advantage and paved the way for a vital three points in the capital to keep the club’s title challenge on track.

Alisson Becker provided a crucial save from Martin Odegaard just moments before Jota opened the scoring, proving again the resilience that will be required by every member of the squad heading into the final part of the Premier League campaign.

Hot on Man City’s heels

One point is all it takes.

The Reds’ ninth successive Premier League victory reduced the gap to Pep Guardiola’s City to just a single point, having trailed by as many as 14 back in January.

Liverpool’s superior goal difference means a draw or better against Watford on April 2 in the lunchtime kick-off will take Klopp’s side top of the table, at least temporarily, ahead of City’s trip to Burnley that same afternoon.

“We don’t fight City – we play City in three or four weeks, I don’t know exactly, and then we will give them hopefully a proper fight,” said the manager at his press conference.

“Apart from that, we are in a good moment, we are in a mood, that’s all clear, but we know the only way to do it is to dig really deep.”

Trio hit double figures again

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Robertson have now all reached double figures for assists in the Premier League this season.

Robertson notched his 50th assist overall for the club on Wednesday by providing the low delivery into the six-yard box for Firmino to score.

The same three Reds players also achieved the feat together in the 2019-20 campaign, and the Scot’s pass means it is the first occasion a team has done so since then.

Alexander-Arnold leads the way on 11 for the campaign, while Salah and Robertson have returned 10 apiece.

A milestone win for Klopp

The result at Emirates Stadium meant Klopp recorded his 100th away victory since taking charge of the club and Liverpool gained a third consecutive win at Arsenal in all competitions for the first time in history.

He also became only the second Reds boss to beat Arsenal on 10 occasions (from 18 meetings), emulating Bill Shankly (11 wins in 28 games).

Klopp’s men moved up to 69 points for the Premier League campaign, equalling last season’s overall tally with nine fixtures still to play.