Coming to this game, Liverpool were on the quest for breaking the Premier League record for most points in a single season. They needed to win all three remaining games to achieve the historic feat. For a team that only needed a record-breaking 31 games to win the league, that wouldn’t be a mammoth task, right? Even more, they only faced Arsenal: a team on a roller-coaster-like performance.
Liverpool’s dream started well when Sadio Mané scored within 20 minutes. However, the Reds seemed to show some sense of complacency in the latter part of the first half. Both Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk made amateurish errors that gave Arsenal all of their goals. How did both managers react? This tactical analysis will dig deep on both team’s tactics throughout the game.
Lineups
Mikel Arteta once again chose 3–4–3 for his team. The trio of Rob Holding, David Luiz, and Kieran Tierney was chosen to protect Emiliano Martinez in between the sticks. Up top, Alexandre Lacazette led the attacking line. The Frenchman was flanked by Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pépé to provide the attacks for Arsenal. The Gunners’ bench was filled with players like Dani Ceballos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock, Sead Kolašinac, and talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Moving to the opposite side, Jürgen Klopp deployed a regular 4–3–3 for his team. In this game, the Reds’ engine room was filled with Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Georginio Wijnaldum. The attacking trident of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Mané once again started for the visitors. Names like Naby Keïta, Takumi Minamino, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Divock Origi had to start the game from the dugout.
![Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace [1–1] (8 vs 7 P) – EFL Cup 2025/2026: Failure Of Attacking Transitions – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Arsenal-Vs-Crystal-Palace-tactical-analysis--350x250.png "Arsenal Vs Crystal Palace [1–1 (8-7)] – EFL Cup Quarter-Final 2025/2026 – Tactical Analysis 8")
