Arsenal will have spent near £300m once the summer transfer window ends at 7pm on Monday evening. Still, the Gunners' luxurious new squad was not enough to fend off another of the market's big spenders, Liverpool.

Truth be told, Arne Slot's side were there for the taking. Mikel Arteta's men enjoyed more of the ball in the first half and looked threatening, but could not make their advantage tell.

In the end, they were undone by a moment of magic. Arsenal played with the handbrake on and the Reds made them pay.

Last season you may well remember Declan Rice's stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid. It's hard to forget them. Well, Rice eat your heart out.

Dominic Szoboszlai stepped up and struck a beautiful free-kick over the ball and past David Raya with not long left on the clock.

What went wrong for Arsenal at Anfield

After winning on the Premier League's opening weekend against Manchester United, much was made of Arsenal's unbeaten run against the big teams.

Indeed, as the north Londoners headed to Merseyside on Sunday, they did so having not lost their last 22 games against the division's traditional big six; Manchester City, Liverpool, Man United, Spurs and Chelsea.

Well, that record came to an end in disappointing fashion this weekend as Arsenal rather lost with a whimper.

The tone was set in the opening exchanges. William Saliba went down off the ball and went off, replaced by Cristhian Mosquera. To his credit, the summer signing did well, winning four of his five duels, according to Sofascore.

The performance stemmed from Arsenal's attack. While Arteta may have a fantastic record against the biggest sides in English football, it's becoming a regular occurrence now that they struggle to get out of second gear.

Barring the annihilation against Manchester City last season, very rarely have the Gunners managed to romp to victory.

Excusing that City game, it's 11 matches since Arsenal scored more than twice in those 'big-six' fixtures. Fair enough against the best sides in the land, but it speaks volumes of a team who aren't given much creative freedom or license.

Viktor Gyokeres, like he did against Manchester United, looked isolated up top and was devoid of much service. That's hardly a surprise considering Arsenal started Ethan Nwaneri, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze on the bench. Also without Bukayo Saka, this one was always going to be a bit of a struggle.

Mikel Merino was chosen in the Odegaard role but despite scoring twice against Liverpool in 2024/25, he didn't really turn up on this occasion, completing just 77% of his passes.

To his credit, Noni Madueke was probably the best player for the visitors. Handed an opportunity in his favoured role on the right-hand side, he regularly looked to make things happen.

He had three shots, the most of any Arsenal player and completed his one and only dribble. It's a pity his partner on the opposite side of the pitch failed to show the same vigour.

The root of Arsenal's problems in attack

For the vast majority of this summer window, Arsenal supporters have had two cravings. One was for the club to sign a new striker and they did so by welcoming Gyokeres to the Emirates Stadium.

The other desire was to see Andrea Berta sign a left winger. He's semi-done that, welcoming Madueke and Eze into the fold.

It was Madueke who started on the left against Leeds United last week and it was Eze who finished Sunday's clash in that role, substituted on with 20 minutes to go. The new signing was vibrant, certainly more so than the man he replaced, Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian is a puzzling talent. In 2022/23, he finished as the club's joint-top scorer, registering 15 goals.

Since then, it has been an arduous few years for the wide player who has struggled to replicate that form. His performance against Liverpool showcased why he's become a bit of a scapegoat in recent times.

Full of pace, Martinelli will always guarantee energy, but his lack of incisiveness in the final third completely killed Arsenal in the first half.

There were two moments in particular. One came in the opening exchanges when he found the chance to break through the centre of the pitch. Gyokeres looked to make two runs in behind but Martinelli didn't get his head up. He eventually ran down a blind alley into the penalty area and lost the ball having failed to make up his mind over what to do with it.

The same happened slightly later in the half when he decided to hold the ball up rather than get after Szoboszlai who was playing out of position at right-back.

It said it all that the Hungarian, even before his showstopping goal, was on course to win the man of the match award.

Martinelli only lasted 70 minutes but he really should have been hooked sooner, having failed to have a single shot, manage one dribble or create a key pass.

It was a really poor afternoon for the Brazil international who left the pitch after amassing just 15 touches, 40 fewer than goalkeeper David Raya.

As Arsenal podcaster and writer Phil Costa noted during the 90 minutes, he's "so clunky and indecisive." Is it any wonder the Gunners have moved to secure the services of Eze and Madueke this summer?

On this evidence, Martinelli should find himself back on the bench after the international break. Eze simply has to start when they face Nottingham Forest in two weeks.