Why Arsenal deserve more criticism than Liverpool despite ‘simply unacceptable’ Chelsea defeat

Editor F365 06 Oct 2025 9:59 AM

Chelsea defender Reece James tackles Liverpool forward Alexander Isak

Liverpool were abysmal against Chelsea - but it's Arsenal who should be criticised

Liverpool were ‘simply unacceptable’ in defeat to Chelsea and not one single player ’emerged with any credit’. But Arsenal should face more criticism.

We also have thoughts on, well, Stewie.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

One normal weekend of Barclays

What a weekend!

Amorim stans claiming the United win as a win for the system (when we lose, it’s the fault of the players), after a surprising result at home to a promoted side.

Liverpool *lose* to a late goal.

Arsenal get a penalty given even though the foul is outside the box to wrap up a win. (You guys really need to never complain about referees again.)

The German Isak-replacing giant on the Toon pops up with another goal.

Everton show considerable spirit against Glasner’s giant-killing Palace to maintain one record at the cost of another. (If Glasner comes to United, add Munoz to the list to bring along).

But, some things never change. Good old VAR, either looking at things that don’t need extensive deliberation or failing to identify an obvious throwing of a punch at someone or where fouls take place. Classic.

Insert “this is what makes the PL so special” statement here.
Badwolf

Chelsea dagger

Where to begin. We beat the champions 2-1 with a dying minute goal from the Brazilian wunderkind. What made it even sweeter is that we did it with a back 4 of full backs because every single center back (except Chalobah who was suspended) we have got injured. We’re also missing our best player, Palmer, and striker in Delap. João Pedro does an okay job but he needs an actual striker in front of him to play his best.

What surprised me the most with the win is how attacking we were in the last 15 minutes following the subs. I completely expected us to hunker down and protect the draw but Maresca had other plans. After seeing his subs against United and Brighton, this was a very welcome change and I hope it continues. He deserves credit. Liverpool at that point playing a back 4 with 2 midfielders certainly helped.

People constantly talk about this team lacking leaders but that wasn’t the case yesterday. Reece James is really blossoming as the leader of this team and he’s doing it without pointing and shouting. Enzo and Caicedo are also leading by example. These 2 guys have had to play every game because of injuries to Lavia, Andrey Santos, Essugo and Palmer but it’s not stopping them. Seeing the upturn in form of Caicedo and Cucurella is one of the things that make me happy the most. No one mentions their prices anymore. I’m still waiting for when the rest of the league will start singing Caicedo’s praises as one of the best midfielders in the league now that he’s added goals to his game.

Saving the best for last, Estêvão. That kid is the truth. I once read somewhere that one of the easiest ways to know if an “unknown” player is any good is by taking note of how often his teammates give him the ball. In the preseason game against Leverkusen, Palmer kept giving the ball to Estêvão almost every chance he could. I was surprised because he never gives the ball that often to Madueke or Neto. If Palmer can trust him that quickly, I have no reason not to. I hope we manage him carefully so he can become the player his potential deserves.

This is still just one win so I’m not getting too carried away. The club world cup win has given people the wrong feeling about this team. Expecting us to challenge for the title was always more based in fantasy than reality. I believe we’re the 4th best team in the league so a realistic expectation is a top 4 finish and a closing of the gap to the teams above us. I don’t foresee a proper title challenge until at least 2 years, based on how the club is being run at the moment.
Abdulazeez (I need one of Liverpool and City to wake up. Can’t have Arsenal winning the league) Bristol

Liverpool defeat ‘unacceptable’

Losing at Palace didn’t concern me (excellent side at full strength), and neither did losing at Galatasaray to a nonsense pen given by an egomaniacal ref.

But let’s get it right. Losing to the Cole Palmer team minus Cole Palmer, and who made their way through their 4th to 7th choice CBs during the 90+, was simply unacceptable. I don’t think any player who took part, either from the start or the bench, emerged with any credit. Some were worse than others, but no one escapes criticism. It was simply an awful, disjointed, muddled performance.

The international break couldn’t come at a better time. I think everyone concerned needs two weeks away from it, to clear heads more than anything else.

The good news is, there couldn’t be a better first fixture to come back to. Perhaps for the first time in a long time in that fixture, Liverpool go into it knowing that they simply MUST produce a good performance. That makes them dangerous and frankly I wouldn’t want to be Manchester United going there on that Sunday.

Looking at the wider picture: still 2nd in the league, despite all the teething troubles. Talk of a crisis is just nonsense.

Indeed, perhaps more should be made of why Arsenal, the biggest net spenders in the league this summer (£260m outwards but only recouped £10m in sales), who probably have the most well balanced squad and more familiarity in selection, haven’t seen this Liverpool team off already. To only be a point ahead having already lost at Anfield, it feels to me suboptimal, considering how all the cards seemed stacked in their favour. Both Liverpool and City are breathing right down their necks, despite neither side clicking.

The title race is very much on.
Andy H, Swansea.

Elbow grease

Not expecting a whole heap of coverage for this incident, given it has nothing to do with Liverpool or Arsenal, but Emi Buendia being knocked out by Zian Flemming deliberately elbowing him in the face during the Villa-Burnley game was absolutely horrible.

At the time I assumed it was one of these palm-offs that cause trouble from taller players, but having now watched a replay in the car home I cannot believe the ref didn’t give even a foul for it. What did he think happened?

Obviously VAR nowhere to be seen. What exactly is the point of it again?
Neil Raines, Kom op jullie villajongens 🇳🇱

Waging war

Who pays Van Dijk’s wages?

Liverpool or PGMOL?

Or do they take turns?
Lawrence in Muswell Hill

The response to Stewie

I used to enjoy Stewies musings on all things Arsenal. Reading opinions and viewpoints you disagree with broadens your perspective and sharpens critical thinking. It exposes you to alternative reasoning, helping you identify flaws in your own beliefs or strengthen them through scrutiny. Engaging with diverse ideas prevents echo chambers and equips you to articulate your stance more effectively in debates. It also cultivates humility, as you may discover nuances or valid points you hadn’t considered, even if you don’t fully align with them. Ultimately, it promotes a more open-minded and resilient worldview.

However, Stewie’s evolution mirrors a broader trend in fan discourse: from passionate scrutiny to algorithm-friendly provocation. While his barbs still land with anti-Arsenal readers, the use of emojis and juvenile rhetorical questions and complete lack of analytical rigour has transformed a credible critic into a caricature. It’s even difficult to read, written as it is in such a puerile format.

Whilst no doubt F365 are pleased with the engagement, I don’t think traffic to the Mailbox will suffer for the lack of young Griffins trolling.
Eoin (is it really him these days? Or did he just hand over his email login to a teenager) Ireland

Firstly, where was the Stewie warning? I got ss far as ashtray before I realized it was that attention seeker. Secondly, how desperate is he to see himself in print, international break coming, I’m getting withdrawal, they keep winning, I know, I’ll write any old pile of compost, they always print me.

Just cut him off, it’s for the best, it really is.
Andrew Goonerabroad Brown

Guys

Where was the Stewie warning yesterday? Can you put spoiler tags in next time?

I had to read the first paragraph of that tripe before it became clear it was another incoherent rant spliced with Trumpisms and Emojis.

Not going to give the coward satisfaction of a response but to email complaining about our striker when we are top of the league is Peak Stewie!
Tom (oh dear Scousers…) AFC London