Arsenal at Anfield in recent seasons has been more Quentin Tarantino than Alfonso Cuaron.
In the end, there's a massacre. Last season, it ended 5-1 and that had followed a 4-0 hammering in 2017-18.
Not since March 2017 had Arsenal escaped Liverpool with something vaguely resembling a respectable loss.
Just like Saturday's evening game, Arsene Wenger's side had lost 3-1. With a difficult trend to confront, Unai Emery needed to try something different.
Formation
That something different was a diamond formation in midfield. We know it ended in a 3-1 defeat but how did it work for the Arsenal manager before they conceded from a corner late in the first half?
Granit Xhaka was at the base of that narrow diamond, with Mathieu Guendouzi and Joe Willock either side. At the pointy end, Dani Ceballos was given a chance to try and repeat his excellent showing against Burnley.
When Liverpool pressed forward, the three deepest players in the diamond flattened their shape and embedded themselves at the feet of the Gunners' defenders. That made them hard to play through until a set-piece and penalty unraveled their chances.
However, they were also playing with fire. While their midfield cut off space centrally, it left acres for Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to gallop into. But as Gary Neville said on commentary, it was very much by design from Arsenal's manager. It was an invitation of danger he needed that could potentially make his attacking plan viable.
Up front, the pacy pairing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe had the task of trying to exploit the gaps on the break that Liverpool's full-backs would leave behind. Both players like to venture into space on the channels and cut inside: Pepe as a left-footer cutting in from the right and Aubameyang doing the opposite.
Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe (left) shoots towards goal during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool.At least it was a plan of sorts. But for the script to have a happy ending, it would be predicated on Arsenal scoring first - which they didn't do.
Fleeting Moments
They had some chances to do it, however. Pepe was able to get in behind Liverpool's high line 34 minutes in. But when almost one-on-one with Adrian (the image just above), he hit his shot straight at the goalkeeper.
Had he scored, Arsenal could counter-attack that bit more comfortably, given Liverpool would have to pour forward.
Arsenal had fleeting moments like that when they isolated Pepe in particular in the space between Robertson and Virgil van Dijk. But the forwards lacked the finishing touch and also they were isolated for long periods. A large space existed between Arsenal's midfield and the front two. But the midfield and defence didn't play enough precise long balls over the top of the Liverpool defence for Pepe and Aubameyang often off - apart from the aforementioned fleeting moments of danger.
Indeed, they still have a tendency to play it short around the back. Not exactly a wise strategy when Liverpool are pressing ferociously. That led to one moment of danger, for example, when Ceballos found himself pinned into his own left corner and almost set Sadio Mane up for a goal with his miscued clearance.
So overall, the diamond failed to glitter. However score-line aside, it wasn't the main cause of Arsenal's failure to end their Anfield woes.
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