Arsenal's rough patch continues with FA Cup elimination to Liverpool as Gunners remain stuck in neutral

Liverpool scored two late goals to win the cup tie

Arsenal seemed to have every advantage as they approached the late stages of their FA Cup third-round tie with Liverpool, which was scoreless with 10 minutes on the clock. Both advantage and the shot count benefitted the Gunners, and technically so did the quality of their chances in front of goal. Because they had nothing to show for it, though, Liverpool's somewhat fortuitous ability to score twice -- once from Jakub Kiwior's 80th-minute own goal and then from Luis Diaz's stoppage-time strike -- meant Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday, 2-0.

Mikel Arteta's side were dominant in possession from the start and quickly responded by racking up shots. By halftime, they had 13 shots, five on target and 1.85 expected goals, an impressive return on its own but especially when considering the output of a rotated Liverpool side. The visitors posted just two shots, neither of which were on goal, and just 0.31 expected goals, truly exemplifying that the match was in Arsenal's grasp and that all their performance required at that point was a goal that would reflect their efforts.

That goal never came, though it was not because the game state dramatically changed for the second 45 minutes. Liverpool did improve -- they took 10 shots in the second half, but only put three on target and mustered 0.67 expected goals by the game's end. Though Arsenal's 1.61 expected goals were still superior to Liverpool's tally, the Gunners posted just five shots in the second half and not a single one landed on target. They clearly faded despite boasting the advantage throughout, which is starting to become a worrying pattern for Arsenal.