Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola have come in for more criticism, with the pair failing to make an impact as Liverpool fell to a frustrating defeat at home to Arsenal

Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola have been criticized for their performances against Arsenal, with the Liverpool duo accused of going “missing” during Sunday’s defeat.

Kai Havertz’s first-half goal was all that separated the two sides as the defending Premier League champions claimed their first win at Anfield since 2012, and opened up a nine-point gap on the Reds, whose burgeoning title ambitions have quickly been checked.

Andoni Iraola can still be relatively pleased with his side, despite not recording a shot on target, having gone toe-to-toe with the favorites for this season’s crown. Not only that, but Liverpool has a strong case for feeling let down by the officials after Alexander Isak was denied a penalty before the break.

Nevertheless, questions are once again being asked about two of the Reds’ big-money signings, with Wirtz and Barcola struggling to make an impact against the Gunners.

The former did hit the crossbar with a first-half free-kick, while it was the latter’s cross which could have led to Isak winning a penalty from Jurrien Timber’s shirt pull.

Having impressed more in recent games though, it was a much quieter evening for the pair against Arsenal, with talkSPORT pair Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist not too impressed with either.

“I thought, without being too unkind because I thought there were some good Liverpool performances, [Trey] Nyoni, the boy he [Iraola] picked, after a torrid first 10 minutes, he was excellent until he was substituted,” Stelling began as he reflected on the game.

“[Jeremy] Jacquet was terrific as well, and [Milos] Kerkez, I really enjoyed his performance too, full of energy.

“But the big names, in the big games, when you’ve got to stand up and be counted, Florian Wirtz and particularly Bradley Barcola, I’m afraid were massive disappointments for me.”

Former Rangers striker McCoist agreed, adding: “I thought they were missing.”

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Liverpool will hope to quickly shake off the disappointment of its defeat to Arsenal as it faces two more games before heading into this month’s international break.

The Reds head to Turkiye as they face Fenebahce on Wednesday, aiming to continue their perfect start to the Champions League’s league phase and take another step toward the knockout stages.

Then it’s back to the UK as they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with Eagles boss Pierre Sage coming under increasing pressure ahead of that game after defeat at Tottenham left them in the bottom three.