London // It was 364 days ago that Liverpool completed the £16 million (Dh92.6m) signing of Mario Balotelli from AC Milan, with the Italian expected to help fill the void left by Luis Suarez's switch to Barcelona.
Almost exactly a year on, Balotelli looks set to rejoin his boyhood club on loan and Christian Benteke put in the sort of big-game performance up front for Liverpool that suggests he could be the front man to lead them back into the top four this season.
Benteke and Liverpool were handed a major boost when the news filtered through that Arsenal would be without their first-choice centre-back pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker for the first time in the Premier League since April 2012.
Liverpool’s start reflected such likely feelings of buoyancy on Monday night, Benteke spurning a decent opportunity within the first couple of minutes after Hector Bellerin carelessly gave the ball away in a dangerous area.
The visitors again came close just seconds later, Philippe Coutinho crashing a shot off the crossbar following good work from Benteke in the channel between Gabriel Paulista and Nacho Monreal.
It was hardly the reassuring beginning to the game that Calum Chambers and Gabriel would have hoped for. Benteke’s power and strength caused the pair multiple problems early on, with Chambers in particular struggling to deal with the Belgian’s aerial threat.
There was much talk in the summer about Benteke’s suitability to this Liverpool side, with many suggesting that a striker who thrived on crosses and long balls was not the best match for Brendan Rodgers’s favoured way of playing the game.
On the early evidence, however, it is Liverpool who look set to adapt to Benteke rather than the other way round.
They again demonstrated their willingness to hit long balls forward for the former Aston Villa man to chase, with Arsenal’s shakiness at the back spreading anxiety throughout the home side.
The absence of Jordan Henderson meant the configuration of the visitors’ midfield looked more natural, too, with Lucas Leiva’s willingness to sit in front of the back four allowing Emre Can and James Milner to shuttle forward on either side of him.
Arsenal had opportunities, with Aaron Ramsey unfortunate to have a goal chalked off after being incorrectly flagged offside, but the first period undoubtedly belonged to Liverpool.
Their only disappointment at the break would have been a failure to convert one of their many chances, the best of which fell to Benteke in the 39th minute, Petr Cech sprawling to tip the striker’s close-range effort behind.
Arsene Wenger’s side began the second period with added tempo and urgency, some neat combination play putting the Liverpool back line under sustained pressure for the first time.
Liverpool were content to play on the counter-attack all evening, but they sank much deeper after the interval, a dangerous game given Arsenal’s customary intricacy in the tight spaces just outside the box.
Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud both went close to breaking the deadlock, but Liverpool still posed a threat on the break, especially once the speedy Jordon Ibe was introduced just after the hour.
While Benteke did not see as much of the ball as Arsenal pushed for the winner, he still played an important role in holding up the ball and chasing down lost causes.
As time goes on, he will be judged on his goal return.
For now, Benteke’s all-round showing at the Emirates will leave Liverpool fans hopeful that their new No 9 could be the answer to their striking problems.
Man of the match - Christian Benteke
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