Liverpool news: the Arsenal blank, Trey Nyoni's rise and a Fenerbahce test Iraola cannot fail

Liverpool lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal on Sunday, and the statistics around it are the story.

Opta recorded no shot on target for the hosts, the first time that has happened to Liverpool in a Premier League game at Anfield since records began in 2003-04, and the second such blank in a matter of weeks after the goalless draw at the Etihad.

Arsenal, the reigning champions, did what champions do: defended the box, took their moment, and left with the points. Iraola gave his assessment in the post-match press conference, and the mood around the ground was a long way from the belief that greeted kick-off.

Ian Ladyman's verdict in the Daily Mail was blunt: Liverpool are not ready to challenge for the title this season, progress under Iraola notwithstanding, and a nine-point deficit to Arsenal already frames the campaign as a fight for the top four rather than the trophy.

The Guardian's Andrew Beasley put the tactical finger on the real issue, which is not effort but method. Wirtz and his teammates struggled badly against a deep, compact backline, and unpicking low blocks is now the defining test of Iraola's coaching.

Credit to Arsenal for the discipline of their shape, but Liverpool's inability to turn possession into a single shot on target is the part that will keep the analysts busy this week.

Florian Wirtz was asked about his own situation after the Arsenal defeat and answered with a shrug, saying he does not care about the suggestions being thrown at him. Liverpool need that thick skin from their number seven, because the scrutiny will not ease while the goals dry up.

Trey Nyoni is at the other end of the experience scale. The 19-year-old made his full Premier League debut against the champions, explained the new role Iraola has asked him to play and admitted that you get punished at this level for the smallest lapses.

David Lynch singled out Nyoni's display as unbelievable in the circumstances, and it was the one performance at Anfield on Sunday that genuinely lifted the crowd.

Liverpool's injury picture is clearing just in time for the trip to Fenerbahce. Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong all have firmer timelines now, with the squad flying to Turkey on Wednesday for matchday four.

Losing Ekitike matters most in a week when the attack produced nothing on target, and Bradley's absence on the right has knock-on effects for how Iraola sets up. Araujo's availability and role are also part of the equation as the coach weighs changes.

Liverpool's Champions League assignment is Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Wednesday, and the officiating team has been confirmed.

Iraola has selection posers to answer, with Rio Ngumoha on standby and Araujo's involvement under consideration, while the club has laid out television, commentary and highlights details for supporters following from home.

The fall-out from Sunday continues too: Noni Madueke admitted he feared a red card after his clash with Alexis Mac Allister, a coming-together Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both called embarrassing. David Lynch argued VAR made an undeniable error in not giving Alexander Isak a penalty.