Liverpool's Trident

This was a low, perfectly weighted pass that cut through Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey in midfield and landed precisely in Coutinho's path.

Coutinho stretched out his left foot as he ran, cushioning the ball steadily with the outside of his boot. His body barely slowed at the moment of contact.

He drove straight toward the left side of Arsenal's penalty area.

Arsenal's right-sided center-back Holding held his position, while Bellerin raced back at speed behind him.

Coutinho did not hesitate.

He dragged the ball with his left foot toward the byline, then accelerated after it and charged toward the end line.

Holding instinctively stuck out a foot to intercept, but missed completely.

An outright overtake!

Coutinho muscled his way past Holding's side and surged to a position near the byline, facing the goal.

As he slowed down, he looked up.

There was virtually no angle left for a shot, and Ospina had sealed off the near post.

In less than a second, Coutinho made his choice and gently pushed the ball with the inside of his right foot.

The ball slipped past the foot of the covering Mertesacker and rolled precisely toward the area around the penalty spot.

Mane had arrived from the far post and appeared right in the ball's path.

But Coquelin was tight against him, discreetly driving an elbow into his lower back.

Mane forcibly steadied himself, shaping to shoot with his left foot, but instead lightly flicked the incoming ball with his heel.

A fake shot, a real pass!

Coquelin went to ground in a sliding tackle and missed.

The ball rolled accurately toward the top of the penalty arc.

The flick looked simple.

But a difference of inches could mean a world apart.

The entire stadium fell silent in an instant.

More than ninety