Arsenal slipped further off the pace in the Premier League title race by twice throwing away the lead in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s team, who have finished runners-up to Manchester City in each of the past two season, are now five points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Bukayo Saka had given Arsenal a ninth-minute lead after embarrassing Liverpool full-back Andrew Robertson to score, and Mikel Merino restored the Gunners’ lead with a 43rd-minute header after Virgil van Dijk had equalised on 17 minutes. Mohamed Salah’s 81st-minute equaliser finally secured a point for the visitors.
What was already a disappointing day for Arsenal was further tarnished by centre-back Gabriel Magalhães limping out of the game on 54 minutes with a suspected knee injury.
Arne Slot has repeatedly said that his Liverpool team cannot be judged until they have faced a big test against a big opponent, but the Reds’ manager will now know that his side have resilience in abundance after fighting back twice to earn a draw at Arsenal. Last Sunday’s Anfield win against Chelsea was a test against an improving team, but the trip to the Emirates was the first time Liverpool faced an opponent occupying a top-five spot this season.
The reality is that Arsenal were the better team and the one that displayed most creativity and carried the greater threat. Despite that, though, and despite Arsenal twice taking the lead, Liverpool still emerged with a point that enables them to stay ahead of the Gunners as Manchester City’s closest challengers at the top of the table.
Slot’s Liverpool are a different proposition to Jürgen Klopp’s team — the side the German called his “Mentality Monsters.” They play a more disciplined 4-3-3 formation and midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister occupy the defensive slots in front of the back four. As a consequence, they are tougher to beat, but the flip side is that Slot’s Liverpool lack the fantasy of his predecessor’s side.
After nine games in charge, though, Slot’s team are second in the table and just one point behind champions City. They lost at the Emirates last season when they were too open, but Slot has bolted the back door a little tighter, and he is getting his rewards.
William Saliba played every single minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign last season. His absence here — the product of a red card against AFC Bournemouth — posed Arteta a new problem in reshuffling his defence.
The Gunners boss opted to partner Ben White with Gabriel at centre-back while midfielder Thomas Partey started at right-back and Jurriën Timber recovered from a muscular problem to begin at left-back.
That quartet — Arsenal’s sixth different back four in nine league games — coped admirably in the circumstances, but Arsenal’s problems deepened in the second half. Gabriel was forced off nine minutes after the restart and later returned to the dugout to watch the rest of the game with his left leg heavily strapped.
The last Premier League match in which neither Gabriel nor Saliba was on the field was the final four minutes of Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in March 2023.
Jakub Kiwior was introduced, but Liverpool stepped up their search for an equaliser, and Timber — starting his first game for 26 days — faded, forcing the introduction of teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly. Salah’s equaliser came down that flank. Darwin Núñez evaded Lewis-Skelly and Kiwior got caught out of position as Salah darted infield to equalise.
Salah’s 81st-minute equaliser for Liverpool was a classic example of what he does best — and also a hint to Slot that he needs give the forward more scope to do it. Slot’s Liverpool play a more rigid formation than Klopp’s free-flowing side, and the downside of that approach is that it has taken away the freedom that Salah enjoyed under Slot’s predecessor.
Against Arsenal, the 32-year-old spent virtually the whole game on the right of the Liverpool front three and he played to instructions by occupying the right flank of the pitch when the team went forward. At times, he cut a frustrated figure, looking like nothing more than a standard right winger obediently staying in his position and ensuring that the team shape remained solid.
ESPN
