Liverpool recovered from a two-goal deficit to hold Premier League-leading Arsenal to a 2-2 draw in a breathless encounter on Merseyside on Sunday afternoon.
First-half goals from Arsenal’s Brazilian Gabriels, Martinelli and Jesus, gave the visitors a heartily deserved advantage. Yet, the hosts recovered to claim a point through Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in the 87th minute – though that tells very little of an enthralling story of a contest.
Mikel Arteta reverently likened Anfield to a ‘jungle’ before the match and Jurgen Klopp underlined the theme when detailing his side’s out-of-possession approach. “When they have the ball,” Klopp urged, “we have to be like animals.”
Andy Robertson misinterpreted the brief, dallying like a rabbit in headlights. Caught between jumping out to press Bukayo Saka – a proactive move which cost him so dearly against Manchester City last weekend – and holding his position, Robertson did neither, allowing Arsenal’s fleet-footed forward to weave infield. The ball ricocheted fortuitously to Gabriel Martinelli who took it in his stride, holding off Ibrahima Konate, skipping beyond Trent Alexander-Arnold and gently prodding beyond Alisson for an eighth-minute opener.
After so much talk of Anfield’s crushing atmosphere, Arsenal silenced the stands on Merseyside with a second goal in the first half-hour. If Robertson had been indecisive for Arsenal’s opener, there seemed to be precious little thought at all in Alexander-Arnold’s stationary approach to defending.
Martinelli gleefully scampered into the chasm behind Liverpool’s faltering backline, clipping the ball into the box. Neither Robertson nor Virgil van Dijk bothered marking Gabriel Jesus, leaving the Brazilian to nod Arsenal into a 2-0 lead after 28 minutes.
Liverpool had punctuated Arsenal’s breezy confidence on the ball with a couple of threatening thrusts but the Anfield crowd wasn’t ignited until Granit Xhaka needlessly went nose-to-nose with Alexander-Arnold. In an incendiary burst reminiscent of Arteta’s confrontation with Klopp in November 2021, Liverpool’s players were buoyed by their fans.
Sadio Mane scored within six minutes of that fracas 17 months ago and Mohamed Salah needed less than 60 seconds to ride the wave of reinvigorated enthusiasm on Sunday. Sneaking in at the back post, Salah bundled the ball over the line as Gabriel tried to clear Jordan Henderson’s stabbed effort, setting up a nervy conclusion to the first half for Arsenal.
The Gunners survived until the interval but Liverpool carried their energy into the second half. Arsenal buckled under the pressure within seven minutes of the restart as Rob Holding clumsily felled Diogo Jota amid the maelstrom of a corner.
Arsenal’s most recent title triumph owed plenty to a missed penalty from Ruud van Nistelrooy and Salah duly followed the cyclical passage of history, planting a low spot kick wide of the post – his second miss in as many attempts.
As the clock sluggishly ticked through the second half, Arsenal resisted the urge to sink closer and closer to the Kop baying for blood behind Aaron Ramsdale’s goal. Yet, Arteta wasn’t convinced, tossing on a third centre-back in the form of the inexperienced Jakub Kiwior for the final ten minutes.
Liverpool almost immediately pierced through Arsenal’s rejigged rearguard but Darwin Nunez fluffed a one-on-one with a typically unconvincing stab. Roberto Firmino was not so wasteful against his favourite opponents. Alexander-Arnold slipped the ball between Oleksandr Zinchenko’s legs before standing up a cross for Firmino to nod in with three minutes remaining.
There was still plenty of time for more drama as Ramsdale produced a pair of miraculous saves deep into stoppage time, tipping away Salah’s late effort before rebuffing Konate from point-blank range.
Arsenal’s lead at the summit stands at just six points, putting the title back into Manchester City’s hands ahead of a feted showdown between the top two later this month.
GK: Alisson – 5/10 – Not helped by his flailing defence in the slightest.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 3/10 – Almost comedically incompetent when defending at times but produced a lovely assist for the equaliser.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 6/10 – A little over-eager when stepping out of defence but found his timing as the match wore on.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 3/10 – All of the regal invincibility which once cloaked his performances has emphatically vanished.
LB: Andy Robertson – 3/10 – Got forward well but left a yawning gap at the other end of the pitch.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 4/10 – Spent most of his time hoarsely barking at the referee, delivering a pointing finger for every pass.
CM: Fabinho – 3/10 – Failed to offer any sense of stability at the base of midfield.
CM: Curtis Jones – 5/10 – Struggled to exert his influence on proceedings.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 6/10 – A sharp thorn in Arsenal’s side throughout the contest but passed up a golden chance.
ST: Cody Gakpo – 5/10 – Showed flashes of slick link play.
LW: Diogo Jota – 6/10 – The wriggling nuisance dovetailed well with Robertson when the fullback overlapped.
Substitutes
Thiago Alcantara (60′ for Jones) – 6/10 – Added an extra layer of silk to Liverpool’s midfield.
Darwin Nunez (60′ for Jota) – 4/10 – Squandered a glorious one-on-one.
Roberto Firmino (78′ for Fabinho) – 6/10 – Struck against Arsenal once again.
Manager
Jurgen Klopp – 4/10 – Watched on in bemusement as Liverpool were blitzed in the first 30 minutes thanks in no small part to his dire starting tactics but made impactful changes.
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 8/10 – Unable to do much with Salah’s close-range effort but managed to rebuff a raft of efforts from further out, including two stunning stops in stoppage time.
RB: Ben White – 6/10 – Unsettled when Robertson and Jota ganged up on him but held his own for the most part.
CB: Rob Holding – 4/10 – Ungainly when trying to win the ball back aside from his penalty concession.
CB: Gabriel – 5/10 – Sullied a front-foot performance by inadvertently kicking the ball onto Salah and into Arsenal’s net.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10 – Brilliant on the ball but the space he vacated when tucking into midfield was repeatedly penetrated by Salah.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 4/10 – DIdn’t play a protagonist’s role in Sunday’s drama.
CM: Thomas Partey – 5/10 – Not entirely cool and calm amid the furious heat of midfield.
CM: Granit Xhaka – 5/10 – Typically sucked into the emotion of the occasion but made a number of crucial clearances.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10 – Arsenal’s starboy wasn’t the brightest point in the team’s attacking constellation but still shone.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 8/10 – An unrelenting pest in the final third.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10 – Produced an obligatory outstanding performance against Liverpool, becoming the latest in a long line of wingers to terrorise Alexander-Arnold.
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard (80′ for Jesus) – 5/10
Jakub Kiwior (80′ for Odegaard) – 5/10
Kieran Tierney (88′ for Zinchenko) – N/A
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 3/10 – While his passive change wasn’t entirely to blame, he certainly contributed to his team’s crumbling.
Player of the match – Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
Credit: 90min.com
