ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // A point was probably a result that both Jürgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta would have taken beforehand. Neither would admit that, but Liverpool and Arsenal can now continue their title battle without either having been dealt a blow.
It was a match that showed exactly why both are genuine contenders, too. In William Saliba and Declan Rice, Arsenal has two elite performers, but Liverpool has Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah. A 1-1 tie is not a result that either can be that displeased with on the balance of play.
Both teams could make a case that they should have come away with more: Arsenal for the way it started the game, going in front, but also Liverpool for coming back into it and hitting the crossbar and having a strong penalty shout waved away. But in a few months, it could yet be a decisive point gained for either.
Here are the three moments Liverpool.com picked out from the Reds’ tie with Arsenal. Salah’s equalizer brought the Reds back into the game but no one could find a way past David Raya for a second time to bring home the three points.
The Good
Salah’s goal was a moment of quality from him and Trent Alexander-Arnold with a pass, dribble and emphatic shot. The Egyptian was sharp and could even have caused more problems for Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ukrainian full-back was a weak link in an incredibly strong Arsenal defense. Saliba, in particular, was immense.
Curtis Jones was superb once more in dictating the tempo and ensuring Liverpool controlled the parts of the game that it could. The number 17 is underappreciated by many — a lot like Gini Wijnaldum was — but he too is vital. Things got a bit more chaotic when he left the field. He offers the same control as Wijnaldum, but with a little more attacking intent on top.
Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konaté and Wataru Endō also deserve to be mentioned. Gomez, on for the injured Kostas Tsimikas, who has a feared broken collarbone and has been taken to hospital, was sublime. Konaté put in some sensational tackles and Endō played his best game for Liverpool yet — though he also picked up a customary yellow card and was treading a fine line.
The Bad
Luis Díaz hasn’t looked himself for a while now and didn’t here either. Beating his man has been an issue lately and Ben White wasn’t giving much away. The answer might be to take the Colombian out of the team and use him as a sub for a period to give him some time to recharge, though Liverpool will obviously be desperate for him to have avoided anything serious with the injury that forced him off the field.
Darwin Núñez is a viable and clear alternative because while he didn’t offer loads when he came on, he is a magnet for chances. Liverpool needs an extra spark against more defensive sides that need breaking down — Burnley, for instance, who are up next — and needs someone capable of producing something from nothing. It’s been a while since Díaz was that man, but there is no reason to think he can’t be again when he is refreshed and recharged.
The Ugly
The finishing is the obvious place to start; chiefly the chance that Alexander-Arnold squandered by hitting the crossbar. But there were other opportunities that the Reds missed as well.
Arsenal gave the ball away in a few dangerous areas but Liverpool couldn’t quite make the most of them. Dominik Szoboszlai worked hard off the ball but didn’t quite click into gear on it while Ryan Gravenberch looked a little less ‘fine’ to play than Klopp said he would be in his pre-match press conference. The Dutchman really struggled to get up to the speed of the contest.
The second-half substitutions didn’t really work as well as might have been hoped. It was, in fairness, a pretty difficult game to be thrown into from the sidelines, but even super-sub Harvey Elliott struggled to properly get a grip of the game. A 1-1 was a fair result overall, and neither side could tip the balance their way.
