Liverpool maintained their Premier League title challenge with a hard-earned point against fellow contenders Arsenal on Saturday evening.
Mohamed Salah equalised Gabriel’s early opener as the Reds came from behind yet again to secure a 1-1 draw against the leaders. The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men have now lost only one of their last 29 top-flight matches and stand just a point off the summit.
But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at Anfield.
That Joe Gomez goal is getting closer and closer. This season, the defender has embraced his attacking responsibilities and seemingly made it an imperative he breaks his senior scoring duck.
And he’s rarely got closer than on Saturday, when he cut inside the area and curled an effort agonisingly wide of the far post with Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya beaten. Reds boss Klopp, bouncing on the touchline, was waving his arms in anticipation before clapping frantically in appreciation of the effort.
We can only imagine what the reaction of Klopp – and Liverpool supporters as a whole – will be when Gomez finally bags. It’s coming, folks.
Unhappy Diaz
What is it about Arsenal and Luis Diaz? When the teams met at the Emirates last season, the winger suffered a knee injury that ultimately kept him out for almost six months.
And his evening on Saturday was cut short following a clash of knees with perennially clumsy Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.
The sight of a clearly upset Diaz on the bench alone with his thoughts at the prospect of another spell on the sidelines was almost heartbreaking. Let’s hope the injury isn’t too serious.
Keys unlocks ‘truth’
Diaz, of course, wasn’t the only Liverpool player to pick up an injury, with Kostas Tsimikas out for a significant period after breaking his collarbone during an incident when he was pushed into an unwitting Klopp on the touchline by Saka.
Not much the Reds boss could do about that, although disgraced former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys – now one of the voices of beIN SPORTS in Qatar – claimed otherwise, despite it being understood Tsimikas suffered the injury before he collided with Klopp.
“This is what can happen,” he declared. “He is in his technical area, but when coaches step outside of them, and they are too close, that is always going to be danger.” Other than contradicting himself in the same sentence and completely negating his point, Keys is absolutely correct.
Official rolls with it
Some of the officiating on Saturday was called into question, not least when Martin Odegaard’s handball was somehow not adjudged a penalty offence. To be fair, the Arsenal midfielder did well to get down low to make the save from such close range.
But there was another somewhat bizarre incident towards the end of the game when, after Ryan Gravenberch placed the ball in the quadrant for a corner at the Kop end, Trent Alexander-Arnold trotted over to take the set-piece.
However, before the Liverpool vice-captain could get into position, the nearby assistant referee rolled the ball to the very edge of the quadrant in preparation for the kick. It was almost as though the official fancied delivering the corner himself.
