ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool and Arsenal couldn’t be separated at Anfield as their titanic Premier League encounter ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Anfield crowd responded to Jürgen Klopp’s rallying cry before kick-off, but his players didn’t quite follow the same message. They made the worst possible start as they fell behind in the opening few minutes, with Gabriel heading home from a free-kick.
The Reds though began to play their way into the game, with Mohamed Salah looking dangerous up against Oleksandr Zinchenko. It was no surprise then to see the Egyptian blast Liverpool level from an exquisite Trent Alexander-Arnold pass.
The game continued at a breakneck speed in the second half, even if the chances were a little more sporadic. Liverpool though could, and should, have taken the lead when Salah found Alexander-Arnold on the break, only for the Reds vice-captain to cannon his effort off the bar.
That miss proved decisive, with Liverpool missing the chance to move to the top of the table in time for Christmas as Arsenal holds on to its slender advantage.
WINNERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold was simply sublime at times as he took the game by the scruff of the neck. He won’t want to look back at that second half miss anytime soon though.
Wataru Endō, meanwhile, produced his best display yet in the middle of the park against his toughest opponent. The Japanese international is really growing into his role in the side.
LOSERS
The big question before kick-off was which two of Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo would start alongside Mohamed Salah in the front three. The latter duo got the nod, but didn’t do anything to back up the selection.
Kostas Tsimikas’ collision with Klopp looked comical at first, but it soon became apparent it was much more serious for the Greek. Liverpool needs good news on his shoulder injury, but it didn’t look promising.
PLAYER RATINGS
Alisson Becker — 6
Caught in two minds for the opener, and found himself stranded in no man’s land. Wasn’t worked too hard thereafter as his defense remained solid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold — 8
Incredible ball to find Salah for the equalizer. Took the game by the scruff of the neck at times, had to score on the break though.
Ibrahima Konaté — 7
Looked nervy early on, giving away the foul that led to Arsenal’s opener. Grew into the game more thereafter, with a vital tackle on Martinelli in the second half.
Virgil van Dijk — 8
Another composed display at the back as he marshalled his troops. Unbeatable in the air and kept Gabriel Jesus under wraps.
Kostas Tsimikas — 6
A freak accident as he collided with his manager ended his evening early. A big worry now as he went off holding his shoulder.
Wataru Endō — 8
Really impressive on the ball and kept things tight in the middle of the park. If anything, he got better after the break, reading situations perfectly and nipping in at the perfect moment.
Dominik Szoboszlai — 6
Involved more defensively than he’d perhaps like, and couldn’t really make an impact further up the pitch.
Curtis Jones — 6
His usual reliable self on the ball, and won a few free-kicks to ease some pressure. His influence waned a little in the second half.
Mohamed Salah — 7
Does what he does best as he turned Zinchenko inside out before blasting the ball beyond Raya. Guilty at times of trying to do too much on his own.
Cody Gakpo — 5
A sloppy start as a miscued pass played his side into trouble, before playing Gabriel onside for the opener. Guilty too often of some aimless passes.
Luis Díaz — 5
Worked hard without any reward during the first half. A slight worry as he came off after suffering a knee injury, hopefully it’s nothing serious.
SUBSTITUTES
Joe Gomez — 6
Found himself up against it against Saka, and struggled early on after his introduction. Improved thereafter, although needed a bit of help from his teammates at time.
Darwin Núñez — 6
Posed a threat on the left but couldn’t quite find the decisive moment he threatened.
Ryan Gravenberch — 5
Couldn’t get himself into the game, and his touch evaded him too often.
Harvey Elliott — 6
Looked a danger after coming on and worked hard for the cause.
