It’s a big compliment to Arsenal that this Liverpool game felt a bit like some of the Manchester City clashes of a few years ago. Both sides have a way to go to reach that kind of quality, but this was a fascinating clash between two teams executing well-thought-out game plans to a high level.
The intensity from Liverpool was all the more impressive given that it played on Wednesday night. Featuring for an hour in that one, Wataru Endō came out like a man possessed, completing the full 90 minutes here and covering just about every blade of grass.
It would have been merited if someone could have finished off a move after the Japan captain snapped into a tackle and won the ball back. But despite the goal coming from a masterful Mohamed Salah finish, it was a largely misfiring attack, and in the end that proved the difference between one point and three.
Of course, Jürgen Klopp will be frustrated with the outcome, even if he will be happy with the effort. And to make matters worse, the point appeared to come at a cost, with two Liverpool injury scares.
Hopefully, the Luis Díaz issue doesn’t prove too serious, but it was enough for Klopp to turn a double change into a triple one. Harvey Elliott came on and did a pretty solid job, with his deflected effort against the post coming close to putting Liverpool in front.
But one injury that will definitely be a bad one is the one suffered by Kostas Tsimikas. Laughs in the Sky Sports commentary box as Klopp was taken out by the falling Greek quickly subsided, as it became clear this was a serious issue.
Klopp has now confirmed it’s a broken collarbone for Tsimikas. He described it as ‘hard to swallow’, especially with Andy Robertson still sidelined by a shoulder issue.
In stepped Joe Gomez. An unnatural full-back on his unnatural side against Bukayo Saka, one of the best wingers in the league, it was a tough assignment.
Yet Gomez stood up to be counted. In truth, it was a continuation of his excellent recent form, where he has filled in across the back line and stepped up as one of Liverpool’s best performers.
He was nearly the most unlikely of match-winners. There was one moment where the fact he has never scored a goal for Liverpool was very clearly on his mind, as he looked for the pass rather than pulling the trigger. But there were no such inhibitions a little later on, when he curled a great effort agonizingly wide of the far post.
Even without that, though, Gomez still emerged as a hero for Klopp. After all, Liverpool is out of natural left-backs now — this performance offered immediate reassurance, with Saka more or less pocketed.
There will be no worries about throwing Gomez in there again until Robertson is back. Defensively, but (more surprisingly) in an offensive sense too, he is able to make a valuable contribution from that base. Meanwhile, Liverpool remains very much in the title race, thanks to a result that is undoubtedly as respectable as it is frustrating.
Injuries are certainly piling up now for Liverpool, which is approaching the bare bones at this point. The defensive recruitment question will rise to a crescendo in January. But Gomez is the versatile, assured presence that Klopp needs more than ever right now.
