Arsenal ensured that they will be top of the Premier League on Christmas Day after securing a 1-1 draw in an exciting clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
Mikel Arteta’s side went into the game with a one-point advantage over their opponents and got off to an ideal start when Gabriel Magalhaes headed in after just four minutes. They were dominant for much of the early exchanges but Liverpool managed to draw level before the half-hour mark through a fantastic strike from Mohamed Salah.
The Reds came all guns blazing after the break and were in the ascendancy in the early periods. They wasted the best chance to take a 2-1 lead when Salah slipped in a pass to Trent Alexander-Arnold on the counter attack, but the right-back hammered his shot against the crossbar. Arsenal fancied their chances to grab a winner but none came as the game ended in a draw.
The Gunners’ maintaining their status at the top of the table and getting a point at Anfield should please Mikel Arteta. On that note, let us take a look at how the Arsenal players fared in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs Liverpool
David Raya—7/10
Commanded his box well and was much better with his distribution. Well beaten by a powerful Mohamed Salah strike. The Spaniard made some good saves late on to secure his side a valuable point.
Ben White—6/10
Put in a solid shift at right-back and tamed Luis Diaz for large parts of the game. The England international didn’t get that many chances to get forward as his team were on the back foot for long periods in the second half.
William Saliba—8/10
Dominant in the air and calm in possession. Made some good blocks and interceptions, especially in the second half. Marshalled Salah so well in the final 30 minutes when he went central.
Gabriel Magalhaes—8/10
Gave Arsenal the perfect start with a towering header from a free-kick in the fourth minute. Good on the ball and defensively strong particularly in 1v1 duels with Salah. Alongside Saliba, the Brazilian was one of the Gunners’ best players.
Oleksandr Zinchenko—4/10
Beaten too easily for Liverpool’s goal as Salah skipped past him and slammed the ball past Raya. Due to his defensive flaws, the home side targeted his flank and the Ukrainian left-back made errors after errors. Ceded possession in front of goal at times which thankfully the Reds didn’t capitalise on.
Declan Rice—8/10
Covered so much ground throughout the game. Busy and energetic, the England international recovered plenty of balls for his team when Liverpool got in behind. Another top performance from Arsenal’s midfield general!
Kai Havertz—6/10
Struggled to impact the game as much as he would have liked to. Yet, he put in a shift off the ball and competed well.
Martin Odegaard—7/10
Curled in a fantastic free-kick for Gabriel to score the opening goal. While he dropped way deeper at times to receive the ball and help Arsenal in the build-up, the Norwegian turned the ball over a couple of times. Perhaps, the playmaker was lucky not to concede a penalty for a handball in the first half.
Bukayo Saka—6/10
Started the game extremely well. Had a great chance to put Arsenal 2-1 ahead before the break but couldn’t. Lacked the energy at times in the second half to go past Joe Gomez, although the England international was still able to find spaces in the hosts’ backline at times.
Gabriel Martinelli—4/10
Struggled to make an impact. Looks like the Brazilian is struggling with confidence. Played with his head down for much of the game and lost almost every one-on-one duel with Alexander-Arnold. A poor day in the office and was subbed off.
Gabriel Jesus—6/10
Full of energy and enthusiasm in the early parts of the game as he intensely pressed the Liverpool defenders. Gave Arsenal just the kind of presence up top they looked for and released pressure at times by picking up cheap fouls when the hosts were on top. Missed a good chance at 1-0.
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard—6/10
Replaced Martinelli and offered much more energy and creativity than the Brazilian on the left flank. Gave Alexander-Arnold a lot more to think about with his unpredictable movement.
Eddie Nketiah—5/10
Was beaten in aerial duels by Van Dijk and Konate. Did put in some good tackles though to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm.