Arsenal will spend Christmas at the summit of the Premier League after battling to a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.
The North London side enjoyed the perfect start when Gabriel Magalhaes headed home from a Martin Odegaard free-kick after just three minutes, but Mohamed Salah’s equaliser midway through the first half restored parity.
Jurgen Klopp’s side dominated possession in their search for a winner after the break, with Trent Alexander-Arnold striking the crossbar in a four-on-one counter attack, not long before Harvey Elliott saw his effort fizz agonisingly wide. However, nothing could separate Liverpool and Arsenal and they had to settle for a point after a pulsating battle.
On that note, let us take a look at the three talking points.
- Arsenal rewarded for a fast start
Arsenal made the trip to Liverpool aiming to end their Anfield hoodoo once and for all, having not beaten the Merseyside outfit in the league since 2012. They were up for the battle from the first blow of the whistle as Mikel Arteta’s team started on the front foot, strong and aggressive on the press with Gabriel Jesus’ shot taking off a deflection and going out for a corner inside the first minute.
And the Gunners’ fast start paid off, with Gabriel Magalhaes heading home Martin Odegaard’s free-kick inside the opening four minutes to leave the Kop stunned. They stifled the Reds, forced them into mistakes and cheap giveaways and punished their poor marking from a set-piece. So early in the game, it was deserved for Mikel Arteta’s side.
- Mohamed Salah shows his class…again!
Gabriel’s goal understandably rocked Liverpool, but the roar from the hostile Anfield crowd stirred the players to go for the equaliser right away.
Arsenal were on top but Liverpool slowly started controlling the game and wrestled back momentum. They needed something special to breach the well-drilled Arsenal backline and the moment of magic came from none other than their king, Mohamed Salah.
A fantastic pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold picked out Salah on the right, and the Egyptian danced his way into the box and turned Oleksandr Zinchenko inside out before thundering a left-footed shot past the hapless David Raya to restore parity. A moment of absolute genius from Salah—and fundamentally what Liverpool lacked throughout the game in the 0-0 draw against Manchester United last weekend.
- Ibrahima Konate, Gabriel Magalhaes shine
Ibrahima Konate and Gabriel Magalhaes proved why they are so critical players for their respective teams.
Konate may have not shown his best form for much of the season but was sublime here as a last line of defence for plenty of Arsenal attacks, often intercepting the ball from the opposition at the crucial moment. At the other end of the pitch, Gabriel was impressive for the Gunners too, displaying aerial strength and composure on the ball in front of a raucous Anfield support. In addition, he also planted a towering header to open the scoring for the visitors.
In a game that was littered with attacking talents from both teams on the pitch, the onlookers were treated to a display of modern defending at the very highest level.
