Arsenal go six clear at the top after stalemate with Liverpool
STALEMATE: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool remonstrates with Arsenal players. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images
No late drama here, but ‘frustrated’ does not come close to describing the reaction of Arsenal as they missed an opportunity to create an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a win over the defending champions. The draw leaves them six clear of closest rivals Manchester City on a night when the weather and not football was the winner as the season now goes into an FA Cup weekend break.
No lack of bottle from Mikel Arteta’s title favourites, but they could not overcome the abundant pride of Arne Slot’s Liverpool side, so passionately determined the title race would not be all but decided on their watch.
Incessant freezing rain and a swirling wind denied both sides the opportunity to play the sort of entertaining, passing football they are known for, but Arsenal adapted better early on. They had Slot’s side pinned into their own half most of the opening 20 minutes. Bukayo Saka was passing Milos Kerkez at will on the right wing and it felt like only a matter of time before a clear scoring opportunity would fall their way.
Liverpool, without their speedy front three of Mo Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Alex Isak, lacked an easy outlet to ease the pressure as Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo attempted to share the frontline duties. That, worryingly for Liverpool, consisted of mainly acting as extra defensive midfielders as they tried to ride out the early double threat storm of Arteta’s side and the north London storm.
And their meticulously organised resilience paid off in that they were ultimately the first to make a mark on the match as Conor Bradley chipped a great effort against David Raya’s cross bar following a mix-up between the Spanish keeper and defender William Saliba, who played his team-mate into trouble.
A pitiful diving attempt by fit again Jeremie Frimpong to con referee Taylor into awarding a penalty caused a delay in play shortly before half-time and led to a heated row between Arsenal ‘s Declan Rice and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as they waited for play to resume while the Liverpool man received treatment for a phantom injury.
This was not the Thursday night blockbuster that had been hyped in the build-up. The result was everything, of course, but it lacked any thrilling elements one might hope from a big-match spectacle.
Liverpool’s defence-first caution not only successfully sucked the life out of Arsenal’s attacking impetus, it also drained the stadium of any atmosphere as a collective resignation of ‘a draw will not be a bad result’ began to become a general acceptance form both sets of supporters, and maybe players too.
Liverpool, who had scored in each of their previous 20 Premier league matches against Arenal, were more ambitious after half-time as Arteta’s men took their turn to sit back and wait for a counter attacking moment. Their formation was disrupted when Ecuador international defender Piero Hinacvpie went off injured to be replaced by England teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Maybe we were guilty of excepting too much from last season’s leading title contenders when they played out two entertaining draws. Their eagerly awaited August encounter, won by a freak Dominik Szoboszlai Liverpool free kick, was hardly a classic either.
That was part of a five-match winning streak start to Slot’s title defence and seemed to show Arsenal were again going to finish second best, if that. But Liverpool went on a torrid run of losing six defeats in seven league games.
Arsenal responded by going unbeaten and taking control at the top until a December defeat at Aston Villa. After three second-place finishes in the past three seasons, twice seeing Manchester City pip them in the second half of the season, Arteta's side were in danger of being overhauled again. Instead, they bounced back with five straight wins - including beating Villa 4-1 in their return clash at the end of 2025, to reclaim - control of the title race.
Arteta tried to reclaim control of this match when he sent on his Gabriel boys from Brazil – Martinelli and Jesus – with about half an hour to go. Liverpool had the upper hand now and the changes had little impact as Arsenal struggled to get the ball into any threatening areas..
Time for the Arsenal manager to introduce Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze for double injection of English menace into the Arsenal attack. Saka and captain Martin Odegaard made way.
Szoboszlai saw a couple of Anfieldesque free-kick attempts fail to find the target as the rain once again once again proved that the weathermen were the only pundits to have predictions come true on a night that was supposed to be remembered for the football.
: Raya 6, Timber 6, Saliba 6, Gabriel 6, Hincapie 6 (Lewis-Skelly, 57), Zubimendi 6, Rice 7, Odegaard 6 (Eze 78), Saka 7, Trossard 6 (Martinelli 65) , Gyokeres 5 (Jesus 65).
: Arrizabalaga, White, Norgaard, Merino, Lewis-Skelly
: Alisson 6, Bradley 7 (Gomez 90), Van Dijk 7, Konate 6, Kerkez 5, Gravenberch 7, Mac Allister 6, Szoboszlai 6, Frimpong 5, Wirtz 6, Gakpo 6.
: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha
Anthony Taylor 5
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