Arsenal and Liverpool played a very entertaining draw at the Emirates on Sunday. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring for the home side in the ninth minute, and Virgil van Dijk equalized for Liverpool another nine minutes later. Mikel Merino restored Arsenal’s lead two minutes before the break, but Mohamed Salah snatched a point for the visitors in the 81st.
The teams
There was a lot of talk about Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber and winger Bukayo Saka potentially missing this game through fitness issues, but it always seemed like a bit of a mind game from manager Mikel Arteta, and it came as no real surprise that both were named to start.
Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori, however, did miss out through injury, as well as William Saliba who was suspended following the red card he had picked up the week before against Bournemouth.
David Raya was in goal. Timber played left-back, Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes were the centre-back duo, with Thomas Partey on the right. Declan Rice, Mikel Merino were in the middle of the park, with Leandro Trossard further up. Kai Havertz led the line, with Saka on his right and Gabriel Martinelli on his left. However, in a manner of a “flase nine”, Havertz frequently moved away from the central attacking position, trying to create space for Trossard, Saka or Martinelli to run into.
Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Arne Slot was unable to call upon first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, forward Diogo Jota, and midfielder Harvey Elliott, through injury. Further more, the fine performances of Curtis Jones in previous matches were rewarded with a start at the Emirates, at the expense of Dominik Szoboszlai.
Caoimhin Kelleher stood in for Alisson between the posts again. Virgil van Dijk, captaining Liverpool for the 100th time, paired up with Ibrahima Konate in the heart of defence, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson on the defensive flanks. Jones joined Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of the park, and Darwin Nunez replaced Jota as the focal point of attack, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz coming in from the flanks.
Arsenal start strong
Arsenal entered the contest with obvious determination to make up for lost ground after the Bournemouth defeat, and they imposed control over the proceedings from the first whistle. Saka was wreaking havoc down the right wing and Robertson frequently found himself at full stretch, unable to do much to stop him. It was no wonder that Arsenal took the lead through the England international.
A fine long ball over the top from White caught Robertson on his heels and Saka was off. And when Robertson seemed to have caught up with him, the Arsenal winger simply switched from right to his left and fired into the near top corner from close range. Kelleher had no chance of saving that.
But the Gunners obviously relaxed too soon after the opening goal, and they were swiftly punished. It took very little initiative from Liverpool to hit back, and a nicely executed corner resulted in Diaz lifting the ball up from the near post and Van Dijk taking advantage to poke a header home from a yard or two.
Still, Arsenal merely continued playing the way they started and they soon had Liverpool completely on the ropes, and when Merino ran in to head into the net from Rice’s cross, it was no more than both teams deserved.
Second half, different game
With nothing to lose, Liverpool looked much livelier at the start of the second half and they managed to maintain those new-found energy levels practically throughout. It was their turn to dominate possession of the ball and look far more dangerous than their opponents, and the Arsenal defence suddenly had a lot more to do.
This sudden change on the pitch became even more pronounced after the 63rd minute, when Diaz, Robertson and Mac Allister made way for Cody Gakpo, Kostas Tsimikas and Dominik Szoboszlai. The trio of newcomers brought extra energy to the contest, especially Gakpo who caused Arsenal’s auxiliary right-back Partey a lot more problems than Diaz had.
Arteta’s injury problems in defence became more severe in the 54th minute when Gabriel had to leave the pitch, with Jakub Kiwior sent on to replace him, and then again in the 76th, when Timber was forced out as well and Myles Lewis-Skelly came on.
In the end, Liverpool’s second-half domination paid off with 10 minutes to go, as Alexander-Arnold hit a trademark pass for Nunez to chase, and the Uruguayan striker burst down the right before squaring it for the incoming Salah. Unmarked at around 10 yards, Salah was always going to score.
The title race
It’s obviously way too early to be making any definite conclusions about the title race. However, there has been a change at the top. Manchester City, who beat Southampton with more difficulty than expected on Saturday, have taken the lead, a point ahead of Liverpool in second place. The point Arsenal earned was enough to see them overtake Chelsea in third again, but Salah’s goal means the gap between them and Liverpool remains four points wide.
Are Arsenal overworking Saka?
As has been said, Saka was initially classed as a doubt for this game. Still, nobody was really surprised when Arteta named him to start, and it seemed to be paying off, especially during the first half when the England winger really made a difference down that flank. A goal to his name, and a constant menace for Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, Saka obviously delivered.
However, after the break, his influence on the game waned, and that could’ve been one of the reasons for the shift in the flow of the contest; plenty is down to Liverpool themselves, of course. But Saka spent 85 minutes on the pitch, before finally making way for Gabriel Jesus, and for the last 20 or so, he looked completely spent. A logical conclusion is that Arteta waited too long to act, and it poses the question of the manager perhaps over-relying on his most-prized attacker. With experienced attacking players like Jesus, as well as former Liverpool man Raheem Sterling, on the bench, Saka probably should’ve been withdrawn much earlier, and not risked for so long.
Saka missed the Bournemouth loss through injury, but apart from that game, he started each of the remaining eight matches the Gunners have played so far. He played the full match on three occasions and over 80 minutes on four more. Only once was he replaced at halftime, against Manchester City, sacrificed as Ben White came on to strengthen the back line after Trossard was sent off.
Arsenal play Preston North End in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and Arteta will probably do well to leave Saka out of the squad completely for that one.
Nunez perseverance
Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez is shouldering plenty of responsibility in Liverpool’s attacking line. It’s not easy to replace a player like Diogo Jota, and with just one goal in six Premier League appearances this term, Nunez can hardly be described as on-form.
But the Uruguay international is well-known for his tendency not to give up. He barely made difference on the pitch (at least in the opposition half) for 80 minutes, but he worked hard and stuck to his task, and eventually, he did make a huge difference, laying on the assist for Salah to snatch a point for Liverpool.
Frequently criticized for his poor finishing, as well as his hot-headedness which not only gets him into trouble occasionally, but is obviously noted and used as a weapon by his opponents, the 25-year-old still manages to contribute to his team’s winning ways, particularly in the Champions League last week when he scored the winning goal against RB Leipzig.
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