LONDON — Arsenal fell further off the pace in the Premier League title race, twice blowing the lead in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side, who have finished runners-up to Manchester City in each of the last two seasons, are now five points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side.

Bukayo Saka he had given Arsenal a ninth-minute lead after embarrassing the Liverpool full-back Andrew Robertson to mark, and Mikel Merino restored the Gunners’ lead with a header 43 minutes after Virgil van Dijk equalized in the 17th minute. Mohamed SalahHis 81st minute equalizer finally secured a point for the visitors.

What was already a disappointing day for Arsenal was further tarnished by the centre-back Gabriel Magalhães limped off the game in the 54th minute with a suspected knee injury.

Liverpool show resilience to pass first big test

Arne Slot has repeatedly said his Liverpool side cannot be judged until they face a big test against a big opponent, but the Reds manager will now know his side have plenty of resilience after fighting back twice to earn a draw at Arsenal. Last Sunday’s victory at Anfield against Chelsea was a test against an improving side, but the trip to the Emirates was the first time Liverpool faced a top-five opponent this season.

The reality is that Arsenal were the better team and the one that showed the most creativity and carried the biggest threat. However, and despite Arsenal taking the lead twice, Liverpool still came away with a point which allows them to stay ahead of the Gunners as Manchester City’s closest challengers at the top of the table.

Slot’s Liverpool are a different proposition to Jürgen Klopp’s side – the side the German has dubbed his “Mentality Monsters”. They play a more disciplined 4-3-3 formation and midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis McAllister occupy the defensive slots in front of the back four. As a result, they are harder to beat, but the downside is that Slot’s Liverpool lack the fantasy of its predecessor’s team.

After nine games in charge, Slot’s side are second in the table and just one point behind champions City. They lost at the Emirates last season when they were too open, but Slot has tightened the back door a bit and is reaping the rewards.

This was another test passed. — Mark Ogden

Arsenal’s patchwork defense is crumbling

William Saliba played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign last season. His absence here — the product of a red card against AFC Bournemouth — has given Arteta a new problem in reshaping his defence.

The Gunners boss opted for the partnership Ben White with Gabriel at center back while a midfielder Thomas Partey he started at right back and Jurriën Timber recovered from a muscle problem to start at left back.

That quartet — Arsenal’s sixth different defenders in nine league games — performed admirably in the circumstances, but Arsenal’s problems deepened in the second half. Gabriel was forced off nine minutes after the restart and later returned to the dugout to watch the rest of the game with his left leg heavily bandaged.

The last Premier League match in which neither Gabriel nor Saliba were on the pitch was the final four minutes of Arsenal’s 4–1 win over Crystal Palace in March 2023.

Jakub Kiwior he was introduced but Liverpool stepped up their search for an equalizer and Timber — starting his first game for 26 days — went off, forcing the introduction of a teenager. Myles Lewis-Skelly. Salah’s equalizer came down that flank. Darwin Nunez it eluded Lewis-Skelly and the Kiwior was caught out of position as Salah dived in to equalise.

Saliba will return from suspension, but Arsenal’s defense — so often a stable and reliable line-up in recent seasons — is currently being tested to the limit. — James Olley

Salah’s goal illustrates what he does best

Salah’s 81st-minute equalizer for Liverpool was a classic example of what he does best – and also a hint to Slot that he needs to give the striker more freedom to do so. Slot’s Liverpool play a more rigid formation than Klopp’s free-flowing side, and the downside of this approach is that it has taken away the freedom that Salah enjoyed under Slot’s predecessor.

Against Arsenal, the 32-year-old spent virtually the entire game on Liverpool’s right-hand side and followed instructions by occupying the right flank of the pitch when the team went forward. At times, he has cut a frustrated figure, looking like nothing more than a standard right winger who remains obedient in his position and ensures the team’s shape remains solid.

The beauty of Salah, however, is his ability to cut inside or roam freely across the forward line. Think of all the great goals he scored for Liverpool and so many were when he slid down the wing and scored with an unstoppable left-footed shot.

At the Emirates, he did that once and it led to a crucial goal that earned Liverpool a point.

When Núñez chased down a ball down the right, Salah cut inside, attacked the space and waited for his teammate to deliver the pass. Núñez laid it on a plate for Salah, who scored once again to make a big impact for Liverpool. — Ogden

Arteta’s secret Saka plan is paying off

Arteta is often evasive when answering questions from pre-match team news, but the north London club have gone to great lengths to keep Saka’s availability under wraps.

Arteta claimed at lunchtime on Friday that the England winger had not trained until then, casting serious doubt over his chances of recovering from a hamstring injury in time to face Liverpool. However, behind the scenes, Arsenal were increasingly hopeful throughout the week that Saka could play a role and took the unusual step of training at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

It is the first time they have done so since April and sources suggest part of the thinking was to ensure the likely squad remained a closely guarded secret, with only minimal staff allowed into the stadium during the session.

Saka proved his fitness and started the game, beating Robertson with ease to score the first goal after nine minutes. Aged 23 years and 52 days, Saka became the youngest Arsenal player ever to score 50 Premier League goals and achieved the milestone wearing the captain’s armband.

His importance to Arsenal cannot be overstated, especially with Martin Odegaard still sidelined, and Saka once again delivered when it mattered.

He was substituted with five minutes remaining shortly after Salah’s second-half equaliser. Normally, Saka would never break away under such circumstances, perhaps underscoring how much of a risk it was for him to play in the first place. — Ollie

Liverpool have a double defender problem

Liverpool may need to replace two full-backs next summer, not just one. All attention is now on Trent Alexander-Arnold and whether the right-back will sign a new contract at Anfield, but there are growing question marks over Robertson and left-back. This game at the Emirates suggested that both could be eliminated soon.

Robertson, who arrived at Liverpool in a £10million move from Hull City in 2017, has been as central to the team’s success in recent years as Alexander-Arnold on the opposite flank. The two defenders have been Liverpool’s full-backs for nearly seven years now.

However, both were poor at the Emirates and it’s certainly a valid question to ask whether they are suited to the way Slot wants his team to play.

Alexander-Arnold, 26, has had to temper his attacking instincts to suit Slot’s system, but his defensive qualities have always been the weakest element of his game and he struggled against Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelliespecially in the first half. With so much attention on his future and if he is to sign a contract that would almost certainly make him the club’s biggest earner, Alexander-Arnold needs to prove more defensively to prove not only that he is worth the investment, but that he is the best Slot. option in that position.

Robertson is four years older than Alexander-Arnold and it’s starting to show. The Scotland international was easily beaten by Saka for Arsenal’s first goal and had a difficult afternoon before being replaced by Kostas Tsimikas immediately after marking the time.

Liverpool need a new long-term solution at left-back, but from a footballing perspective, they could decide to cut their losses by finding a new right-back. — Ogden

Set-pieces are Arsenal’s strength — and also their weakness

Arsenal have been rightly lauded as one of the best exponents of set pieces in English football, but for the second weekend in a row they were canceled out by defending a corner.

After Bournemouth broke the deadlock against the Gunners with a well-worked routine of their own, Liverpool equalized in the first half with another smart effort of their own. Alexander-Arnold threw the ball at the near post where Kai Havertz was blown up by Luis Diaz before Van Dijk nods in.

Havertz was also caught in a similar position against Bournemouth. Only Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton have conceded more goals from free-kicks than the Gunners in the Premier League this season.

And yet they remain strong at the other end. Declan RiceHis superb delivery in the 43rd minute found Merino, who produced a powerful header to restore the home side’s advantage. It’s the 27th goal Arsenal have scored from set pieces since the start of last season — a league high. — Ollie