Key events
That’s your lot for today. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight!
Bukayo Saka’s reaction
We’re a bit disappointed. Credit to Liverpool, they’re a good team, but we feel like we didn’t show our best selves for the full 90 minutes.
First half we showed our qualities and dominated. We gave them nothing in open play. In the second half we sat back a bit and we weren’t at our best. They won more duels than us, they kept possession and then naturally the momentum was with them so we had to defend more.
I hate missing games and it was really frustrating to be on the sidelines. I had this game in my mind and was going to do everything to be available.
[On his goal] I tried to keep the keeper guessing. I haven’t seen it back but it felt like a nice finish.
I felt like I could have finished the game but the manager decided to take me off.
Virgil van Dijk’s reaction
It’s a very tough place to come, so to come back twice is a good thing. We take the point and move on.
[On his goal] Thomas Partey was only looking at me, not the ball, so it was quite easy to get away from him.
We kept the ball better in the second half. They pressed well in the first half but if we’d kept the ball better we could have got some momentum. We didn’t create loads of chances in the second half but we were much more dominant. We were trying, trying, trying and in the end it was a great goal.
I think they only had two players injured today didn’t they? They played a very, very strong team.
[On his contract] I’m very calm. Let’s see what happens at the end of the season. I’m enjoying my football, I feel very good physically and mentally. It’s a beautiful game that we play.
The updated Premier League table
Gabriel Jesus was booked after the final whistle for giving the referee Anthony Taylor a mouthful. The crowd are booing, though I’ve no idea why: the foul he gave against Kiwior was pretty much a 50/50 decision.
Full time: Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool
Everyone’s a winner. Okay, strictly speaking nobody’s a winner, but when the dust settles both teams will find plenty of positives.
Arsenal played with admirable defiance and took a point despite losing Gabriel and Jurrien Timber during the game. Also, Bukayo Saka.
Liverpool didn’t play particularlywell but twice came from behind to earn their first league point at the Emirates since 2021-22.
It wasn’t a great match, in truth, but the context made it compelling.
90+6 min Jesus wins a corner off Tsimikas… and the assistant gives a goalkick. The home fans aren’t impressed.
90+4 min Nunez has a hack at Trossard and is booked.
90+3 min Alexander-Arnold’s corner is headed away really well at the near post, possibly by Kiwior.
90+2 min Gakpo wins a corner for Liverpool. Eek, a winning goal now would be a hammer blow.
90+1 min Seven minutes of added time. Liverpool have brought on Wataru Endo for Curtis Jones.
90 min Anthony Taylor whistles for a foul by Kiwior just as Havertz is about to go through on goal. Havertz keeps playing and lobs the ball over Kelleher and onto the post. Jesus follows up to score but the whistle had long gone so VAR can’t get involved.
89 min “Bringing on the promising but untested Lewis-Skelly instead of the experienced Zinchenko was not the obvious decision, and the goal came down that side,” says Kári Tulinius. “Arteta knows infinitely more about his players than me, but I do feel that sometimes he resists the obvious substitution, for reasons I never quite get.”
I can’t comment on the second part, but I can promise you Zinchenko being on the field would have made no difference to the goal.
88 min The corner is headed away to Jesus on the edge of the D. He controls it on the chest, which knocks him off balance, but he still manages to stumble through a couple of challenges and rake a half-volley that is well held above his head by Kelleher. Lovely effort.
87 min Havertz teases a lovely cross over the head of Kelleher. Gabriel Jesus meets it on the volley beyond the far post but the angle is prohibitive and all he can do is win a corner off Jones.
85 min: Double substitution for Arsenal Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri come on for Bukayo Saka, who understandably faded in the second half, and Gabriel Martinelli.
83 min Cole Palmer still wins pass of the day/season but that was still a beautiful, almost nonchalant ball from Alexander-Arnold.
Arsenal broke dangerously thriugh Martinelli, who tried to run Konate and was made to realise the futility of that particular idea. The ball was moved forward Alexander-Arnold, who waved a devastating, perfectly weighted pass in behind Lewis-Skelly and Kiwior. Nunez surged onto it, in the inside-right channel, and squared for Salah to score. Salah, who criss-crossed his run with Nunez’s, curled nervelessly into the far corner. Brilliant goal!
GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool (Salah 81)
Devastating stuff from Liverpool!
79 min This would such a big win for Arsenal, one that would end the external negativity at a stroke and make them feel like they can overcome any adversity.
77 min Arsenal have had some promising attacks in the last few minutes. Merino bobbles the ball across the edge of the area to Havertz, who thumps a half-volley over the bar. Difficult ball to hit.
76 min “This is where Arsenal are really missing Odegaard (and to a lesser extent, Xhaka) – he’s so good at dictating tempo and his distribution and movement allows Arsenal to wrest control back, but today’s midfield has no comparable passers even if a lot of quality still,” says Will Vignoles. “Bit uncomfortable to defend all half, particularly with half a first-choice defence!”
75 min: Arsenal substitution Timber is down again and has been replaced by Erling Haaland’s buddy Myles Lewis-Skelly. He’ll be playing against Mo Salah, who started tearing up the Premier League when Lewis-Skelly was 10 years old.
74 min Arne Slot was booked for something or other apparently.
73 min “Arsenal playing like they’re down a man since the Gabriel injury,” writes Sean Orlowicz. “Very strange approach.”
I can see both sides!
72 min Timber goes down with cramp. He’s okay to continue.
71 min Salah’s outside-of-the-boot cross is clawed away by Raya but only as far as Jones, who chests the ball down and hits an early shot is crucially blocked by Partey.
70 min A tame cross-shot from Szoboszlai goes behind for a goalkick.
69 min See 67 mins. It’s one-way traffic, has been for most of the second half.
67 min Arsenal were so good in the 15 minutes before half-time. Since the break: nada, zilch. Sweet bugger all. They haven’t had a shot on or off target. And yet, for all Liverpool’s pressure, David Raya hasn’t had much to do either.
66 min David Raya is booked for timewasting.
65 min Gravenberch blooters one miles over the bar from 25 yards.
65 min It’s all Liverpool now. The substitute Kiwior heads away crosses from both full-backs in the space of 30 seconds.
64 min “Not a supporter of either club, but I really want Arsenal to win so they can bring out the huge cameras and Jamie Carragher cardboard cut-outs,” says Dan Christmas. “If they did that they’d be my second team forever.”
I can see both sides!
63 min: Triple substitution for Liverpool See, told you. Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Kostas Tsimikas come on for Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Andy Robertson.
62 min Liverpool are getting three players ready: Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Kostas Tsimikas.
61 min Robertson’s corner doesn’t beat Havertz at the near post.
60 min Nunez is crowded out desperately in the Arsenal area after a good ball from Gravenberch, then Alexander-Arnold’s shot deflects over the bar. Liverpool have a whiff of claret in their nostrils.
58 min Liverpool are having a good spell and have had 66 per cent of the possession since half-time. Alexander-Arnold throttles a long-range shot well wide from 25 yards.
