Arsenal missed the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League as Liverpool were held to a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium.
There was an air of anticipation in north London as Arsenal had the chance to strengthen their bid for a first title in 22 years after Manchester City and Aston Villa dropped points on Wednesday, but things did not follow the Gunners’ script.
After a strong start for the home side, Liverpool came closest to the opening minute of the first half with Conor Bradley hitting the post with a lob shot after a mix-up between David Raya and William Saliba.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Conor Bradley hits the bar after an Arsenal defensive upset.
Arsenal regained momentum when Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice blocked Alisson Becker’s long-range effort, but were unable to break through Liverpool’s resolute defence.
Arne Slot’s team, who extended their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 10 games, took control of the game in the second half when Arsenal were sluggish.
With tensions rising among the home fans, the Reds dominated possession with Arsenal barely able to kick, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s three golden opportunities from long range prevented him from getting a shot on target.
Substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli tested Alisson in added time but it proved to be a disappointing, if not decisive, night for Arsenal, who were only six points clear at the top when they had more opportunities.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Gary Neville was left angry at Gabriel Martinelli’s behavior towards the injured Bradley.
‘A title that is a far cry from the form of a sluggish Arsenal team’
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright of Emirates:
“Arsenal are six points clear. A draw is far from a disastrous result, but if they play as poorly as they did in the second half, this title is far from a formality.
“The Gunners almost scored in the second half with a header from Gabriel. The defender had his head in his hands.
“But that was one of only three shots Arsenal had in the second period and they all came in stoppage time. Arsenal had just 35 per cent of possession after the break.
“Liverpool hardly needed to break a sweat defensively and will feel they have to win on their own, with Frimpong creating dangerous openings and Bradley hitting the post in the first half.”
‘Arsenal players have gone into shells’ – first sign of Gunners tension in title race?
Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie and Liverpool’s Jeremy Frimpong compete for the ball.
Sky Sports’ Roy Keane:
“Arsenal were a bit tentative. The pre-match talk was over. From their point of view, the longer the game went on, the more they probably thought, ‘We’ll take a draw’.”
“It’s not the end of the world for them. What worries them is that Liverpool dominated the game too much.”
“That’s why Arsenal didn’t take the lead. There was a bit of tension on the pitch. I’m worried it will get worse as we go towards the second half of the season. The credit goes to Liverpool for the way they dominated possession.”
“Liverpool used the energy on the pitch perfectly well. They showed some fight and showed they are champions, but they lacked the cutting edge.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Roy Keane and former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge agree Martinelli tried to push Bradley off the pitch, with both experts saying it was ‘disrespectful’ behavior.
Sky Sports’ Daniel Sturridge:
“It was strange. Arsenal didn’t seem to have any solution to break Liverpool.
“Liverpool controlled the game. Arsenal couldn’t take the lead.
“It seemed like there was tension. It seemed like the players were complacent. It felt like the Arsenal players were a little bit in their shell.”
‘We were in a strong position despite a difficult schedule’
arsenal president Mikel Arteta Here’s where his side stand at the top of the table after a “tricky” Christmas period:
“We know the margins are very small. I think there are two different halves.
“In the first game, when we were so dominant, we created some big situations in the six-yard box with players pulling up and we couldn’t find the right pass to score, and the second half was a bit more difficult.
“This game needs magic moments. At Anfield (Dominique) Szoboszlai did it and they won the game. And today it didn’t happen, but (if) you can’t win, you can’t lose.”
“We had moments where we had the right positional advantage to inflict big hits on them, and then when we got into those areas we lacked the quality to pick out players.
“We’ve had a very tight schedule, we’ve played our last six games over the Christmas period and we’ve come out of that in a really strong position.
“We should be proud of the position, as always there is room for improvement and we are moving on.
“We want to take every opportunity, but then we will be 12 or 15 points clear. This is the Premier League and we know how difficult it is.”
Liverpool performance positive
Liverpool president Arne Slot Praised his team’s performance.
“We came here and showed the quality to win, they were the team that played the most in the first half for us.
“There were crossing moments but not many chances. In the second half it was quite the opposite, we dominated the ball for the entire 45 minutes.”
“The only thing we missed the first time was the moments around the box.
“We want to create more chances, but to perform like this against an Arsenal side with so much momentum is very positive.”
