London: Arsenal and Liverpool battled it out for a frustrating 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The result sees Manchester City attain the top spot in the Premier League table.
In what can only be described as a fiery encounter, Bukayo Saka, making his first appearance after suffering an injury during the October international break, did not take long to open the account on the night as he scored the opening goal nine minutes into the game.
Saka was fed an over the top ball by Ben White which he cut back onto his left foot, completely bypassing Robertson in the process, and hit the back of the net.
The game was being played at a very high tempo and it did not take long for Liverpool to come back into the game. Trent Alexander Arnold’s darting ball from the corner flag found Luis Diaz who nudged the ball onto a waiting Virgil Van Dijk who made no mistake in equalizing the game in the 18th minute.
Arsenal responded with a set piece of their own in the 43rd minute when Declan Rice’s pinpoint cross found Mikel Merino who headed the Gunners into the lead. It was the Spaniard’s first goal for the club since making the switch to North London in August and helped Arsenal take the 2-1 lead into half-time.
Disaster struck for Mikel Arteta in the second-half as Arsenal’s injury list grew even further. Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a knee injury and despite an effort to stay in the game had to be subbed off which will be a cause for concern given his importance to the side.
With the exit of Magalhaes, Liverpool grew into the match and started dominating possession. After repeated attempts, Arne Slot’s side finally broke through in the 84th minute thanks to Salah’s simple finish after the Egyptian was squared the ball by Darwin Nunez in a great position read outside the six-yard box.
Despite a seven minute added period in regulation time, no winner availed and both teams had to settle for a point.
(IANS)
