Arsenal missed a chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League as Liverpool battled out a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium.
There was an atmosphere of hope in north London that Wednesday’s points drop by Manchester City and Aston Villa gave Arsenal the chance to strengthen their bid for a first title in 22 years, but things did not go according to the Gunners’ script.
Liverpool, who started well for the home side, came closest to taking the lead in the first half when Conor Bradley hit a lob shot onto the bar after a mix-up between David Raya and William Saliba.
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Arsenal’s defensive error causes Conor Bradley to hit the bar
Arsenal regained momentum with Alisson Becker saving long-range shots from Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, but they were unable to break through Liverpool’s resolute defence.
Arne Slott’s side extended their unbeaten record in all competitions to 10 games and took control of the match in the second half, even as Arsenal fell behind.
With the home fans on edge, the Reds dominated possession with Arsenal having few kicks, but their best chances were denied by three wayward long-range shots from Dominik Szoboszlai, who failed to get a shot on target.
Substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli tested Alisson in stoppage time, but it was a frustrating if not decisive night for Arsenal. Arsenal could only extend their advantage at the top of the table to six points and had chances for more.
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Gary Neville furious at Gabriel Martinelli’s attitude towards injured Bradley
“It’s far from a formal title for a lackluster Arsenal side.”
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright said this at the Emirates.
“We are six points behind Arsenal. A draw is by no means disastrous. But if we play as badly as we did in the second half, this title is far from official.”
“The Gunners almost got a goal at the end with a header from Gabriel and the defenders were holding their heads.
“But it was one of only three shots Arsenal had in the second period, all of which came in stoppage time. Arsenal had just 35 per cent of possession after the break.
“Liverpool barely had to break a sweat defensively and with Frimpong creating a dangerous opening in the first half and Bradley hitting the bar, you will feel they should have won the game themselves.”
‘Arsenal players have retreated into their shells’ – the first sign of tension for the Gunners in the title race?
Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie and Liverpool’s Jeremy Frimpong compete for the ball
Roy Keane of Sky Sports:
“Arsenal were a bit hesitant. That was all the talk before the game. From Arsenal’s point of view, the longer the game went on, the more they probably thought, ‘We can win with a draw.’
“It’s not the end of the world for them. The worry for them is that Liverpool have dominated the game too much.
“The way Arsenal didn’t take control. There was a bit of tension in the stadium. It’s going to get worse in the second half of the season, so that’s a worry. Credit to Liverpool for dominating the ball.”
“Liverpool got the energy out of the stadium perfectly. Liverpool showed a little bit of a fight and they were champions, but they lacked that cutting edge.”
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Roy Keane and former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge react to Martinelli’s attempt to force Bradley off the pitch, with both pundits agreeing it was ‘disrespectful’
Daniel Sturridge of Sky Sports:
“It was strange. Arsenal didn’t seem to have the solution to beat Liverpool.
“After that, Liverpool took control of the game, but Arsenal couldn’t.
“I definitely felt like there was some tension. I also felt like the players were happy. The Arsenal players seemed to be a little bit in their shells.”
“We were able to finish a tough schedule in a favorable position.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of his side, who are top of the table after a “difficult” Christmas period.
“We know the margins are very small. I think we have two different halves.
“In the first game we had a lot of dominance, but we created big situations with players picking up players almost inside the six-yard box and we just couldn’t find the right passes to score goals, and we struggled a little bit more in the second half.
“This game needs a magical moment. At Anfield, (Dominik) Szoboszlai did that and won the game. That didn’t happen today, but if we can’t win, we can’t lose.
“There were some moments where we had the right positional advantage to really hurt them, but when we got into those areas we lacked the quality to pick players.
“We’ve been through a very tough schedule, we’ve played the last six games over this Christmas period and we’ve come through it in a really strong position.
“We have to be proud of our position. As always, there are things to improve, but we will continue to move forward.
“We want to take every chance, but if we do, we would be 12, 15 points behind. This is the Premier League and we know how difficult it is.”
Slott is positive about Liverpool’s performance
Liverpool manager Arne Slott praised his team’s performance.
“We showed the quality to come here and win.In the first half, they were the team that played the most in our first half.
“We had some crosses, but we didn’t have many chances. In the second half it was the complete opposite, we dominated the ball for almost the entire 45 minutes in the opponents’ half.
“The only thing we missed, not for the first time, was the moments near the box.
“We would have liked to have created more chances, but it was very positive for me to perform like this against Arsenal, who are on the rise.”
