What a game for the neutral.
Arsenal and Liverpool continues to be one of the must-see fixtures of the Premier League. Goals in both halves, set piece magic and more were the headlines at full-time. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring early in the first half after a Benjamin White ball took the top off the defense. He made a move past Andrew Robertson before firing in the opener. The lead didn't last long after van Dijk equalized from a corner.
Mikel Merino opened his account after a lengthy VAR check for the north London club before halftime and it looked like another victory at home against the Reds. The second half provided even more drama with Arsenal losing another key player to injury, some more magic from Trent Alexander-Arnold and it looked like either team could take all three points.
Arsenal thought it found a winner just on the verge of stoppage time through a wild sequence involving Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, but the referee brought play back for a challenge on Dominik Szoboszlai.
Arsenal dropped points in consecutive weeks and now awaits an injury update on Gabriel. For Arne Slot, it's the first points dropped since the loss to Nottingham Forest at Anfield back on Sept. 14.
Declan Rice Had His Best Game of the Season
Rice's debut season for Arsenal went as well as it could've save for a major trophy. The England midfielder has been in and out of games to start the season, but he showed up when Arsenal needed him most against Liverpool.
Anchoring the base of the midfield, Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard were given license to press high while Rice sat deeper as the metronome. Thomas Partey had to deputize at right-back given the injuries in defense, but once the squad is fit Rice should sit at the base moving forward. Let Merino and Martinelli form a consistent partnership.
Arsenal Can Ill Afford More Injuries
There were significant doubts coming into the game regarding Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber's availability. Both played, but Timber couldn't finish the match and Saka was substituted off late. Adding injury to... injury, Gabriel had to come off after a challenge by Darwin Núñez. William Saliba will be back next game after serving his one-game suspension, but Arsenal fans are holding their breath regarding Gabriel's fitness.
If Gabriel has to miss significant time, Arsenal will need Riccardo Calafiori and Timber fit if the team wants to put together a strong challenge in the league and Europe. Arsenal must weather this injury storm and put together consistent performances as we head into the middle of the season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold Can Punish You at Anytime From Anywhere
For all his defensive critiques, you can never switch off when TAA is on the ball. His corner kick in the first half was beautifully played finding Virgil van Dijk after a flick-on at the near post.
Arteta's team was managing Liverpool's best spell of the game in the second half, but then Alexander-Arnold punished the home side again. A sublime ball over the top found Núñez before the Uruguayan squared it to Salah for the equalizer. If not for the right-back's moments, this could've been a different result for Arne Slot in his first visit to the Emirates Stadium.
Oh, and Salah is just inevitable.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Another Major Injury for Arsenal: Takeaways From Arsenal 2–2 Liverpool.
