11 May 2025
Liverpool 2 Arsenal 2
It was the game of the weekend as champions Liverpool welcomed also-rans Arsenal. The visitors gave Arne Slot’s side a well-deserved guard of honour before the game, with Gunners’ fans commenting how much this would hurt. Not sure why that is the case as they sit fifteen points behind The Reds in the table, not really a title race by any definition.
That is the life of an Arsenal fan right now, taking to socials to voice how angry they are that the whole world was against them, preventing them from winning the title. The reality is there are many things that cost them a title challenge and they all stem from Mikel Arteta. This squad is not good enough to be challenging for major silverware, despite the £800m the Spaniard has wasted.
As White whipped a long pass out to the opposite flank, Bradley and Merino challenged for the ball. The Spaniard threw himself in the air like a scene from Saving Private Ryan as he clutched his back. If there was any contact at all, it certainly did not warrant the Oscar-winning performance from the Arsenal midfielder. Despite this, the referee bought it and awarded a free-kick.
Odegaard clipped a cross into the box and Saka made a very late run to get on the end of it. As the Liverpool defence stepped out, the winger was well onside. He took the shot on first time but his effort went wide of the far post. That there is the difference between good players and world class ones as the ball would be nestled in the back of the net.
The Reds should have taken the lead when Jones played a sublime pass in behind the Arsenal defence on the outside of his right boot. It found Salah at the back post, who rolled it into the path of the advancing Diaz. He drilled a shot at goal but Raya made a good block to deny him but in all fairness the Columbian should be scoring from there.
Moments later, Gakpo got away from his marker. It seemed he had wasted the chance to tee up Salah as it was half-cleared by the visitors. The hosts took a quick throw in and Robertson put an inviting cross into the near post for the Dutchman to head home and give Liverpool the lead. Anfield erupted as it hit the back of the net.
Liverpool get their foot on the gas as Salah played a delightful pass into Szoboszlai from the touchline. The Hungarian midfielder clipped it past Raya towards goal as Diaz came sliding in to make sure it found the back of the net. In the space of two minutes, The Reds had found two goals to ask some serious questions of Arsenal’s ability to get anything from this game.
As a move broke down for The Gunners, Merino was penalised for a poorly timed challenge on Bradley. The referee brandished a yellow card. The Spaniard seemed to try and argue his case, but there genuinely wasn’t one. He was probably surprised as the Liverpool full-back was not rolling around on the floor like his career was over like Mikel so often does.
After the break, Arsenal started to dominate. Trossard squared up Bradley, before lifting a cross into the box towards Martinelli. The Brazilian rose to get a glancing header, which saw his effort nestle into the bottom corner of the goal. Alisson was helpless to do anything about it as the away erupted, having found a way back into this game.
Alexander-Arnold came on to very mixed reactions from the home fans with a mixture of cheers and boos. Arsenal continued to press and Odegaard tried his luck from outside the box. Alisson made a great save to turn it onto the post but Merino reacted quickest to head the loose ball into an empty net. The Liverpool players surrounded the referee demanding an offside be given.
VAR reviewed the incident and ironically it was Alexander-Arnold who was playing the Spaniard onside. The goal was given and The Gunners were back on level terms at Anfield. Liverpool had looked lifeless in the second-half and it was no more than the visitors had deserved. All of sudden this game hung in the balance once again.
As Arsenal tried to play out from the back, a poor touch from Merino got him in trouble. Nunez nicked the ball from him and Spaniard brought him down with a lunging challenge. The referee allowed play to continue and Szoboszlai skipped past The Gunners’ midfielder, only to be scythed down himself. The referee had no option but to issue a second yellow card and give him his marching orders.
What was more baffling was how the player then remonstrated with the official. What actual planet was he born on and are the rules for football different there? He was booked in the first-half and in the space of sixty seconds committed two fouls that both warranted a booking on their own merit. The deluded Spaniard trudged off the pitch.
The Reds had the chance to win it when a Salah cross came to Robertson at the back post. He had all the time in the world to focus on his effort but volleyed wide of the goal. Moments later, a stray pass from Elliott gifted the ball to Odegaard in the Liverpool half. He ran at goal before getting a shot off that missed the far post of Alisson’s goal by the narrowest of margins.
Liverpool went straight down the other end and forced a corner. As Mac Allister whipped it in, van Dijk’s bullet header was saved by Raya. Robertson was on hand to poke home, seemingly winning the game deep into added time. The referee immediately blew his whistle and disallowed the strike, much to the disbelief of the Scot.
As the replay showed, Konate had pushed Lewis-Skelly in the face in the build-up. The points were shared at Anfield and the champions kept the fifteen point gap between the two teams. Arsenal still have some work to do to ensure that they qualify for the Champions League. That shows just how far off the pace they actually are from Arne Slot’s side.
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