Arteta: Arsenal ‘on top for many moments’ in ‘unbelievable’ game against ‘best in the world’ Liverpool
Head coach Mikel Arteta thinks his Arsenal side were “on top for many moments” in their 1-1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool
The Gunners recovered from their loss to Aston Villa to beat Brighton 2-0 last weekend. This victory moved them back to the top of the Premier League ahead of their trip to face title rivals Liverpool.
Arsenal’s heartbreaking 2-2 draw at Anfield last season was a blow to their title prospects and they were out to get revenge against Liverpool this time around.
Defender Gabriel Magalhaes headed past Alisson Becker to break the deadlock in the opening few minutes but this goal spurred on Liverpool.
Arsenal were fortunate to not concede a spot-kick after 20 minutes after Martin Odegaard looked to handle the ball in the penalty, but Liverpool equalised not long after.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunning long-range pass found Mohamed Salah, who got the better of Oleksandr Zinchenko before firing home past David Raya.
The two Premier League title rivals exchanged chances for the rest of the game but they were ultimately made to settle for a point apiece. This result leaves the Gunners top of the table at Christmas as they are one point clear of Liverpool and Aston Villa.
Speaking post-match, Arteta praised his sides for dealing with a Liverpool team “that causes chaos”.
“An unbelievable game of football, one of the most intense I’ve witnessed in 20 years in this league. For many moments we were on top, in the last 20 minutes we wanted it more, but a draw is a fair result,” Arteta said in an interview with BBC’s Match of the Day.
“We were determined to attack and cause them problems. They are a team that causes chaos, they are so vertical and direct. They are the best in the world at doing that.”
On Gabriel’s early goal: “It was really loud from the beginning, they did their bit to generate that. I love that our players could handle this, it’s not easy.”
On Arsenal being top of the Premier League at Christmas: “I’m happy to be where we are. Tomorrow we have a beautiful dinner with our families, then back to work.”
Gunners star Bukayo Saka admitted after the final whistle that he is “frustrated” with the draw.
“I think we are a bit frustrated, I am a bit frustrated that we haven’t won, but when you come to Anfield and leave frustrated that you haven’t won it says a lot. Credit to Liverpool, they played well, we played well too, so it could have gone either way in the end,” Saka told Sky Sports.
“I think there are certain moments in the game, of course they had their own moments, but sometimes in the final third that final pass or shot did not go the right way, which is frustrating.”
