Arsenal, Liverpool Player Ratings: Points Shared in Disappointing Game of Two Halves

Arsenal missed the chance to go eight points clear in Premier League title race.

Fans expected more from this one but it was too cagey. / Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Arsenal missed the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points, held to a 0–0 draw by a battling Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City’s third successive draw 24 hours earlier presented the Gunners with a glorious chance. But in a game that lacked enough quality to breach solid defensive performances from both sides, there was no way through.

That said, as the Premier League now takes a break to make way for the FA Cup this coming weekend, Arsenal still hold a six-point advantage in their quest for a first title in 22 years.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have consolidated their place in the top four and are 10 games unbeaten across all competitions. For them, this will feel like a point gained, rather than two dropped.

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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (4-3-3)

Not good enough for a marquee signing. / Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by Fotmob*

GK: David Raya—6.8: A momentary lapse that almost gifted Liverpool a first-half goal was on him more that it would have been on Saliba.

RB: Jurriën Timber—7.2: Dominant on his side of the pitch that made it difficult for Liverpool to do anything on their left flank.

CB: William Saliba—7.0: It might have been an own goal for him on another night when a back-pass to Raya almost bypassed the goalkeeper.

CB: Gabriel—7.1: Liverpool’s false nine meant he lacked a centre forward to mark. Played well.

LB: Piero Hincapié—6.8: Forced off through injury before an hour had been played.

CM: Martin Ødegaard (c)—6.5: Hardly misplaced a pass, without doing enough with the ball to make things happen.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—7.2: He perhaps wasn’t to know, but at one point upon breaking into the box, he intercepted a pass meant for an unmarked Saka at the far post. That could have been Arsenal’s moment. Good in and out of possession.

CM: Declan Rice—7.2: Did both sides of the ball in midfield, lacking the punch of recent games.

RW: Bukayo Saka—6.4: Looked the most naturally threatening to begin with and then faded.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.1: Eight touches all night, just one in the second half before he was brought off 64 minutes in. Really poor.

LW: Leandro Trossard—6.6: Had moments of brightness but his two shots were charged down and he was a little too inconsistent to be genuinely threatening.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Myles Lewis-Skelly (57’ for Hincapié)	6.5
Gabriel Martinelli (64’ for Trossard)	6.4
Gabriel Jesus (64’ for Gyökeres)	6.1
Eberechi Eze (78’ for Ødegaard )	6.2
Noni Madueke (78’ for Saka)	6.1

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Ben White, Christian Nørgaard, Mikel Merino.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

Florian Wirtz played in a new role. / Liverpool FC /Getty Images

*Ratings provided by Fotmob*

GK: Alisson—8.3: Made four saves overall. None were particularly challenging, but a clean sheet is a clean sheet.

RB: Conor Bradley—7.2: It was his through ball in the direction of Jeremie Frimpong that caused confusion in the Arsenal backline midway through the first half. He was then unfortunate not to see his audacious lob on the rebound find the back of the net. Cruelly, stretchered off in stoppage time.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.2: Decent enough performance from the towering Frenchman. Took a worthwhile booking at the end standing up for his teammate when Martinelli acted despicably towards the injured Bradley.

CB: Virgil van Dijk (c)—7.3: Never looked threatened by what Arsenal had to offer centrally.

LB: Milos Kerkez—7.5: Kept Saka in check. Won the majority of his duels.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.4: An imposing presence in the middle of the pitch from a shielding perspective. Made plenty of defensive contributions.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.4: Plenty of passes, although defensively made arguably a bigger impact because of how he stopped Arsenal in their tracks.

RM: Jeremie Frimpong—6.5: Got into good positions a few times on the right flank, but the quality of the final ball was lacking.

AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—6.6: Five shots, none on target. Fans have come to expect more. Scored the match-winner at Anfield, but not here.

LM: Cody Gakpo—6.3: The pregame expectation was that Gakpo would continue in the No. 9 role in Hugo Ekitiké’s absence, as against Fulham, but he lined up on the left instead. Minimal impact.

ST: Florian Wirtz—7.2: The false nine in this equation. The nature of the role meant he was dropping deeper to receive the ball and not directly competing with Arsenal’s physically imposing centre backs, but it often felt like Liverpool didn’t have a focal point to their attack.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Joe Gomez (90+5’ for Bradley)	N/A

Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Andrew Robertson, Calvin Ramsey, Curtis Jones, Trey Nyoni, Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha.

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Player of the Match: Alisson (Liverpool)

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Arsenal 0–0 Liverpool—How the Game Unfolded at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal failed to capitalise on a dominant first half. / James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

In difficult weather conditions, it was a cagey start from Liverpool as Arsenal dominated the ball from the opening kick-off. The Reds didn’t look comfortable in their shape and Arne Slot’s team were sometimes scrambling in those early stages to keep the Gunners at bay.

Ultimately, they defended the penalty area well enough, either closing the door completely or limiting Arsenal to half-chances. An effort from Bukayo Saka outside the box 18 minutes in marked the first attempt on target for either team and it was comfortably gathered by Alisson.

Liverpool managed to find their feet with a better spell of possession after that. Eventually, a freak Arsenal mishap almost presented the visitors with the breakthrough. A lack of communication between William Saliba and the onrushing David Raya almost saw the former slip an attempted back-pass beyond the latter, who managed to get in the way. But the loose ball broke to Conor Bradley, trying to lob the Arsenal goalkeeper and unluckily striking the crossbar.

Arsenal finished the first half back in the ascendancy, applying pressure without managing to create any clear opportunities. Declan Rice had a shot in the final moments before the break, but it was comfortably gathered by Alisson.

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Liverpool wanted a penalty in the early stages of the second half, a rare moment of explosion from Florian Wirtz—too deep for much of the game—as he gathered pace weaving through defenders. He went down under pressure from Leandro Trossard, but ‘no penalty’ was the verdict, verified by VAR.

The Reds had a foothold higher up the pitch than they’d managed in the opening 45 minutes, gathering momentum, prompting Arteta to turn to his bench just over an hour in to wrestle back some of that control. Viktor Gyökeres came off; he’d barely been seen.

Noni Madueke appeared off the bench later on for more fresh attacking legs, getting involved almost immediately by beating his marker on the right and sending a teasing low ball across the box. Yet none of three Arsenal forwards in the box anticipated it and the chance was lost.

Such was the turnaround, Arsenal didn’t register a shot in the second half until stoppage time, when Alisson made two routine saves. But for all that Liverpool were the better team in that second 45, they ultimately didn’t look like scoring either. The only efforts from the visitors came from Dominik Szoboszlai, and were either blocked or off target.

Stoppage time at the end was defined, not by a grandstand finish, but by an unsavoury moment after some really poor and unsporting behaviour from Gabriel Martinelli. Bradley was visibly hurt after attempting a clearance near the touchline, and the Brazilian winger first threw the ball on top of him and then attempted to shove his stricken opponent off the pitch. It rightfully sparked a furious reaction from Liverpool players and staff, with Bradley leaving on a stretcher.

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Arsenal vs. Liverpool Half-Time Stats

Statistic	Arsenal	Liverpool
Possession	60%	40%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.30	0.14
Total Shots	6	3
Shots on Target	2	0
Big Chances	0	0
Pass Accuracy	91%	86%
Fouls	3	6
Corners	2	0

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Arsenal vs. Liverpool Full Time Stats

Statistic	Arsenal	Liverpool
Possession	48%	52%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.57	0.36
Total Shots	9	8
Shots on Target	4	0
Big Chances	1	0
Pass Accuracy	86%	89%
Fouls	10	9
Corners	3	0

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