In a thrilling match at the Emirates Stadium, we were forced to settle for a draw against Liverpool after being equalized twice. Bukayo Saka, returning from injury, opened the scoring for us, only for Virgil van Dijk to equalize shortly after. Mikel Merino then regained the lead for us with a powerful header just before halftime, marking his first goal for the club.
However, Liverpool capitalized on injuries to our defensive lineup in the second half, with Mohamed Salah scoring on a counterattack to level the match again. Our defense was already missing the suspended William Saliba, and injuries to Gabriel and Jurrien Timber added to our challenges, but we managed to hold on for the point.
The match began after a touching tribute, the Last Post, in memory of Remembrance Day, creating an electric atmosphere at the Emirates. The excitement peaked early when Ben White, filling in as center-back, delivered a brilliant pass to Saka, who deceived Andy Robertson and scored inside the near post. This was not only a fantastic return for Saka but also his 50th Premier League goal, making him the 11th Arsenal player to achieve this feat and the seventh youngest across all clubs.
Liverpool quickly responded with van Dijk’s header following a corner, taking advantage of our defensive vulnerabilities. We attempted to regain our edge, with Saka and Gabriel Martinelli pressuring the opposition, but it was Merino who eventually scored, heading home a free kick from Declan Rice after a lengthy VAR review for offside.
The second half saw even more disruption as Gabriel had to be substituted due to a knee injury, and with Timber also leaving the match, the defense underwent significant changes. Liverpool took advantage of this, with Diaz and Gravenberch creating chances, culminating in Salah’s equalizer as Nunez set him up.
As the match approached its conclusion, we substituted our two wingers, Saka and Martinelli, who had given their all in the match. Gabriel Jesus had a late opportunity to score a winner, but a foul in the buildup negated his effort, leaving us with a final score of 2-2.
With this result, we maintain our position in third place, remaining unbeaten against Liverpool in our last five Premier League encounters. This match also highlighted our prowess in set pieces, having scored 27 goals from them since last season, the highest in the league.
Looking ahead, our next four matches will be away, starting with the Carabao Cup fixture against Preston North End on Wednesday, followed by a Premier League match against Newcastle United on Saturday. Subsequently, we will face Inter Milan and Chelsea before the next international break.