Arsenal were offered a chance to stretch clear in the Premier League title race, and let it slip through their fingers on a tense, niggly afternoon that ended goalless and left frustration lingering in north London.
With Manchester City and Aston Villa both faltering in midweek, the invitation could scarcely have been clearer. Victory would have pushed Arsenal eight points clear at the summit of the Premier League. Instead, Mikel Arteta’s side were held by a Liverpool team patched together up front yet resolute throughout.
There was a familiar authority about Arsenal early on. They dominated possession, pressed with conviction and pinned Liverpool back for much of the first half. Yet domination without incision is a recurring warning sign, and it was the visitors who fashioned the clearest opening before the interval. A dreadful misunderstanding between David Raya and William Saliba gifted Conor Bradley an opening, his audacious chip clipping the crossbar and drawing gasps from the home crowd.
Arsenal’s approach play had purpose but little punch. Cross after cross was delivered into the penalty area, but with no decisive movement or ruthless finishing, Liverpool survived. For all the neat combinations and territorial control, there was an absence of the killer instinct demanded of champions.
Liverpool, missing a recognised striker and improvising under Arne Slot, grew into the contest after the break. Their energy and aggression shifted the balance, and they began to ask more probing questions of Arsenal’s back line. The game lost fluidity but gained edge, each challenge contested as if weighted with wider significance.
Tempers finally spilled over deep into stoppage time when Gabriel Martinelli’s clumsy shove on the injured Bradley near the touchline sparked an ugly melee. The Brazilian was booked; Bradley departed on a stretcher, hands covering his face, the mood darkening as the clock ticked down.
When the final whistle sounded, it was Arsenal who felt the sharper disappointment. They remain top, six points clear, but this was an afternoon when opportunity knocked loudly and went unanswered. Liverpool, unbeaten and unbowed, left knowing they had once again frustrated a title contender — and perhaps reminded Arsenal that championships are rarely secured without a cutting edge to match control.