'Arsenal were robbed? They really were not'published at 11:58 29 October
11:58 29 October
Jordan Chamberlain Fan writer
Arsenal have become a very unlikeable team. They spent the week before Sunday's game with Liverpool moaning about their horrific injury crisis.
In the end, both teams had two starters out with injuries; Arsenal with Martin Odegaard and Ricardo Calafiori, and Liverpool with Alisson and Diogo Jota. William Saliba's suspension was his own fault, while Liverpool were also without Connor Bradley, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa.
But it is the post-match narrative that has become increasingly frustrating. Arsenal were robbed? They really were not. The refereeing was consistently bad for both sides. Ryan Gravenberch was punished in the second half for kicking a ball into an opponent, with Anthony Taylor falsely believing it was a high boot. Darwin Nunez was reprimanded when Gabriel tried to hold the ball in the corner with 20 minutes left of the game by relentlessly backing into Liverpool's number nine.
And the big moment with the goal ruled out towards the end is just a non-event. It is not a definite foul from Jakub Kiwior in the build-up, but Taylor blows his whistle and half the Liverpool players stop playing, so the fact the goal goes in six or seven seconds afterwards is irrelevant. It would not have gone in if Taylor had not already given the free-kick.
If Arsenal wanted to beat Liverpool and make a statement, they should have tried to play some football at 1-0 and 2-1 up. On both occasions, they sat back, wasted time and looked more like Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid team than any side I have seen in recent years.
Slot on Jota, team fitness and Endo deserving minutespublished at 11:33 29 October
11:33 29 October
Katie Stafford BBC Sport journalist
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup game against Brighton (kick-off 19:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott are not expected to return until after the November international break.
Conor Bradley is training with the team so could be part of the squad on Wednesday but Alisson and Federico Chiesa remain sidelined.
He said Chiesa "goes a bit up and down" as he returns to training and then is out again. Slot added: "I don't want to put days or weeks on it because I think we just have to make sure he gets in the best possible shape."
On the possibility of squad rotation: "We have got some injuries so we don't have enough players to change them all if I had wanted to."
He said Wataru Endo "might be in the line-up" because "he also needs playing time" in order to remain competitive. Slot added: "Every time we need him, even if it is only for five minutes, he shows up for the team. So for that reason he also deserves to play."
On opponents Brighton: "I like their playing style a lot. What makes Brighton special, in my opinion, is that they might not have the most money in the league but they always find the right ones. So they have a lot of quality."
He said "it is a balance the club need to find" when looking at either keeping or loaning out academy players. "In certain situations you would prefer to keep them here with you to train every day but that also means they hardly play and that doesn't lead to progression," Slot added.
'Rotation' will be key for Slotpublished at 10:28 29 October
10:28 29 October
The i's chief football writer Daniel Storey believes Liverpool manager Arne Slot is successfully "finding players for multiple positions" as the Reds boss looks to rotate his squad with a busy season in mind.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Storey praised the Dutchman's in-game management: "Against Arsenal, he spotted that they were overpowering his side at the top of the pitch, so he brought Curtis Jones a bit deeper and almost made it a three in midfield at half-time.
"He looked for a solution to win that midfield battle, do the basics well and then progress from there.
"But, behind his attacking line, he hasn't got a huge squad. He is going to have to rotate because Liverpool will tire as the season goes on. He will have to keep up with that rotation.
"He seems to be doing it at the moment, by finding players for multiple positions. Jones will play as a six or he will play higher up. Nunez, Jota and Diaz can all play different roles in the forward line.
"Trent [Alexander-Arnold] has spoken about playing in the number 10, centrally in midfield, and sometimes being on the outside or inverted.
"That variation can make you look like a different team. It can make you hard to defend against."
'If any team is going to push Man City, it's Liverpool'published at 08:49 29 October
08:49 29 October
On the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton praised Liverpool's squad depth, saying the Reds have "competition in virtually all areas".
Sutton went on to predict Liverpool to be Manchester City's closest title challengers instead of Arsenal.
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool - the fans' verdictpublished at 11:54 28 October
11:54 28 October
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Liverpool.
Here are some of your comments:
Arsenal fans
Bruno: I think we did OK considering how much was at stake, with regards to keeping up with Manchester City and not having a fully fit squad. Two seasons ago, we would have lost this and we had a poor record against the top six teams. Mikel Arteta has built a solid platform and stability which allows us to compete against good teams like Liverpool.
Andy: I was impressed to see that the absence of key players didn't stop the Arsenal way. We played good football and it was a great game to watch. The referee Anthony Taylor did well and kept it flowing, which feels unusual after recent weeks. The home crowd were excellent.
George: Arsenal fought well with a depleted team. Martinelli was responsible for the second goal and he should have been taken off earlier. He seems frightened to take on big defenders like Ibrahima Konate and he is feather light overall.
John: If you want to win the Premier League and you are 2-1 up at home against a very good Liverpool team, find a way to win the game! Yet again Arsenal seemed to run out of ideas! Achilles heel.
Liverpool fans
Tom: Liverpool should be very pleased with an away point against a tough opponent. There are lots of positives to take, with many of the substitutions having an impact. Momentum is a useful tool in a season and this game will only help the confidence continue to grow.
Alison: We were lucky to get a draw. Gabriel going off was a blessing for us. Our defenders need to look at themselves. Virgil van Dijk isn't beyond criticism - he needs to stop strolling around as if he is on holiday. Ibrahima Konate is our rock in defence.
Barry: I think that is an opportunity lost but, overall, a point away at Arsenal could be pivotal in our season. Konate was outstanding at the back and we showed resilience right up until the end. I think Mikel Arteta will be happier than Arne Slot on this occasion, which speaks volumes for our chances lost, but it is another step towards the title.
Mick: Overall, I am disappointed as we had far too many players off form, we never really had control of the game, and showed no urgency to win after getting an equaliser. That is despite all of Arsenal's injury woes! In short, we got away with one there.
Are Arsenal or Liverpool capable of dethroning Man City?published at 11:30 28 October
11:30 28 October
BBC Radio 5 Live's chief football correspondent John Murray spoke about what we learnt from Arsenal's draw with Liverpool on Sunday: "The question is - after that, are we any wiser about Arsenal and Liverpool's hopes of unseating the champions Manchester City?
"What we do know is that even without Rodri long term, and without Kevin de Bruyne at the moment, and without Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish on Saturday, Manchester City are the Premier League's only remaining unbeaten team this season and lie one point ahead of Liverpool and five ahead of Arsenal with almost a quarter of the league season played.
"We felt we would know more about Liverpool's credentials after Sunday, but I'm not sure we do. However, the feeling was that after the last international window we would find out more what Arne Slot's team are made of and they've come through a testing run of Chelsea at home, Leipzig away and Arsenal away with two wins and a draw.
"For them though, those tests keep coming match after match with two games against Brighton, then Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, plus Real Madrid and Manchester City not long after that.
"For Arsenal, yes they have been severely hit with absentees in defence and on Sunday they ended up with a back four of Thomas Partey, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly. None of them are first-choice in those positions, and it was then Liverpool found a way through to make it 2-2.
"There will be an anxious wait now for Mikel Arteta to find the extent of the knee or ankle problem that meant Gabriel could not run and forced him off. What is sure is that Arsenal will have to make do and mend, and with tricky away matches coming at Newcastle and Chelsea, they cannot afford to slip much further behind."
Good point for both sides?published at 09:54 28 October
09:54 28 October
Arsenal fan Joel Beya and Liverpool supporter Neil Atkinson joined BBC Radio 5 Live to reflect on Sunday's 2-2 draw at the Emirates.
"I'm glad we played well considering all of the injuries," said Gunner Beya. "It was entertaining but we want to be winning our home matches. We had such a brilliant first-half but Liverpool were just too resilient.
"I'm not too happy with the point but I'll take it. You don't win the league or lose it in October so I am happy.
"We just have to stick together and do what we can. This is why we also have players that can play in different positions."
Reds' fan Atkinson added: "I'm happy with the point. It was our hardest game of the season so far, so to go there and come back from behind twice shows we are not going anywhere.
"I am happy for Manchester City and Arsenal fans to keep talking about the title race whilst we take points. We are handily placed at the minute."
Gossip: Reds identify potential Alexander-Arnold replacementpublished at 07:42 28 October
07:42 28 October
Paris St-Germain have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign Liverpool's 26-year-old England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Liverpool, meanwhile, have enquired about RB Salzburg's 22-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina right-back Amar Dedic, as a potential replacement for Alexander-Arnold. (Caught Offside), external
AC Milan are interested in offering 27-year-old Liverpool and Italy winger Federico Chiesa a route back to Serie A. (Caught Offside), external
'From open play, we weren't dominant at all' - Slotpublished at 19:50 27 October
19:50 27 October
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been speaking to Match of the Day after his side managed to claw back a draw against Arsenal: "Two times behind and it is pleasing to see that we can come back into the game, especially with one day less to recover. To be stronger in second-half than first-half, pleases me.
"You come here to win but maybe a draw was a result we can take with us, especially after the first-half. Coming here, you know that they have many quality players and you can have difficult moments in the game.
"It pleased me to score from a set-piece. We needed that because from open play we weren't dominant at all. They deserved to be up 2-1 at half-time, but the way we showed up in the second-half was impressive."
On Liverpool's second goal: "Two minutes before the second goal, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] was closer to the 18-yard box and he got a bit of criticism for the pass. The good thing about Trent is that he tried again and it led to a great team goal.
"Darwin [Nunez] hasn't played that many games but he has to play every game now because we needed him for a goal. He kept going with the energy.
"In the first 10-15 minutes after half-time, we were better than in the first-half. But bringing on three quality players, they bring a lot of energy and that helped us to get the point."
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool: Key statspublished at 18:58 27 October
18:58 27 October
Liverpool are unbeaten away from home across all competitions this season, winning six of their seven games (D1). Arne Slot is the first Liverpool manager to not lose any of his first seven away matches in charge since William Connell in February 1923.
Mohamed Salah has scored 11 goals in 15 Premier League appearances against Arsenal – only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) have netted more often against the Gunners in the competition.
Meanwhile, 17 of Virgil Van Dijk's 23 goals in the Premier League have been headers and John Terry (27) is now the only defender to have netted more headed goals in the competition than the Liverpool man.
'We take the point and we move on'published at 18:46 27 October
18:46 27 October
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been speaking to Sky Sports after drawing with Arsenal: "Listen, it is a very tough place to come. They have created a solid team and they make it difficult for everyone. To come back twice is a good thing. We take the point and we move on."
On the set-piece goals: "They are very solid in set-pieces and I think when I was marked by [Thomas] Partey, he only looked at me. It was a good flick from Lucho [Diaz].
"I try to just be important in every set-piece that we have, and I try to not concede like we did so that is very disappointing."
On the result: "You play here in London, they have the fans behind them and they created some momentum. You have to be ready to fight because you will have some tough moments. One point and we take it."
On his contract situation: "I'm very calm. Let's see what happens towards the end of the season. I'm enjoying my football, physically and mentally.
"Keep enjoying the game because it is a beautiful game that we play and I play."
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool - send us your thoughts published at 18:31 27 October