2023/24
Matchweek 18
All times shown are your local time
Sat 23 Dec 2023
Kick Off:
Anfield, Liverpool
Att: 57,548
Ref: Chris Kavanagh
KOMins
38
45 +3
45 +4
  • HT
    49
    84
    86
    90 +1
  • FT
  • WHO'S GOING TO BE YOUR

    MAN OF THE MATCH?

    Report

    Arsenal will top the table at Christmas for the second consecutive season after holding onto the Premier League lead with a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

    Gabriel gave Arsenal a fourth-minute lead but Mohamed Salah’s 151st Premier League goal cancelled out his strike as both teams remain just a single point apart in first and second.

    How the match unfolded

    Arsenal made a dream start at Anfield as Gabriel headed in from Martin Odegaard's set-piece for the club's earliest ever Premier League goal in a match at Anfield.

    However, that goal woke Liverpool up and they started to dominate the play, and in the 29th minute Salah scored a brilliant equaliser.

    The Egyptian received a long-range pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold before moving inside Oleksandr Zinchenko and producing an unstoppable left-footed shot into the roof of the net.

    It was Salah’s 151st Premier League goal, meaning he moved above former Liverpool striker Michael Owen and into 10th in the all-time goalscoring charts.

    The assist from Alexander-Arnold was his seventh against Arsenal in Premier League history and his 57th overall in the competition, the joint-most by a defender, along with team-mate Andrew Robertson.

    Liverpool were fortunate not to fall behind again when Gabriel Martinelli shot wide after Bukayo Saka had rounded Alisson and set the Brazilian up.

    Liverpool then suffered a blow as Konstantinos Tsimikas was forced off with a suspected collarbone injury in the first half as he accidentally collided into his own manager, Jurgen Klopp.

    The Reds came out on the front foot in the second half and Joe Gomez, who has never scored in his professional career, came inches away from putting Liverpool in front when his curling shot went just wide of the right post.

    With the match evenly balanced, Liverpool then missed a glorious chance to take the lead when Alexander-Arnold smashed the crossbar from close range with Liverpool on the counter-attack.

    Neither side could force a late winner as Arsenal left Anfield with a point that keeps them top, with 40 points, one ahead of Liverpool and third-placed Aston Villa.

    Liverpool report | Arsenal report

    Match officials

    Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Simon Bennett, Dan Robathan. Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: David Coote. Assistant VAR: Lee Betts.

     

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    Club Reports

    Match officials

    Referee: Chris Kavanagh

    Fourth Official: Craig Pawson

    VAR: David Coote

    Assistant VAR: Lee Betts

    Match related content will appear here

        Season So Far

        Liverpool
         
        Arsenal

        Top Player Stats

          Match Stats

          Liverpool
           
          Arsenal

          Head-to-Head

          Liverpool
          Total Wins
          25
          Home
          16
          Away
          9
          Arsenal
          Total Wins
          18
          Home
          12
          Away
          6

          Played

          64

          Draws 21

          Recent Meetings