Arsenal and Liverpool cancelled each other out in a tense, rain-soaked 0–0 draw at the Emirates last night, a result that kept the Gunners six points clear at the top but left a sense of missed opportunity on both sides after a match defined more by pressure, near-misses and nerves than sustained quality in the final third.
Arsenal started with the sharper edge and tried to funnel most of their early play through Bukayo Saka, who repeatedly drove at his marker and whipped dangerous balls into the six-yard box. One inviting delivery flashed across goal with teammates arriving, but Liverpool scrambled it clear before it could be turned in. The hosts looked the likelier scorers in the opening stages, yet their best moments tended to end with the final pass being cut out or a shot blocked before it truly troubled Alisson.
Liverpool’s biggest chance of the first half arrived in chaotic fashion. A rare mix-up between William Saliba and David Raya invited Conor Bradley to try an audacious lob from distance, and the effort bounced back off the crossbar with the home crowd briefly stunned. It was the closest either team came to scoring before the break, in a first half that gradually became scrappy and stop-start as both midfields competed fiercely and space disappeared.
After half-time the pattern flipped. Liverpool dominated the ball for long stretches and penned Arsenal in, forcing the leaders deeper than they wanted and dragging the game into long spells of probing possession. Dominik Szoboszlai had the clearest sights of goal for the visitors with a couple of long-range efforts and a free-kick that landed on the roof of the net, but despite all the territory Liverpool didn’t manage a single shot on target—an unusual statistic for a team of their attacking pedigree. Arsenal, for their part, barely threatened for most of the second period and went for an extended spell without a shot at all as Liverpool’s shape and ball retention blunted any rhythm the home side tried to build.
The late stages finally produced a flicker of danger. Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli were thrown on to chase a winner, and both tested Alisson during stoppage time, while Gabriel Magalhães came close with a late header that drew a collective gasp. But clear openings remained scarce, and the match drifted over the line without the breakthrough the occasion demanded.
The final minutes were also overshadowed by an ugly flashpoint. Bradley, who had already hit the bar earlier, suffered an awkward-looking injury late on near the touchline. With tempers already high, Martinelli’s attempt to hurry the restart sparked a mass confrontation between players, and bookings followed in the melee. It was an unfortunate end to an already tense evening, and the immediate concern quickly shifted from the scoreline to Bradley’s condition as he was forced off.
After the game, Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal couldn’t sustain their early control. He felt his team were stronger in the first half and frustrated with how they lost dominance after the break, pointing to sloppiness in possession and a lack of the “magic moment” needed to separate two well-matched sides. He also framed the draw as a result you can’t afford to turn into a loss in a tight title race, especially coming through a demanding run of fixtures.
Arne Slot, meanwhile, took encouragement from Liverpool’s organisation and how his side managed long spells in the second half, but acknowledged that their play around the penalty area wasn’t sharp enough. He described it as another example of Liverpool finding it difficult to turn control into chances when opponents sit deep and protect the middle, and he was candid that this has been a theme of their season. Slot also spoke with concern about Bradley’s injury and suggested the late touchline incident was fuelled by frustration rather than malice, adding that emotions can spill over in matches of this intensity.
In the end, Arsenal strengthened their position at the summit even without a win, while Liverpool left feeling they had wrestled control but lacked the decisive touch to turn it into a statement victory. It wasn’t a classic in terms of flowing football, but it was loaded with the kind of tension, fine margins and flashpoints that underline just how much is at stake in the second half of the season.
