Arsenal defensive issues prove too great against Liverpool but Declan Rice offers key reminder

Arsenal played retired an enthralling gully with Liverpool to support gait successful the Premier League rubric race.

The Gunners had looked acceptable to gain a large win, but Mohamed Salah struck precocious connected to guarantee Liverpool near London with a point.

The effect means Arsenal are 3rd successful the Premier League and 5 points disconnected leaders Manchester City.

Arsenal’s creaky defences yet breaks

When the Liverpool equaliser yet did come, it was a hammer stroke for Arsenal. They were 9 minutes from what would person been a immense victory, but alternatively had to settee for a point.

In the end, Arsenal’s antiaircraft issues proved excessively great. They had already been struggling coming into this game, with Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori struggling for fittingness and William Saliba.

It meant that Arteta was forced to sanction a sixth antithetic back-four successful conscionable 9 Premier League games this season.

Timber managed to marque this clash with Liverpool, but helium could lone past conscionable implicit 70 minutes earlier fatigue acceptable in.

By that point, Arsenal had already mislaid different defender to wounded arsenic Gabriel was forced disconnected aboriginal successful the second-half. The defender seemed to person an contented with his thigh oregon genu and went consecutive down the passageway for attraction aft coming off.

Jakub Kiwior came connected successful Gabriel’s spot and Lewis-Skelly replaced Timber - and it was down that broadside that Salah’s equaliser came.

Trent Alexander-Arnold played a shot down the close and Kiwior mediocre positioning and deficiency of gait was exposed, with Darwin Nunez teeing up Salah to people and interruption Arsenal hearts.

By his ain precocious standards, Declan Rice has not been astatine his champion this play - but this was a reminder of however overmuch of a colossus helium tin be.

With Thomas Partey playing right-back, Rice was tasked with playing somewhat deeper and Mikel Merino was deployed up of him.

Merino pressed precocious up the transportation and got amended arsenic the crippled went on, scoring his archetypal extremity for Arsenal, but it was Rice who stood out.

Playing successful a deeper role, Rice’s power grew and helium was astatine the heartbeat of this performance. He repeatedly broke up play and besides dictated Arsenal’s tempo erstwhile helium got connected the ball.

Rice has been utilized successful a much precocious relation by Arsenal since the crook of the twelvemonth and, successful fairness, helium has shone successful that position.

But this, however, underlined the statement for successful the agelong term, Rice to beryllium utilized successful a deeper relation successful the bosom of midfield.

Partey steps up to support Diaz quiet

Arsenal wounded issues astatine the backmost forced Arteta to crook to Partey for a solution astatine right-back.

The Ghana planetary has played determination before, for some Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, but starting him against Liverpool was bold telephone - adjacent if the Gunners were down to the bare bones.

Partey was up against Luis Diaz and, fixed the Liverpool winger’s pace, it felt similar a imaginable mismatch.

Partey, however, enactment successful an outstanding show and kept Diaz quiet. It was, rather possible, 1 of his champion displays successful an Arsenal shirt.

Aware of Diaz’s pace, Partey was connected him from the start, not giving the Colombian a accidental to crook and tally astatine him.

The 31-year-old besides did good connected the ball, too, tucking into midfield and giving Arsenal’s much dominance there.