Mohamed Salah’s late equalizer salvaged a point for Liverpool in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates, where Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot each had to settle for a draw. Arteta acknowledged Arsenal remain “alive” in the Premier League title race but had mixed feelings after the match, as his side missed an opportunity to claim all three points.
With captain Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, and Riccardo Calafiori absent, Arsenal welcomed back Bukayo Saka, who found the net along with Mikel Merino to give them a 2-1 lead after Virgil van Dijk’s early goal for Liverpool. “I’m very disappointed that we didn’t win today,” Arteta admitted. “I’m incredibly proud of the team, especially with what we’re going through right now—it’s hard to explain. The team is alive, they’re hungry. Even those who can’t play are frustrated not to be out there. The ones who are injured, they’re determined.”
Arteta remained optimistic, saying, “Things will turn around, and we’ll be in a better place. I see how much the team wants it, and I have no doubt we’ll get there. I thought we’d be flying on Sunday, and we were—by far the better team. We needed those points to gauge where we’re headed, but we’re very much in this.”
Despite Liverpool’s eight-game winning streak ending, Slot expressed satisfaction. “Going behind twice to a strong Arsenal side and still getting a point is a good outcome,” he said. “I know everyone likes to talk about title contenders, but my focus is on results in tough away games like this. Competing with Arsenal in their stadium shows where we are as a team.”
Slot, however, took issue with referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to issue him a yellow card in the second half. “Last time, against Chelsea, I deserved it, but this time I didn’t,” he explained. “After so many interruptions in play, I said to Ibou [Konate], ‘this is a f****** joke,’ but the fourth official thought I was talking to him. That wasn’t the case, but now I’m on two yellows, so I’ll need to be cautious going forward.
Leave a Reply