Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal: Player ratings

It was a seasonal truce at Anfield as Liverpool and Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon to leave the Gunners top of the Premier League table at Christmas.

The visitors took a very early lead, in the fourth minute, when Gabriel, unmarked in the middle of the penalty area, headed Martin Odegaard’s freekick from the left past a stranded Alisson.

The Arsenal captain was in the thick of the action again midway through the first half when he handled the ball in the penalty area, only to be let off the hook by VAR.

However, the Reds continued to grow into the game and managed to bag the equaliser in the 29th minute when Mohamed Salah raced onto an excellent long pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, before turning Oleksandr Zinchenko inside-out and smashing the ball past David Raya at his near post.

But despite the game opening up even more in the second half, neither side could pick the right pass in the final third and the game ended a stalemate.

Here are your player ratings from the match…

Alisson (GK): 6

Was switched on early on to flick Bukayo Saka’s low cross away in the opening minute and then to hold on to header from the resulting corner. Caught somewhat in no man’s land for Gabriel’s opener. Had precious little to do after that.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB): 8

Had an excellent first half, showcasing his wonderful passing range and registering yet another assist with an arrow-like pass that left Salah in acres of space against Zinchenko. Had a difficult time against Gabriel Martinelli but coped well defensively overall, making some key interventions. Maybe should have scored when he hit the crossbar with the Reds breaking in a five on two.

Ibrahima Konate (CB): 9

Was unconvincing in his marking for the Arsenal opener, letting Gabriel get a run on him far too easily. However, he really stepped up as the game went on, showing great strength in his personal duals and made some excellent late interventions, including two excellent blocks on shots by Zinchenko and Declan Rice.

Virgil van Dijk (CB): 9

A solid, calming presence at the heart of the defence. Didn’t put a single foot wrong.

Kostas Tsimikas (LB): 6

Was desperately unfortunate to be forced off in the 35th minute injured as a result of a cheeky foul by Saka, who sent the Greek flying into boss Jurgen Klopp on the sideline. With Andrew Robertson already out with a shoulder injury of his own, let’s wish him a speedy recovery.

Wataru Endo (DM): 8

Possibly his best game in a Liverpool shirt. Was very combative and strong in the tackle and formed a solid core through the centre of the pitch alongside Konate and Van Dijk.

Dominik Szoboszlai (CM): 5

Too often made the wrong decision on the ball, giving it away when Liverpool had a promising attack. His scuffed shot from the edge of the box was his highlight.

Curtis Jones (CM): 6

Expectations were high for Jones following his excellent display against West Ham, but he didn’t have anywhere near the same sharpness on the ball. He did, however, lead the press excellently and won the ball back for the Reds several times in dangerous areas.

Mohamed Salah (RW): 7

Might have done better with his volley at the back post in the opening quarter of an hour, but certainly made amends with an incredible goal to level the scores. He excellently controlled Alexander-Arnold’s raking pass, before making Zinchenko look silly and smashing the ball past David Raya. Besides that, though, his touch was often heavy and he misplaced several passes.

Cody Gakpo (CF): 5

Was a surprise inclusion as the false nine and failed to make any real impact on the game. Dropped too deep on occasion and his passing was off at the crucial moment.

Luis Diaz (LW): 5

Not his best day. He was full of energy, but couldn’t channel it with any great purpose. Much like the rest of the front line, the final pass and end product was lacking.

Substitutes:

Joe Gomez (Tsimikas, 35’): 8

Came into the game cold and almost immediately played an Arsenal player through on goal with a loose pass. However, once he got going, he played really well, marshalling Saka well and even coming close to scoring with a whipped shot skidding just wide of the far post.

Darwin Nunez (Gakpo, 68’): 5

Besides a mesmerising run down the left flank, the Uruguayan barely touched the ball after coming on.

Ryan Gravenberch (Jones, 68’): 5

Much like the player he replaced, Gravenberch struggled to make any headway with the ball at his feet.

Harvey Elliott (Diaz, 68’): 6

Almost made an immediate impact with his deflected shot hitting the post. However, much of his work was in helping Alexander-Arnold in his defensive duties.