Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal: Attacks frustrated, Konate and Saliba impress, Zinchenko exposed – The Briefing

Arsenal will spend Christmas on top of the Premier League after a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.

Gabriel put the visitors ahead early on, only for Mohamed Salah to equalise following an exquisite Trent Alexander-Arnold pass.

Both attacks were foiled by good defending and wastefulness. It is a result that will surely please champions Manchester City on a weekend when Aston Villa also dropped points. This is how the game was decided…

A tight affair — even if Arsenal just edged it

The game had the feel of a heavyweight boxing match, with two title contenders trading punches and neither willing to take a step back.

Both sides showed signs of their credentials to be this season’s champions based on a strong defensive foundation — with both centre-backs giving little away in ground and aerial duels.

However, neither side was wholly convincing at the other end, with wastefulness from both in attack. They had 26 shots between them but very little for either goalkeeper to do across a tense, high-stakes game.

If you had to put your money on one team, you would give Arsenal the edge  — and not simply because they are top of the table at this stage of the season.

The centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel gives so few opportunities away, and a genuine No 6 in Declan Rice provides Arsenal with a stronger base from which to attack. Liverpool’s attack can be devastating on their day, but they aren’t quite clicking at present, and there is always the vulnerability in transition that could be their undoing in the crucial moments.

Mark Carey

Will both sides be frustrated by their attacking play?

Arsenal will only be annoyed with the final part of their attacks.

Although their goal did not come from open play, they were able to create openings throughout. In the first half, they were quick in getting the ball forward. In the second half, they were more considered but still found good spaces through Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.

The only issue was that when crosses went into the box, nobody was attacking them. Gabriel Jesus and Saka both put dangerous deliveries across the goalmouth but neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Kai Havertz had made positive runs.

Liverpool got into wonderful positions but were wasteful.

It started early on when Salah sent a scruffy shot wide from close range. After that, they were guilty of misplacing passes in the final third or shooting off-target.

When Dominik Szoboszlai fired a long-range effort well wide and Klopp decided to make a triple substitution soon after, Liverpool had registered just two shots on target, both from Salah.

Perhaps the key moment came shortly after that, on 72 minutes, when Liverpool broke on the counterattack in a blistering five-vs-two overload.

They looked certain to score as Salah had three players lining up to put the finishing touch to the move. Instead, Alexander-Arnold slammed his effort off the crossbar.

Art de Roche and Gregg Evans

Was Salah’s goal excellent attacking or poor defending?

It was a mixture of the two. From a Liverpool perspective, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass and Mohamed Salah’s finish were both brilliant. But what happened before and in between both could have been dealt with better by Arsenal.

Arsenal’s initial pressing strategy saw Zinchenko step up to mark Szoboszlai and Gabriel push higher and wider to compensate. They were not set up like this when Alexander-Arnold received the ball, which gave him more time before being pressured by Jesus.

Zinchenko then has to read the flight of the ball better. That misjudgement meant he could not head it away and then the left-back shows Salah inside too easily. Alexander-Arnold gave an example of how to deal with that situation shortly after against Saka. He sprinted back, took the ball down over his shoulder and pinged another ball forward.

Zinchenko was at fault last season at Anfield and made the costly mistake of following the ball rather than the man at Villa Park. Takehiro Tomiyasu would be the ready-made replacement when injury-free, but Jakub Kiwior has to be a consideration in these high-tempo games.

Art de Roche

Centre-backs show their worth

Some centre-backs are passive. They will hold their position, only engage when they have to, and rarely get mud on their shirt. Others are active. Hounding their opposite number, stepping out from defence, and sticking a foot in at the soonest opportunity.

Ibrahima Konate undoubtedly falls into the latter category. Liverpool’s No 5 was superb with his front-foot defending, regularly shrugging off Jesus and Martinelli whenever they looked the least bit threatening.

Only Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi averages more “true” tackles — which are tackles plus fouls committed plus challenges lost — per 1,000 opponent touches (as an indication of a player’s tendency to ‘stick a foot in’) among Premier League centre-backs with 500-plus minutes played.

His win rate isn’t quite so impressive, with a 56 per cent success rate this season placing him in the bottom half of central defenders. But Konate’s remit is to press, be aggressive, and get that ball back for his team. Sure, you have to take the rough with the smooth with his zealous approach sometimes, but Konate was a contender for man of the match in this game.

At the other end of the pitch, this was Saliba’s first trip to Anfield as an Arsenal player and he made a major difference compared to their previous visits to the stadium.

He and Gabriel were dominant in the air, allowing Arsenal to withstand spells of Liverpool pressure in the first half. Saliba’s recovery pace and strength were particularly impressive against Cody Gakpo, who struggled to get the best of him.

Each duel this duo won provided more belief — and is a stark contrast to April’s 2-2 draw when Rob Holding started in place of an injured Saliba.

Mark Carey and Art de Roche

Why did the VAR not award handball against Odegaard?

Many fans and pundits felt Liverpool should have had a penalty at 1-0 down, when Martin Odegaard seemed to handle in the box.

As the ball bounced to his left, his arm touched the ball and it looked as though it came towards it.

The referee and VAR disagreed and when The Athletic asked the refereeing governing body for clarification, they said that the VAR’s view was that the arm was going back into his body as he was falling.

Ben Burrows

Tsimikas ended up in hospital. How much of an issue would his absence be?

What a shame it was for Kostas Tsimikas to depart in such pain so early into the game.

The unfortunate incident was as bizarre as it was unpleasant. Saka sent Tsimikas tumbling towards the technical areas at Anfield after a challenge, and the left-back collided with manager Jurgen Klopp.

The setback that Tsimikas is now likely to face, with Klopp having confirmed that the player has broken his collarbone, only adds to Liverpool’s injury woes. He will be missed because he’s the only natural senior replacement for Andy Robertson, who is also sidelined with an injury.

It’s true that the Greek international is often highlighted as a weak link in this Liverpool team, but he has stepped up this season when called upon.

Klopp’s options now are limited. The versatile Joe Gomez — who is a centre-back by trade, right-back when needed, and left-back in real times of trouble — can fill in and cover. Luke Chambers, 19, is the next in line unless Klopp decides Conor Bradley, usually a right-back can squeeze in.

Gregg Evans

What did the managers say?

We will let you know as soon as the press conferences have happened.

What next for Liverpool?

Tuesday, December 26: Burnley (A), 5.30pm GMT (12.30pm ET)

What next for Arsenal?

Thursday, December 28: West Ham (H), 8.15pm GMT (3.15pm ET).

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(Top image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)