Arsenal and Liverpool played to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium, a result that maintained Arsenal's position at the top of the Premier League table. The match marked the first goalless draw between the two clubs in the Premier League since August 2015.
Match Overview
The encounter concluded without either team scoring, bringing an end to Arsenal's streak of seven consecutive home Premier League victories. Arsenal created attacking opportunities primarily in the first half, while Liverpool maintained possession in Arsenal's half for a significant portion of the second half.
Key Incidents
First Half:
- Arsenal's attacks were initiated through Bukayo Saka.
- Liverpool's Conor Bradley hit the crossbar following a clearance error by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
- Saka's pullback was cleared by Liverpool defenders Milos Kerkez and Alexis Mac Allister, and his shot on target was saved by Alisson.
Second Half:
- Arsenal's offensive attempts decreased, with the team failing to register a shot between the 45th minute and second-half stoppage time, according to one report.
- Liverpool played without Hugo Ekitike due to injury.
- Conor Bradley of Liverpool was carried off the field with an apparent knee injury. This incident also led to Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) and Ibrahim Konate (Liverpool) receiving yellow cards.
- Dominik Szoboszlai's free kick went over the crossbar, and Gabriel's attempt went wide towards the end of the match.
- Several penalty appeals occurred:
- An incident involving Jeremie Frimpong in the Arsenal penalty area led to a verbal exchange between Declan Rice and Virgil van Dijk.
- Florian Wirtz appealed for a penalty after a challenge from Leandro Trossard, but VAR supported referee Anthony Taylor's decision not to award one.
- Gabriel Martinelli was involved in another incident with Frimpong in the penalty area, which also did not result in a penalty after review by Taylor and VAR.
- Viktor Gyökeres was substituted for Gabriel Jesus for Arsenal.
- Myles Lewis-Skelly came on as a second-half substitute due to an injury to Piero Hincapié.
- Alisson saved attempts from Jesus and Martinelli in the final stages.
- Gabriel headed a corner wide near the end of the match.
League Implications
Following the draw, Arsenal maintains a six-point lead over both Manchester City and Aston Villa. Liverpool remains 14 points behind Arsenal, holding the fourth position in the league standings. A total of 51 points remain available across the subsequent 17 matches of the season.
Match Statistics
- This fixture was the first 0-0 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League since August 2015. Their prior 20 league meetings had an average of 3.95 goals per game.
- Arsenal has not secured a victory in their last five Premier League matches against Liverpool when leading the league, recording four draws and one loss.
- Liverpool failed to register a shot on target in a Premier League match for the first time since March 2010, a span of 600 subsequent games.