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Liverpool and Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday, December 23.
The Reds entered this contest on the back of three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five games across competitions. They played out a goalless draw with Manchester United last weekend, before smashing West Ham 5-1 in the EFL Cup midweek.
Jurgen Klopp made one change as he brought Luis Diaz into the XI in place of Darwin Nunez as they looked to catch up to Arsenal.
Liverpool made a slow start to the contest and found themselves chasing the game inside five minutes. They conceded an early free-kick from which the Gunners capitalized and scored from a header by Gabriel Magalhaes. However, the Reds showed great determination and fought to stay in the game.
They were rewarded for their persistence in the 29th minute as they forced Oleksandr Zinchenko into making a mistake. This allowed Mohamed Salah a clear run at goal as the Egyptian smashed the ball in at the near post to leave David Raya bamboozled.
After an exciting first half, Liverpool and Arsenal were tied 1-1 at the interval.
Liverpool picked up where they left off in the first half as they controlled the tempo of the game by keeping the ball for lengthy spells. However, Arsenal showed a bit more poise in the second half and also showed signs of slowing their game down by being patient.
Klopp made three changes midway through the second half in a bid to add fresh legs to the fold. Arteta, too, turned to his bench to make changes to his front three.
Alexander-Arnold had a glorious chance to give Liverpool the lead late in the game but smashed his effort against the crossbar as the Gunners were spared.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, meaning Arsenal remained top of the league at Christmas, while Klopp's men climbed up to second place. On that note, let's take a look at the Reds' player ratings.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson - 6.5/10
Alisson made just one save throughout the game but only faced two shots, with the other one being a goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7.5/10
Alexander-Arnold made a decent start to the game and provided an assist for his side's first goal of the game. He won two duels, making four clearances and one tackle. He also passed the ball with 71% accuracy, including six long balls, three key passes and two crosses.
Ibrahima Konate - 7/10
Konate had a great game in defense and used his physicality to dominate. He won seven duels, making five tackles, two blocks and one clearance. He also played one key pass.
Virgil van Dijk - 7/10
Van Dijk was solid in defense, winning seven duels, and making three tackles and three clearances. He passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including four long balls.
Konstantinos Tsimikas - 6.5/10
Tsimikas made a good start to the game and was involved in a constant battle with Bukayo Saka. However, he collided with Jurgen Klopp during a move and suffered an injury leading to him being subbed off.
Dominik Szoboszlai - 7/10
Szoboszlai had a decent game in midfield as he passed the ball with 83% accuracy. He also won six duels, making four tackles and one interception. He also attempted two shots but failed to hit the target.
Wataru Endo - 7/10
Endo had a decent game in midfield and was booked for a late tackle. He passed the ball with 88% accuracy, including one cross and one long ball. He also won six duels.
Curtis Jones - 7/10
Jones passed the ball with 88% accuracy, including one key pass. He also won five duels, making one tackle and one interception.
Mohamed Salah - 7.5/10
Salah was explosive on the right flank and caused Zinchenko all sorts of problems. He made it 1-1 for Liverpool with a thumping strike after 29 minutes. He also played two key passes and won three duels.
Cody Gakpo - 6.5/10
Gakpo had a decent game but failed to attempt a single shot. He won six duels, making two tackles in the process. He also played two key passes.
Luis Diaz - 6.5/10
Diaz was involved in constant duels with Bukayo Saka and Ben White and it took a toll on the Columbian. He won just two of his seven duels and was subbed off midway through the second half.
Substitutes
Joe Gomez - 7.5/10
Gomez had a great game, winning all six of his duels and making six tackles and five clearances. He also played one key pass.
Harvey Elliott - 7/10
Elliott made a good impact as soon as he came on, attempting a lovely shot moments after entering the pitch.
Ryan Gravenberch - 6/10
Gravenberch replaced Jones in the second half and put in an average performance.
Darwin Nunez - 7/10
Nunez put in a good cameo for Liverpool as he won four duels, making one tackle. He attempted one shot off-target and also completed two dribbles.
