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Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Liverpool, despite being two goals up at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday, April 9.
The Reds entered this contest on the back of one draw and two defeats in their last three league outings. They were beaten 4-1 by Manchester City before playing out a goalless draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their last game. Jurgen Klopp named a strong lineup for this game as they looked to put in a good performance.
The Gunners, on the other hand, have won seven games on the bounce in the Premier League. They secured two consecutive 4-1 wins against Crystal Palace and Leeds United in their last two outings. Mikel Arteta named a strong lineup for this game but was without defender William Saliba, who remained sidelined through injury.
Arsenal made a great start to the game and looked confident with the ball at their feet. Despite having marginally lesser possession in the second half with 47%, the Gunners attempted five shots, hitting the target thrice. Gabriel Martinelli handed them the perfect start as he fired them into the lead in the eighth minute with a deft toe poke from inside the box.
He then provided an assist to his compatriot Gabriel Jesus, who made it 2-0 with a headed effort after 28 minutes. Liverpool then maintained their composure and slowly got back into the game by frustrating the Arsenal players, who seemed to lose their cool towards the end of the half.
Mohamed Salah pulled a goal back from an assist by Jordan Henderson in the 42nd minute as Liverpool trailed 2-1 at the break.
Liverpool made a good start to the second period and played on the front foot for the initial exchanges. They looked to exploit lapses in concentration by Arsenal defenders and even won a penalty in the 54th minute, which Salah unfortunately failed to convert. They kept 67% of the ball in the second period, attempting 13 shots with five of those on target.
Aaron Ramsdale was Arsenal's best player in the second half as he made three clutch saves to keep the Reds at bay. However, substitute Roberto Firmino came on and leveled the game with less than five minutes to play. Both sides gave it their all until the end in an eye-catching contest that ended 2-2.
On that note, let's take a look at Arsenal's player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Aaron Ramsdale - 7.5/10
Ramsdale had a great night in goal as he made four crucial saves in key moments to prevent Liverpool from leveling the game.
Benjamin White - 6.5/10
White had a decent game but was booked for a foul in the first half. He won two duels, making four clearances, two interceptions and one tackle.
Rob Holding - 6.5/10
Holding had a decent game in defense as he won four duels, making nine clearances, two interceptions and one tackle.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 7.5/10
Gabriel was a rock for the Gunners in defense. He won five of his nine duels, making seven clearances, three interceptions, two tackles and three blocks. He also attempted one shot on target.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6.5/10
Zinchenko had a decent game on the left flank but was caught napping for Liverpool's late equalizer and was caught flat-footed by Alexander-Arnold. He played four long balls and attempted two shots, hitting the target once.
Thomas Partey - 7/10
Partey put in a solid performance in the middle of the park. He won eight of his 11 duels, making five tackles, three clearances and two interceptions in the process.
Granit Xhaka - 6.5/10
Xhaka had a decent first half but lost his cool during a come-together with Konate and Alexander-Arnold towards the end of the first half and was unable to play at his highest level after that. He was booked for the incident.
Martin Odegaard - 6.5/10
Odegaard was relatively subdued in this game and put in an average performance by his standards. He won just one duel but played two long balls and passed the ball with 86% accuracy.
Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10
Saka had a good game with the ball at his feet and caused Liverpool all sorts of problems with his dribbling and direct movement. He won 10 duels, making three tackles in the process. He also played three key passes and completed two dribbles.
Gabriel Martinelli - 8.5/10
Martinelli had a stunning game as he scored the Gunners' opening goal before providing an assist for Jesus. He won seven duels, making three tackles in the process. He also played three key passes and completed three dribbles.
Gabriel Jesus - 7.5/10
Jesus had a good game for Arsenal and scored a good header in the first half to make it 2-0 to Arsenal. He won 10 of his 18 duels and attempted two shots, hitting the target just once. He also completed all four of his dribbles and played three long balls.
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior & Kieran Tierney - N/A
The trio came on and played for just under 10 minutes, which was not enough time to warrant a rating.
