Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to pull eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after being held to a goalless draw by Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Watching from the press box and tracking the game through live Opta and WhoScored data, it was clear this was not the title statement many Arsenal fans expected. The atmosphere was electric before kick-off, but the match never truly caught fire.
Liverpool, one of only two teams to beat Mikel Arteta’s side this season, came closest to scoring. Conor Bradley nearly stunned the home crowd when his audacious lob beat David Raya but crashed off the underside of the crossbar.
For the first time this season, Arsenal failed to score at home. Still, the draw was enough to stretch their lead over second-placed Manchester City to six points after City’s recent run of three straight draws.
Those City stumbles had raised expectations that Arsenal could tighten their grip on a first league title in 22 years. Instead, the contest between the defending champions and the league leaders felt flat, disrupted by poor weather and cautious play.
Storm Goretti played its part. Torrential rain and swirling winds made conditions difficult, something both managers acknowledged on the touchline as control and rhythm were hard to find.
Liverpool, long out of the title race, extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches and strengthened their top-four push. Despite being pinned back for long spells in the first half, they still looked dangerous on the break.
The turning point before the interval came from an Arsenal error. William Saliba’s loose backpass left Raya stranded, but Bradley’s effort hit the bar and bounced away to safety.
After the break, Liverpool flipped the script and dominated possession. However, the absence of key attackers told. With Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike injured and Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations, their cutting edge was missing.
Jeremie Frimpong’s pace caused Arsenal problems, something I flagged while reviewing heat maps and sprint data, but his final delivery let him down. Dominik Szoboszlai also went close, his dipping free-kick just failing to repeat his earlier heroics against the Gunners.
At the other end, Viktor Gyokeres endured another frustrating night. Arteta hooked the striker late on as his open-play goal drought stretched to 10 games, a stat that now looms large in Arsenal’s title run-in.
Arteta threw on attacking options—Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli—but clear chances remained scarce. Arsenal managed their first shot on target in the second half only in stoppage time, both efforts too close to Alisson Becker.
The draw leaves Liverpool three points clear of Newcastle and Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification, while Arsenal move on knowing they are still in control—just not as comfortably as they hoped.
