Arsenal stay six points clear after goalless draw against Liverpool | OneFootball

Arsenal missed the chance to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Liverpool at the Emirates.

The Gunners, coming off five straight league wins, had hoped to capitalise after Manchester City and Aston Villa both dropped points earlier in the week, but it wasn’t to be.

The opening exchanges were dominated by the hosts, with Bukayo Saka giving the Merseysiders all sorts of problems down the right flank. The England forward cut inside early on, forcing Alisson into a low save for the visitors’ first meaningful intervention.

Yet Liverpool almost took the lead against the run of play when a backpass from William Saliba left David Raya exposed. Conor Bradley seized the chance, chipping the ball over the Arsenal keeper only to see it cannon back off the crossbar. Later, Milos Kerkez epitomised Liverpool’s stubborn defending with a superb block to deny Saka from close range, keeping the game level at half-time.

The second half saw momentum swing in Liverpool’s favour. Florian Wirtz danced into the box and looked certain to score before a penalty appeal following Leandro Trossard’s challenge was waved away after a VAR review.

Arsenal’s struggles were compounded when Piero Hincapié was forced off with an injury just shy of the hour mark, giving Jeremie Frimpong more room to run down the flank, though Liverpool could never quite fashion a clear-cut chance.

Dominik Szoboszlai became the focal point of Liverpool’s attacking threat, testing Arsenal with a series of long-range efforts and intricate passes. His free-kick from a central position skimmed the roof of the net, but it wasn’t enough to break the deadlock.

Arsenal pushed late on, with Gabriel Magalhães heading wide from a last-gasp corner, but neither side could find a winner.

The stalemate marks the first goalless Premier League meeting between the sides since August 2015 and ends Arsenal’s seven-match winning run across all competitions.

Despite the frustration, Mikel Arteta’s side remain six points clear of Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola’s men and Aston Villa still very much in the hunt. Liverpool, meanwhile, consolidate fourth place with their 10th unbeaten game across all competitions.

Arsenal now turn their attention to the FA Cup third round at Portsmouth on Sunday, while Liverpool host Barnsley on Monday.

Incidents: The story of the match

1':

The match begins

24':

Opportunity wasted. Ryan Gravenberch from Liverpool took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area.

62':

Missed opportunity. Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool takes a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sails high and to the right after a free kick.

62':

Opportunity wasted. Dominik Szoboszlai from Liverpool took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sailed high and to the right after a free kick.

76':

Missed opportunity. Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool attempted a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area.

82':

Missed opportunity. Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area following a free kick.

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match