Well, what a start to the festive period for the neutral! For Liverpool, it was a game they controlled for 85 minutes out of 90, but they conceded three goals in the five minutes that they didn’t. Philippe Coutinho and Mo Salah gave Liverpool what looked like a match-winning 2-0 lead, only or it all to be undone by goals from Alexis Sanchez, Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil. Roberto Firmino then rescued a point for the Reds as they remained a point above Arsenal in 4th place.
Here’s how each player fared:
SIMON MIGNOLET – 1/10
Any keeper worth his salt should be saving that shot from Xhaka. He was shaky for the entire second half, after being a virtual spectator in the first. Time for a change? If not, the Belgian is hanging on perilously.
JOE GOMEZ – 5/10
When it was comfortable for the Reds, it was Gomez with a now all-too-familiar mistake that let Arsenal back in. He didn’t notice Sanchez’s run from behind him, and instead of being on the front foot and dealing with the cross, he let the Chilean head past Mignolet.
DEJAN LOVREN – 7/10
Another very good performance at the back from Lovren. He looked assured on the ball, was strong off it, and his tracking of Lacazette’s runs were excellent. Also, Lovren was very strong while defending set-pieces. Long may this continue.
RAGNAR KLAVAN – 7/10
As with Lovren he was not at fault for any of Arsenal’s goals, he was strong aerially and dealt well with the threat that Arsenal posed.
ANDY ROBERTSON – 6/10
Solid, if unspectacular. His energy was important on the left flank as Robertson gave Iwobi a tough time for most of the game. He was caught infield a few times though, and that allowed Bellerin to bomb forward.
JORDAN HENDERSON – N/A
Didn’t last ten minutes on the pitch. Hopefully his injury is not too serious.
EMRE CAN – 6/10
Like the whole side, Can just seemed to lose his head in that five-minute period that led to Liverpool shipping three goals. That aside, it was a strong performance. His passing was good. Can’s harrying of the opponent was there. He didn’t do too much wrong.
PHILIPPE COUTINHO – 8/10
Possibly Liverpool’s best player on the night. His appetite was brilliantly on show when he covered almost half the length of the field to get on the end of Salah’s cross for the first goal. He played some beautiful passes that were messed up by the others.
MOHAMED SALAH – 6/10
Definitely not one of his best games in a red shirt. His touch seemed off, and he was getting bullied a little bit by the Arsenal defenders. But for an off day, he had a goal and an assist (does it count?).
SADIO MANE – 5/10
Has Mane become a cause for concern for Jurgen Klopp? His form has tapered off since the derby. He went for the spectacular when all had to do was take a touch and tap the ball into an empty net. In general, he complicated things far too much for his own good.
ROBERTO FIRMINO – 8/10
Showed good strength against Koscielny for most of the game, he pressed well, and his touches were fantastic. It was a good shot for the equalizer, but he shouldn’t be allowed to score by Petr Cech in that scenario.
SUBSTITUTES
JAMES MILNER – 6/10
Milner was energetic, but as is often the case, his quality lacked on occasion. He combined for some beautiful moments with Salah and Mane, but the two Africans were nowhere near the top of their game.
GINI WIJNALDUM – 5/10
He had 15 minutes with one brilliant run, but he should have released Salah earlier than he eventually did, narrowing the angle for the Egyptian.
ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN – N/A
He came on the pitch, got booed, and really didn’t have much to do otherwise.
