Straight
Salah and Zinchenko fight for the ball in the duel between Liverpool and Arsenal. Jon Super (AP)
Arsenal kept Anfield alive in the duel for the lead in the Premier League. The team led by Mikel Arteta salvaged a very hard-fought draw (1-1) in a game where no one pressed the pause button. This is the competition in England, mired in a frenzy, where there is no clear dominator and where the top of the table is limited after a day in which Aston Villa missed the chance of top spot, while Tottenham are after a win Close the gap against Everton (2-1) and Manchester City have postponed a game against Brentford in the intercontinental competition, which could mean they are four points behind Arsenal. All on the eve of uninterrupted festive dates when the ball does not end on the islands, and on a day when a milestone was marked, because in the duel between Fulham and Burnley (0-2) for the first time in the history of the highest category English football had a female referee at the helm, Rebecca Walsh, who already had experience in the Champions League, the European Championships and the Women's World Cup.
1
Alisson, Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Konstantinos Tsimikas (Joe Gomez, Min. 34), Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones (Ryan Gravenberch, Min. 67), Luis Díaz (Harvey Elliot, Min. 67), Salah and Gakpo (Darwin Núñez, Min. 67)
1
David Raya, Zinchenko, Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White, Kai Havertz, Odegaard, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martinelli (Trossard, Min. 68) and Gabriel Jesus (Eddie Nketiah, Min. 77)
Goals 0-1 min 3: Gabriel. 1-1 min 28: Salah.
referee Chris Kavanagh
Yellow cards Bukayo Saka (min. 38), Declan Rice (min. 48), Kai Havertz (min. 49), Salah (min. 84), Eddie Nketiah (min. 86) and Ben White (min. 90)
Anfield was once again the showcase of a league of unparalleled style. Football in England has definitely turned into a back and forth affair, making matches a hectic and torturous exercise. That's how Liverpool put it to Arsenal, who were not averse to the challenge. Arteta's team likes to run, but it is Klopp who sublimates this method. In doing so, he is building what he calls Liverpool 2.0, a collective construction that he began building this summer by replacing his midfielders. Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner are gone. Also the great Bobby Firmino, who was actually the team's playmaker. Thiago Alcántara has stopped counting. Another Liverpool is born, that of Szoboslai, Endo, Gravenberch or the injured Mac Allister. Another Liverpool that pushes and gallops incessantly, with the unmistakable soul of the German strategist's teams, no shortage of world-class footballers but capable of conquering anyone.
Rebecca Welch was the first female referee to officiate a Premier League game.Alastair Grant (AP)
They dominated Arsenal due to a lack of control. Perhaps the fact that the Gunners scored early with a header from Gabriel from an Odegaard free-kick helped Liverpool make the breakthrough. Maybe the plan doesn't follow the score. The rollercoaster began, the high and crushing pressure brought out the discomfort of Arsenal, who had to go through some ordeals to reach the goal, for example a penalty for a handball by Odegaard that was incomprehensibly left in the suspense of the VAR , or Mohamed Salah's equalizer after poor defending from Zinchenko, which gave the Egyptian left-hander his preferred profile to turn off the cannon. After half an hour the score was equalized again and surprisingly the score was not reached until the end.
The two teams fought each other on the tightrope. Most importantly, Arsenal were almost eliminated by a shot from Joe Gómez that went just wide of the post and, most importantly, by an onslaught from Liverpool players that culminated in Alexander-Arnold's shot hitting the crossbar. Nothing can be blamed on the one who gives everything. Liverpool and Arsenal have made it back-to-back for the most exciting championship in recent years. Liverpool, 14 points behind then-leaders Arsenal a year ago, have returned with a new version that still has the scaffolding. Five teams are battling for control in the Premier League, none of which are Manchester United or Manchester United, which lost 2-0 at home to West Ham United and has not scored a goal in the last six hours of play.
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