Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool – By The Numbers

Today at 02:46 PM

ARSENAL 2–2 LIVERPOOL: BY THE VISUALS

ARSENAL 2–2 LIVERPOOL: BY THE NUMBERS

9 – Minutes had passed when Bukayo Saka blasted a shot past Kelleher (0.17 xG), marking the fifth time Arsenal have scored within the first 15 minutes in our last five Premier League matches against Liverpool.

Up to that point, possession was 54% in our favour; we had completed 41 of 51 passes (80%), though 39 of those (95%) were in our own half. The visitors attempted 44 passes, completing 30 (68%), with eight (27%) in our half, while field tilt—the percentage of touches made in the final third relative to the total touches by both teams in that area—favoured the away side at 60%.

Simply put, they had slightly edged possession in more advanced positions than we had. However, the margin was narrow, and the game felt evenly balanced in the exchanges leading up to Saka’s opener.

9 – Minutes later, Liverpool equalised as van Dijk outmuscled Partey to head home (0.25 xG) from a corner following a Diaz flick-on.

18 – Premier League games in which Arsenal have now failed to keep a clean sheet against Liverpool.

While the game was evenly matched in the first nine minutes, it shifted sharply in the next nine. After falling behind, Liverpool took control, holding 78% possession and dominating field tilt (90%), while we completed only three passes in their half.

After the game, Arne Slot commented, “In general, in football, it’s not unusual for one team to defend while the other team pushes a bit more after a goal is scored.” His remarks accurately captured the game’s dynamics during the first 45 minutes; however, did we become too passive after taking an early lead?

0 – The number of first-half goals conceded by Liverpool in their eight Premier League games in the 2024-25 season before facing Arsenal.

43 – Minutes into the match, Merino headed in his first Arsenal goal (0.38 xG), capitalising on a pinpoint free-kick from Declan Rice to put Arsenal back in front.

8 – Assists provided by Declan Rice in 2024. The only Arsenal player to provide more in this period is Bukayo Saka, with 10.

During the 34 minutes from when Liverpool drew level until we scored our second, we stepped up and dominated both physically and tactically, despite missing two of our best players. We bossed possession (67%) and field tilt (86%), completing 104 passes in Liverpool’s half compared to their nine in ours. We also won more duels (22 to 12) and took five shots, while they managed none.

However, the game shifted again in the second half when Gabriel had to leave due to injury in the 54th minute. Much has been said about our tendency to sit deeper once the Brazilian was replaced, but I believe the team-wide drop-off was largely due to losing Gabriel’s ability to push the defensive line forward.

Our success has been built on the Gabriel-Saliba partnership, and expecting the same qualities from a completely different pairing in such a high-pressure game is, in my opinion, unrealistic.

Mo Salah equalised (0.29 xG) with around ten minutes left of normal time, against an untested backline comprising our third-choice right-back, second-choice right centre-back, third-choice left centre-back, and fourth-choice left-back.

Late on, I still don't understand why the referee waited until Kai Havertz won his aerial duel to blow for a 'foul' that had occurred in the previous action, as Arsenal ended the sequence with the ball in the back of the net. But to be honest, I don't really understand many of the refereeing decisions this season.

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9 – Shots for Arsenal. We’ve registered fewer shots in only three games this season (Sp*rs (7), City (5), and Bournemouth(6)).

3 – Goals for Bukayo Saka in the last two Premier League meetings with Liverpool at the Emirates.

50 – Total Premier League goals scored by Bukayo Saka in 178 league appearances for Arsenal.

10 – Goal involvements for Bukayo Saka in eight Premier League appearances this season (3 goals, 7 assists), the fastest an Arsenal player has reached 10+ in a single campaign since Cesc Fabregas in 2009-10 (6 games).

27 – Goals from set pieces in the Premier League since the start of last season (excluding penalties), the most of any team during this period.

21 – Headed goals since the beginning of last season, also the highest in the competition over that time.

 – True tackles encompass all tackles won, challenges lost, and fouls. Tackles won and lost are basically the same, but overlook two key outcomes: winning a tackle means regaining possession during a challenge, whereas losing a tackle means possession isn't regained. A tackle may be lost if the ball goes out for an opposition throw-in, is knocked loose for the opponent, or for other reasons. Therefore, including both outcomes provides a better indication of overall performance. True interceptions include blocked passes.

70 – Touches for Thomas Partey (first for Arsenal), four tackles won (joint first overall), six defensive aerial duels won (first for Arsenal), six clearances (joint first overall), 27 carries (first for Arsenal), and four fouls won (first overall).

Eyebrows were raised when Timber was selected at left-back over Zinchenko and Kiwior, meaning Partey would have to play out of position against Díaz. However, he was fantastic on the day and barely put a foot wrong.

DECLAN RICE’S GAME BY NUMBERS

41 out of 50 open-play passes completed (82%), including two key passes, five progressive passes, 11 carries, 0.40 expected threat, 12 defensive actions, four passes into the final third, two passes into the penalty area, and one assist.

Rice can play further forward, but he is much more effective in a deeper role, and it's no coincidence that this was his best game of the season.

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I’m sure Liverpool would have viewed yesterday’s match against Arsenal as a massive opportunity. We were depleted by injuries and were missing Saliba due to suspension. They had a genuine chance to create some real distance between us early in the season, but that never really seemed likely.

Last season, we were lucky with injuries, but right now, it feels like we’re not catching any breaks, whether with injuries or refereeing decisions. Although the gap feels big at five points, it’s still early in the season and we’re still hanging in there.

Follow me on Threads @jonollington

Sources: my own database, Opta, fbref, @Orbinho Threads feed

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