Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool – Premier League: Live score, team news and updates as Gabriel OG sees Reds equalise after Bukayo Saka opener

Look away, Arsenal supporters.

Well, then. What happened there?

It was actually a touch off Gabriel’s hand that led to the equaliser. Both William Saliba and David Raya were too weak there.

Either way, Liverpool certainly won’t be complaining. They were second best throughout that first half but somehow are level.

Plenty more to come after the break, so don’t go anywhere.

Where did that come from? That’s absolutely calamitous from Arsenal. Mikel Arteta had his head in his hands.

Liverpool hadn’t actually had a shot in this half – and still haven’t!

A hopeful lob over the top from Ryan Gravenberch found Luis Diaz and the forward didn’t give up despite pressure from William Saliba.

He then poked the ball at goal and Gabriel, panicking wildly, inadvertently touched over his own line and into the net.

We’re into three added minutes.

Not long until the break now.

Darwin Nunez and Thiago Alcantara are warming up for Liverpool.

Surely they will make changes?

Gabriel Martinelli is having an absolute field day down that far side.

Arsenal have looked to shift the ball out to him at every available opportunity, especially with Trent Alexander-Arnold drifting forward.

Ibrahima Konate has struggled to get across to him.

Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports…

One goal is usually not enough against Liverpool. They won’t lie down, they always come back.

CHANCE! Arsenal won a free-kick and worked it short.

Martin Odegaard moved the ball on to Gabriel Martinelli and then back to Declan Rice, who looked to whip one into the area.

Ibrahima Konate headed out but only as far as Gabriel on the edge of the box, before the defender’s low effort was well held by Alisson.

A long ball in behind found Gabriel Martinelli down the right.

Surprisingly, though, no one in red looked to burst into the box before Martinelli clipped a poor cross straight into Alisson’s hands.

The hosts have chosen whether to go short or direct very well so far.

BOOKING! That was silly from Ben White.

The defender took too much time over a restart.

Referee Anthony Taylor is not messing about.

Liverpool looked to have established a foothold now.

Moments earlier, Virgil van Dijk craned a header wide from a corner.

It’s been a decent spell in possession for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

That’s the first time David Raya has been called into action.

Some superb work from Trent Alexander-Arnold down the right saw him cross toward the far post for Cody Gakpo.

Gabriel did well to challenge, however, and Raya claimed.

This was electric from Arsenal.

BOOKING! Joe Gomez has been shown yellow.

The defender took out Kai Havertz in midfield after Declan Rice stole the ball back off Alexis Mac Allister.

Very sloppy, that. He had support behind him.

Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports…

Liverpool need to wake up. Arsenal are dominating midfield.

BIG BLOCK! Liverpool were wide open.

Trent Alexander-Arnold gave the ball away in a costly position and Kai Havertz looked up to set up Martin Odegaard.

Just as the playmaker looked to shoot, Virgil van Dijk delivered an inch-perfect challenge. That was so, so important.

Arsenal are right at the races this evening.

They’ve looked to play out short when they can, leading Mikel Arteta to urge them to stay calm and composed on the ball.

It’s their pace and incisiveness at the other end that’s been the difference between these two teams so far, though.

VAR did briefly check that opener but it was onside.

Liverpool, as usual, have deployed a very high line but the timings of the runs leading to the chance were bang on.

It’s not been the greatest of starts from Virgil van Dijk.

There’s the breakthrough! Arsenal deserve that.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard combined sharply, with the latter then playing a first-time ball for Kai Havertz.

Havertz steamed clear through on goal but was denied by Alisson, though his stop only fell as far as Bukayo Saka.

Following up, Saka tucked home into the empty net.

BIG CHANCE! So, so close from Arsenal.

That was unbelievably good from Gabriel Martinelli, who scampered away from Ibrahima Konate and fired in a low cross.

Bukayo Saka threw every inch of his frame at the ball but just couldn’t get enough power to direct his header toward goal.

Brilliant play from the wideman.

Arsenal have settled nicely here. They’re the better side at the moment.

The hosts’ high press almost worked a treat.

Martin Odegaard was quick to jump out to Joe Gomez and win back the ball before teeing up Bukayo Saka from a tight angle.

The winger looked to try his luck but pulled his strike wide.

Poor movement from Kai Havertz there.

Bukayo Saka has been threaded down the right-hand side on a couple of occasions already and looked to deliver into the box.

Havertz hasn’t been alive to the danger yet, however.

On commentary, Gary Neville said he was lost in no man’s land. Quite.

ALMOST! A very early chance for the visitors!

Virgil van Dijk smacked a long diagonal ball toward Cody Gakpo, who backed into William Saliba and freed up space for Diogo Jota.

Jota nipped in behind but his first touch was baggy and loose.

That arrived with not even 40 seconds on the clock.

And we’re off! Let’s do this.

We’re just moments away from kick-off.

Let’s get some late score predictions in the comments.

Roy Keane, speaking on Sky Sports…

Liverpool are in great form, they’re scoring lots of goals with lots of energy. There’s talk about Klopp leaving, but I don’t think that’s had any effect on the team so far. I’m wary when people say it’s a ‘must-win’ game, particularly from Arsenal’s point of view. It’s certainly not a game they can afford to lose. But if Liverpool go and win today, it’s another big statement from them. It’s a tough one to call.

Mikel Arteta hopes Gabriel Jesus’ setback will only prove short-term.

He told Sky Sports: ‘Unfortunately he had a set-back in training and he wasn’t fit to play. It’s something related to that [his knee].

‘Hopefully it’s not [long-term], I think it’s a short-term thing. The game was too fast for him.’

How costly could his absence be today?

Jurgen Klopp, speaking to Sky Sports…

‘Dom felt [something] in the same area, or pretty much a similar area, to where he was injured before.

‘Not in the game, he was fine. After the game [he felt it] slightly, so we had a look at it and there was now no chance for him to be involved.

‘We cannot take any risk. We have to wait for further assessment but it was clear that he cannot be involved today. That’s it, pretty much.’

Here’s how the Premier League table looks ahead of kick-off at the Emirates.

The final whistle has gone across the grounds in the early kick-offs.

Rasmus Hojlund and a brace from Alejandro Garnacho sealed a comfortable 3-0 win for Manchester United over West Ham, while Matheus Cunha scored a hat-trick as Wolves beat Chelsea 4-2 to pile pressure on Mauricio Pochettino.

Meanwhile, former Chelsea man Callum Hudson-Odoi rescued a point for Nottingham Forest away at Bournemouth.

Jurgen Klopp insists nothing has changed in his mentality and desire since he announced his upcoming departure from the club last week – but acknowledges Liverpool might have to win every single game to end Manchester City’s monopoly on the Premier League.

The European champions have won the last three league titles and are fighting to become the first side ever to claim four English championships in a row. And after Liverpool were pipped by Pep Guardiola’s side by one point to two triumphs, Klopp knows his side must be near-perfect.’

You can read more from Klopp here.

Former Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini has given his verdict on Arsenal vs Liverpool to Mail Sport.

Here’s Arsenal’s XI for this afternoon.Gabriel Jesus is not in the squad, which means Kai Havertz leads the line up front.

Here’s how Liverpool line up this afternoon. The Reds are without Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Conor Bradley, while Darwin Nunez is only fit enough to be on the bench.

Want some pictures of Arsenal players looking very focused and determined as they arrive at the Emirates? Ask and you shall receive.

Cesc Fabregas knows a thing or two about title-deciding fixtures and has warned Arsenal they cannot afford to drop points, with Liverpool already five points ahead of them in the table.

‘Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points,’ the former Arsenal skipper told BBC Sports.

‘It is early in the season but it’s where you’re starting to see or feel who the real champions are.’

You can read more from Fabregas below.

Alexis Mac Allister faces his toughest task yet as Liverpool ‘s holding midfield player admitting he didn’t expect to be playing in that position when he joined the club from Brighton .

The 25-year-old says he’s enjoying the role even though it was unexpected. Mac Allister did play in the 1-1 draw at The Etihad earlier this season but Manchester City were missing their playmaker Kevin De Bruyne through injury at the time.

‘I like the way I am playing as a number six. I like that I’m helping my team-mates, and if they need any protection,’ he said.

You can read more from Mac Allister here.

Arsenal arrived at Anfield last April looking destined to secure a first league title in two decades, only to suffer a psychological blow from which they would never recover.

Two goals to the good after 28 minutes, the Gunners conceded an 87th minute equaliser which derailed their title quest.

Arteta’s men then squandered a 2-0 against West Ham a week later and then being held to a 3-3 draw at home by Southampton, before finding themselves on the receiving end of a 4-1 thrashing against City.

Guardiola’s team never looked back and Arsenal were left to reflect on what could have been.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he has taken ‘a lot of things’ from Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool but admits the next step has to be emulating his trophy success.

The German, of course, has already announced he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season having taken over in 2015.

You can read more from Arteta here.

Arsenal vs Liverpool has been a staple of the Premier League era, with the Jurgen Klopp’s side enjoying a slight edge over their London rivals.

The Gunners have won 17 of the previous 63 meetings between the two sides since football began in 1992, with Liverpool prevailing on 25 occasions and 21 draws.

Arsenal have beaten Liverpool at the Highbury and the Emirates 11 times, with the Reds winning away from home nine times – most recently in March 2022, when Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino secured a 2-0 win.

The most recent meeting, ended in a 1-1 draw at Anfield on December 23.

with Mo Salah cancelling out Gabriel’s opener

Can a Premier League fixture in early February really be considered a title showdown? Logic suggests otherwise, with both teams having to play 15 more league matches between now and May.

Both Arsenal and Liverpool also still have to face Manchester City, who are unlikely to surrender their crown without a fight.

And yet, when one considers the relentless pace Liverpool have set to so far this season and how close Arsenal came to win the league last season, the stakes at the Emirates this afternoon could not be higher.

The visitors arrive in north London on a four-match winning streak in the Premier League and five points clear of City, Arsenal and Aston Villa.

The reigning Premier League champions have a game in hand on Liverpool and Arsenal and don’t play until Monday night, while Villa have played one more game than both.

A win today would put Liverpool eight points clear of Arsenal, leaving Mikel Arteta’s men with a mountain to climb to end their 20-year wait for a Premier League title.

The Gunners seem to have found their mojo again with consecutive wins over Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest after back-to-back league defeats checked their momentum in January.

Good afternoon and welcome to Mail Sport’s coverage of what is surely the most anticipated Premier League fixture of the weekend, as Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates.

A month after knocking the Gunners out of the FA Cup on their home turf, Liverpool will look repeat the feat and deal a potentially terminal blow to their rival’s Premier League chances this afternoon.

Coming up we will have all the build-up, with teams news due in just under 30 minutes, and then all the live action from the Emirates.

Kick-off is scheduled for 4:30pm.