Liverpool's Pride Matches Arsenal's Ambition

LONDON, THURSDAY - Although arriving without their best players, the defending champion Liverpool managed to hold the league leaders Arsenal, who were playing at home. Liverpool's coach Arne Slot successfully transformed the limitations of the striker's role into a hidden advantage on the field. This effective strategy, combined with a high fighting spirit, successfully complicated matters for the hosts.

Arsenal's hopes of gaining an eight-point lead at the top of the English Premier League were thwarted by Liverpool. Contrary to predictions, Arsenal, who were on a five-match winning streak, struggled at the Emirates Stadium in London on Friday (9/1/2026) early in the morning WIB. Liverpool managed to secure a point with a 0-0 draw.

"We faced an extraordinary team, but we showed once again why we are the champions from last season. I think it is always about fighting on the field. In this league, you have to fight to get results. Today, we all did that," said Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

The visiting team arrived with a multitude of problems. Their two strikers, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak, are injured. Key winger Mohamed Salah has also not returned from the Africa Cup. As a result, Slot employed a 4-4-2 formation without a pure striker. Midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz led the attacking line.

In stark contrast to the host. Arsenal only lost the figure of wing-back Riccardo Calafiori from the starting eleven. This can be compensated by the presence of another solid defender, Piero Hincapie. Star players also filled their bench, including Gabriel Jesus and Eberechi Eze.

The impact is clearly visible. Liverpool has lost its edge in the penalty area. Just look at the statistical data; "The Reds" failed to register a single accurate shot on target from eight attempts. Their best opportunity came from wing-back Conor Bradley with a speculative shot that hit the crossbar.

However, that is part of the Slot plan. Liverpool does not want to force their way into the penalty area. They utilize a line of midfielders to control the ball in Arsenal's half of the field. The goal is to disrupt the rhythm and frustrate the home team.

That effective strategy was executed flawlessly right after the halftime break. While Arsenal was trying to increase the tempo in pursuit of a goal, Liverpool slowed down the game. The visiting team seemed to be practicing rondo or "cat and mouse" in the opponent's defense.

Arsenal, one of the teams with the best structure when not in possession, struggled. Szoboszlai and Wirtz were very active in requesting the ball up to the midfield. When they could not penetrate, the Liverpool players simply passed the ball back to the defenders. For the entire second half, the match proceeded in this manner.

I've said it 150 times, we're a very good team against teams with a certain style of play.

As a result, Liverpool dominated possession with 65 percent of the ball in the second half. Arsenal failed to register a shot until injury time. Slot's team delivered the worst second half of the Gunners' home performance this season. Arsenal's home record is excellent (9 wins, 1 draw).

Slot stated that he could already see the potential to dominate the game since the first half. "How well our ball possession was already evident; the difference is that we were more consistent in doing that in the second half, limiting them in their own penalty area. I have said it 150 times, we are a very good team against a team with a certain style of play," explained the coach.

Arsenal's frustration can be reflected in their player substitutions. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attempted to change the situation by introducing five players simultaneously in the second half. Starting with Eze and Jesus, as well as the two wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke, but it did not alter the momentum.

Slot looked comfortable with his starting eleven, despite not having many options on the bench. Liverpool's only change came in injury time in the second half, as full-back Conor Bradley had to be stretchered off with an injury.

Arteta stated that the result was quite fair. "We know the margin is very small. In the first half, we managed to dominate and create many significant situations. However, we were unable to find the right passes to score. In the second half, we struggled. Matches like this require a magical moment, like at Anfield previously," he said.

Arsenal dominated the first half with 59.8 percent possession and had a higher number of shots. Liverpool was relatively passive, merely waiting with a central block defense. Although they appeared to be dominated, the visiting team consistently managed to thwart the threats posed by the opposing players once they entered the danger zone.

Due to difficulties in developing, Arsenal was only able to create their best opportunity in the final moments of the match. This chance came from a header by defender Gabriel Magalhaes from a set-piece situation. However, his header went wide of the Liverpool goal.

Through this result, Arsenal (49 points) can only maintain a six-point gap from two other competitors in the title race, namely Manchester City and Aston Villa. Arteta's team failed to take advantage of the situation as both City and Villa played to a draw on Thursday. Meanwhile, Liverpool remains in fourth place (35 points). (AP/REUTERS)