Injury-Struck Arsenal Holds Liverpool in Thrilling 2-2 Draw, Says Arteta

Mikel Arteta expressed determination that Arsenal will stay competitive in the Premier League title race, despite a 2-2 draw with Liverpool that exposed defensive vulnerabilities due to injuries. Reflecting on the game, Arteta pointed to his team's lack of "courage" as a key factor in the outcome.

In a high-intensity match at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal twice took the lead, starting with Bukayo Saka's early goal. Liverpool equalized through Virgil van Dijk, but Arsenal regained the advantage just before halftime with Mikel Merino's header. However, a series of injuries to key defenders left Arsenal in a precarious position, allowing Liverpool to mount a comeback. Mohamed Salah leveled the score nine minutes before the end, capitalizing on a defensive lapse.

Second-half injuries to Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber added to Arsenal's defensive woes. Already missing William Saliba, who was suspended, and the injured Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal was forced to adjust with midfielder Thomas Partey at right-back and Ben White moving into central defense. Jakub Kiwior was brought on to cover at center-back, while teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly filled in at left-back. This makeshift defense struggled to contain Liverpool's attack, leading to Salah's late equalizer following a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

After this result, Arsenal remains in third place, five points behind league leaders Manchester City, with a record of three wins in their last seven matches. Arteta admitted frustration over the missed opportunity, especially given his team's early dominance. "The first half was total domination, the scoreline should have been bigger, but without giving anything away we conceded two goals. That is the disappointing thing," he said.

Acknowledging the impact of Arsenal's defensive crisis, Arteta added, "Very proud of the team especially with the (injury) situation we are going through at the moment that you couldn't imagine…We had to adapt to it and we will continue to adapt to that." However, he expressed confidence that Arsenal remains in the title race: "The circumstances are going to make us better. The team want it."

Meanwhile, Liverpool's new manager Arne Slot celebrated his team's resilience in a challenging week. After an impressive start to the season, Slot led Liverpool to a draw against Arsenal following recent wins over Chelsea and Leipzig. "Going behind two times against a very good team, to get a point is pleasing to see. They dominated us in the first half. We came back so strong in the second half," Slot noted.

With Liverpool now just one point behind Manchester City in second place, Slot highlighted the significance of their performance against Arsenal: "Can you get a result in a difficult way like this? We put more energy into it in the second half. They had to take off a few of their quality players and maybe that helped us."

Salah's contribution was pivotal, as his equalizer placed him joint-eighth on Liverpool's all-time list of Premier League scorers with 163 goals, tied with Robbie Fowler. Recognizing Salah's impact, Slot said, "That's one of the things top players have, they show up in big games…Mo was the one who did that today."