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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Lacazette strikes late as Arsenal hold Liverpool

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette shoots at goal under pressure from Liverpool's Andrew Robertson Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 1

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Alexandre Lacazette's late goal earned Arsenal a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday and stopped the visitors moving three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

After a tight first half, Liverpool broke the deadlock in the 61st minute as Sadio Mane crossed from the left and Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno was only able to parry the ball into the path of James Milner who blasted a low shot into the net.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's James Milner scores their first goal REUTERS/David Klein E

Milner was lucky to stay on the field to finish the match after a clash of heads with team mate Joe Gomez which required lengthy treatment.

The Gunners, looking to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions, poured forward in search of an equaliser and the pressure paid off when Lacazette struck in the 82nd minute.

The French striker spun away to the left side of goal to keep the ball out of goalkeeper Alisson's reach before cutting back and firing a shot past the Brazilian's reach and into the far corner.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Arsenal's Bernd Leno saves a header from Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (not pictured) REUTERS/David Klein

The draw took Liverpool top of the table by one point from champions Manchester City, who host Southampton on Sunday. Arsenal dropped to fifth, behind Tottenham Hotspur who won 3-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the late match.

Liverpool thought they had taken the lead after 20 minutes in north London when Roberto Firmino chipped the ball over Leno and it came back off the post for Mane to tap in.

The effort was ruled out as the linesman had flagged the Senegalese winger offside, although replays showed Mane was behind the Brazilian when the original shot was taken.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's Andrew Robertson in action with Arsenal's Hector Bellerin Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

"There is only one person who can answer the question and that's the linesman. That's football. If he thought the first situation was offside then I think he was wrong," Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp told BT Sport.

"But it's not going to change and we made more mistakes than the referee. It would have been cool if this goal could count."

Arsenal have now gone 14 games unbeaten in all competitions, taking significant strides under new manager Unai Emery.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in action with Arsenal's Bernd Leno REUTERS/David Klein

The momentum building under the Spaniard's stewardship was evidenced by the excited atmosphere among the home fans, although Emery was disappointed at not having claimed all three points.

"We wanted to win but the performance is good, we push and we work the match, doing our tactics and with our supporters pushing us with energy," he said.

"For the supporters it is a great match and a good spectacle but I am only 50 percent happy because we wanted to win."

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action with Arsenal's Lucas Torreira REUTERS/David Klein

(Reporting by Hugh Lawson, editing by Ed Osmond and Martyn Herman)

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's James Milner scores their first goal past Arsenal's Bernd Leno Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette in action with Liverpool's Sadio Mane Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's Alisson and Andrew Robertson in action with Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette in action before scoring their first goal REUTERS/David Klein
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's James Milner celebrates with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Andrew Robertson after scoring their first goal Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Liverpool's Sadio Mane in action with Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Liverpool - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - November 3, 2018 Arsenal's Lucas Torreira in action with Liverpool's Joe Gomez Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
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