Here’s the report from Andy Hunter at Anfield, which means our live blog coverage for the day concludes there.
A day when the champions maintained their 15-point gap to second place, with Arsenal still requiring more points to cement second spot and Champions League qualification.
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Andy Robertson is now chatting to Sky Sports:
We scored two really good goals and dominated. But we came out second half miles off it and they caused us some problems, we lost our aggression in the press. I was probably just offside [at the end] so it wasn’t meant to be. I’m delighted to get that [assist], I’ve been sat on 59 for ages, so glad to get to 60.
On the booing of Alexander-Arnold:
We’ve always been delighted with each other for assists. He came up to me with a smile at half-time.
There’s a lot of emotion around it and it’s crucial in these moments that I don’t tell you how to feel. I’m disappointed to lose my best mate and he’s an amazing player and person. He’s took me to levels I never knew existed. And he’s made a choice, so his legacy at this club is there for everyone to see. It’s not been an easy decision for Trent and it’s not nice to see a friend get booed, but I can’t tell people how to feel.
More from Carragher: “I was surprised how many [booed]. When you’re in a crowd of 60,000 people, I don’t doubt there’s a lot of unhappy people in Liverpool, about the situation, and I’ve said that’s understandable. I don’t believe any player putting that red shirt on and going out to play for the club and trying to win them three points and win them trophies should be booed.”
It must be said, Alexander-Arnold received a far warmer ovation at the end of the game, as he went to applaud the Liverpool fans.
Still, a strange experience for him, you would think.
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Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta will be doing their post-match interviews soon. I do hope Slot will be asked about today’s performance, as well as the inevitable Alexander-Arnold questions …
Incidentally, Liverpool have now won just four of their past nine matches – their worst run of the campaign. Games against Brighton (A) and Crystal Palace (H) will conclude their season.
Ex Liverpool star Jamie Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports re the booing of Alexander-Arnold:
“I understand there’s a lot of ill-feeling and some people from outside of Liverpool don’t get that. I do. But booing your own player, it’s not for me.”
Before we get stuck into the reaction from this game, here are some reports from elsewhere in the world of football.
FT: Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal
This topsy-turvy game between the Premier League’s best and second best sides has indeed ended level. We’ve had no shortage of entertainment, with two quickfire Liverpool goals, a gutsy Arsenal comeback, Mikel Merino’s red card and nearly, oh so nearly, a winner from the Reds with the final kick of the match.
Yet despite all that the headlines will probably be reserved for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was roundly booed after confirmation he will leave Liverpool for Real Madrid. He will at least leave his boyhood club with another league winners’ medal.
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HAS ROBERTSON WON IT?! He’s buried the ball in the net after Van Dijk’s header is parried out. It’s so so tight. The flag has gone up.
90 mins +5: Oh my word, Ødegaard has nearly won it for Arsenal on the break. Just wide with his left foot. Is there time for a Liverpool attack? Salah wins a corner at least.
90 mins + 3: Plenty more messages re Trent continue to drop in my inbox, on both sides of the debate. Suspect it will run and run over the coming hours and days.
At Anfield, the Kop End is willing their side on, as Arsenal camp deep looking to see this out. Nunez is crowded out after receiving a pass, then Alexander-Arnold’s cross evades everyone.
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90 mins +1: Elliott gets time to steady himself for a shot but curls over from inside the box. That was a chance, you know.
We’re now into five minutes of added time.
Can Arsenal hang on for a point, or better, here? They need the points more than Liverpool, but they’re a man light.
As Robertson spurns a big chance, one more Trent-related email for you, via Wolfman:
Feel kinda the same about Trent as Raheem, don’t think it’s any reflection on them as people. I like Raheem a lot but would happily boo him. Same for Trent really, send the message out that there’s a price to leaving.
88 mins: Calafiori has played in two or three different positions and he’s only been on a few minutes.
It looks like Arteta is going to settle for the draw here, as he brings on Zinchenko for Saka, who’s been really good.
85 mins: Salah is squeezed out on the edge of the box. But it feels like only Liverpool can win this now, after the Merino red card.
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84 mins: Jota ignores some good options as Liverpool flurry forward again as he drags a left-footed shot well wide instead.
Another email. Chris Lambert adds:
Insane to see a club servant like Trent getting stick from “fans”. Anyone who believes their club offers a player more than [checks notes] Real Madrid, is living a delicious delusion.
Harvey Elliott is on for Gravenberch, by the way.
An email from Andrew McLeod:
I have been a proud Liverpool fan for over 40 years, but today I’m embarrassed by the absolute lack of class by so many of our fans today.
81 mins: Alexander-Arnold stands over a free-kick … imagine a goal here. Tell you what, it’s not far away. His effort receives another smattering of boos, along with some applause.
RED CARD! Merino (Arsenal)
Mikel Merino, what have you done? He’s lunged into Szoboszlai after giving the ball away and it’s a nailed-on second yellow. He’s off.
Talk about from hero to zero … the Gunners will play the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time with 10 players.
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79 mins: Trossard and White are the men removed. So one of those left-backs will presumably play higher up on the wing?
The Liverpool change sees Diogo Jota come on for Luis Díaz.
78 mins: Leandro Trossard is down on the turf needing treatment and it looks like his race may be run.
Riccardo Calafiori and Kieran Tierney are being readied in the away dugout by Arteta, as the players grab a quick drink.
76 mins: Here comes a Liverpool counter. Can they find a sucker punch? No, Salah gets his pass wrong.
But an Arsenal mistake means Liverpool get another chance and Gravenberch slices it wide from around 20 yards. This is anyone’s game.
75 mins: There is all sorts of space behind the Liverpool backline at the moment. Arsenal are smelling blood.
73 mins: It feels to me like the booing for Alexander-Arnold has played into Arsenal’s hands. It’s created a strange atmosphere on what should be a jubilant day for Liverpool – and the visitors have kept their cool throughout the second half and reaped their rewards.
It was an Ødegaard howitzer that Alisson parried onto the woodwork, and it ended with the ball in the net courtesy of Merino.
The goal will stand. The Spanish midfielder was just onside. Game on!
GOAL! Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal (Merino, 70)
ARSENAL ARE LEVEL! WOW.
Merino followed in with his head after Alisson just about kept out a long shot. But is it offside?
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69 mins: Back to the action and it’s still Arsenal doing the bulk of the probing.
HUGE boos for Alexander-Arnold as he takes his first touch. Gah, you feel for him, not an easy situation.
67 mins: The booing of Alexander-Arnold really surprises me. He’s going to leave Liverpool as a double league winner, with a Champions League winners’ medal and plenty of other pots in his cabinet, too.
The songs are now pro-Conor Bradley, to be fair. But there you go.
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A triple Liverpool change, then:
Mac Allister for Gakpo
Darwin Núñez for Jones
Alexander-Arnold for Bradley
A few boos for Trent … actually quite a lot of booing. Goodness me.
65 mins: Goodness me, how has that not gone in?
Saliba cannot believe he’s not scored after Saka works a corner short and then lifts it towards the back post. Konate somehow got his head in the way of Saliba’s header. Mammoth defending.
64 mins: Imagine if Declan Rice was fit enough to play today … Arsenal are causing enough problems as it is. Bradley gets in a superb last-ditch tackle this time to deny Martinelli. Good covering speed from the full-back.
A couple of emails have taken issue with my assertion that, maybe, Arsenal don’t need to sign Martín Zubimendi and should buy a striker instead.
Will says: “As it happens another ball player at the base of midfield is exactly what Arsenal need with Rice excelling higher up, Jorginho going and Partey being deeply unreliable. The problem is, it’s not the only thing that is exactly what Arsenal need right now - the much discussed striker is one but also another wide forward is desperately required. Oh and another backup keeper. Quite the shopping list for Andrea Berta to get through.”
Richard Gibbon adds: “Not sure there’s much doubt that Arsenal need more goals next year but would be interested to know who people think their ball playing midfielder would be if they didn’t sign Zubimendi or similar. Partey is aging and out of contract, Jorginho gone, and it really isn’t Rice or Merino’s game.”
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61 mins: The free-kick brings about another chance, although it’s another simple-ish save for Alisson, after Martinelli hurriedly swept it goalwards through bodies. It had to be a cleaner contact.
60 mins: Bradley goes into the book after barging into Lewis-Skelly when the ball had already been smuggled past him. Another set-piece for Arsenal coming up.
59 mins: It’s been a bit more patient from Arsenal in the past few minutes of solid possession – until White decides to run at Robertson. He can’t get beyond the Scot but equally Liveprool can’t escape their own half at the moment.
56 mins: White just nicks it off Gakpo’s toes to stop the hosts’ progress, but Liverpool are starting to string some attacks together – finally. Szoboszlai rasps a shot at Raya’s palms from 30 yards or so.
55 mins: Good goalkeeping by Raya who expertly reads the cross from Robertson and claims confidently.
At the other end, Ben White tests Alisson with a low drive after skipping past Gravenberch. The Brazilian holds onto it.
This could turn into a basketball game given both teams’ inclination is to attack, attack, attack.
53 mins: In this latest episode of ‘Why Doesn’t Martin Ødegaard Shoot More?’ our guest is Martin Ødegaard.
“Martin …”
52 mins: Arsenal are now getting the ball to Saka’s feet at any opportunity and Liverpool and finding the winger difficult to stop, his dancing feet causing confusion in the box.
Trossard fires over after more fancy Saka footwork. Who saw this spell coming?
50 mins: Trossard is finding some nice pockets in between the Liverpool lines, dropping deep in his role as false nine.
Arsenal have been sharp in the past few minutes, Liverpool rather more passive.
48 mins: It was Merino who saw his effort blocked by Gakpo, almost directly from the second half kick-off.
It’s gone a touch quiet(er) around Anfield, save for some noise from the away contingent.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal (Martinelli, 47)
That’s the start to the half Arsenal wanted. After they spurned yet another presentable chance in the first minute after resuming, Martinelli aims a cute header into the far corner, from Trossard’s accurate cross.
Another stat has been highlighted by Andy Flintoff (not that one):
For more absurd goalscoring comparisons – Arsenal currently have only scored one more (64) than 17th-placed Spurs (63). What that says about the respective teams is anyone’s guess.
The second half begins. Given that my inbox today has been full of emails from Liverpool fans, maybe I should be praising them rather than adding to the Arsenal pile-on. Let’s see what the next 49-and-a-half minutes has in store.
Criticism of Arsenal very much seems the order of the day rather than praising Liverpool. Hey. I don’t make the rules.
Liverpool fan Rupak Pramanik says:
Disappointed with the first half, yeah, you’re reading it right. I thought Arsenal will give us some scare[s], but they’re too much tangled up with their own tactical flaws. They just don’t have ‘it’ in them. Don’t know how Zubimendi will improve their goalscoring efficiency.
Yep, signing yet another ball-playing midfielder doesn’t feel like panacea to Arsenal’s problems. Having scored nearly 20 goals fewer than Liverpool this season (and also less than Newcastle, Manchester City and only one more than Brentford) it’s no secret that they need a serial goal-getter.
Here are some more of your emails:
Kári Tulinius: “I can’t back his up with statistics, but I feel like Arsenal take a lot fewer long range shots this season than they did in the last few years. Ødegaard, Partey and Rice all tried their luck from range with some regularity, which also pulled their opponents out of shape as they would step up in case they needed to block. Now they feel a lot more predictable, trying to set up shooting opportunities in the box.”
Timothy Edwards: “If Palace win the FA Cup would Liverpool players give them a guard of honour? They would then go back down the tunnel and Palace would give them a guard of honour for winning league.”
HT: Liverpool 2-0 Arsenal
Liverpool end the half in the ascendancy, with halfhearted appeals for a penalty turned away and Salah then teasing the Arsenal defence down the right, winning a corner. That set-piece brings little, with Konate heading over the bar.
At the break, the score reflects the nature of this season’s non-title race. All too easy for Liverpool; Arsenal have looked good at times but lacked ruthlessness in both boxes. Twas ever thus.
45 mins +2: “There’s only one Conor Bradley,” is the latest Anfield ditty. Clearly there’s a lot of support for the new man in possession of the right-back’s jersey. He’s been really bright so far in this game.
Kiwior lofts a ball over for Martinelli but Van Dijk is there to thump away the cross.
Three added minutes.
44 mins: Salah’s attempt from the free-kick was poor, floating too long and out for a goal-kick.
Can Arsenal muster anything before half-time to change the complexion of this game? It’s not looking likely.
43 mins: Uh oh, spoke too soon re Lewis-Skelly. He’s been booked for nibbling back at Salah, stopping a Liverpool counter. A long 47 minutes now awaits.
Liverpool have a free-kick on the right side of Arsenal’s box, to whip into trouble.
41 mins: Szoboszlai has been immaculate in this first half. He rides a couple of challenges, checks back and then tries to find Salah running through. Not quite, but stunning play from the Hungarian.
40 mins: Lewis-Skelly is actually doing a semi-decent job of shackling Salah. It was just that one lapse of concentration for the second Liverpool goal that the young full-back will rue.
The Gunners are searching for something before the break here.
38 mins: Arsenal fans, when did Ødegaard stop trying to pass through teams and shoot from the edge of the box? From the past two or three games watching him, it seems he’s become a little too safe with his passing.
Partey fouls Díaz, who has a bloody nose and needs treatment.
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36 mins: There’s more Salah fury directed towards the officials as he’s penalised for a foul on Lewis-Skelly again.
Arsenal are coming back into this somewhat, although Liverpool seem happy to sit deep and counter at speed.
34 mins: Ødegaard looks to thread the needle as Liverpool defend their box stoutly but there’s no way through and the visitors’ attack ends with Merino scything through Bradley, for which he’s booked.
32 mins: “Best team in Europe, you’re having a laugh,” chant the Liverpool fans.
Nice to hear Andy Millman quoted at Anfield.
31 mins: Saliba shuts the door on Díaz after Bradley stormed down the right and found the Colombian bearing down on goal. The offside flag, belatedly, went up anyway.
30 mins: A mazy run from Saka ends with him ballooning a shot way over the crossbar at the Kop End. He’s had a couple of openings, the England winger.
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An email from Jonathan Watson:
Re your comment at 18 - why is that not just a straight red for Robertson grabbing Saka’s throat?
It’s a good question, Jonathan. I assumed it would be checked at least.
28 mins: How much stomach for the fight is there going to be from Arsenal here? Arguably their gutsiest player, Declan Rice, is absent don’t forget.
27 mins: After 20 minutes I was about to describe how dangerous Arsenal looked in attacking areas, especially on the press and from set-pieces. Any confidence they might have gained from that initial spell, however, has truly dissipated. It’s one-way traffic, a “challenging period” as Gary Neville has just said on commentary.
25 mins: Díaz nearly bags an accidental second, looking to cross from the left but mishitting it and nearly catching Raya out. It lands on the roof of the net, thankfully for Arsenal.
The visitors are on the ropes here. Don’t be surprised to see a third go in soon.
24 mins: Jones spins and arrows a shot just wide of Raya’s far post. Actually, it’s a corner, so the keeper must have got fingertips to that – good save. Liverpool look like scoring everytime they surge forward.
22 mins: Just 1 minutes and 27 seconds between those goals. And Mikel Arteta has a face like thunder. Anfield is now in proper party mode, red balloons everywhere!
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Arsenal (Díaz, 21)
Talk about Arsenal’s defence napping … they are WIDE OPEN here and Luis Díaz has an empty net to tap home a quickfire second!
Salah’s penetrative pass started it off, Szoboszlai has the vision to square it for Díaz and the Colombian could not miss.
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GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal (Gakpo, 20)
Gakpo runs into trouble when it looked simpler to score or to square to Salah … no matter, the ball comes in a few seconds later and he scores! Instant redemption.
That’s a good cross by Robertson, which caught Arsenal napping, and Gakpo heads home at the near post. 1-0 to the champions …
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18 mins: Salah gives the assistant ref an earful after bundling into the back of Lewis-Skelly to concede a free-kick
Ødegaard now has a new shirt, while replays showed Andy Robertson to be virtually choke-holding Saka while challenging for a header. It’s all going on.
16 mins: Liverpool line up their defence rather deeper for another Ødegaard free-kick – and opt to stay there, rather than employ that dangerous offside trap. No advantage is taken by Arsenal this time though.
15 mins: Ødegaard’s shirt now has a massive rip down the front of it following a rather physical skirmish …
Arsenal are pressing high and well but Partey and Trossard make an almighty mess out of a very promising opening, after Partey nicked it off a dawdling Curtis Jones.
12 mins: Anthony Taylor, who is officiating his 400th Premier League game, just partook in some very strange refereeing. He had his whistle to his mouth and pointed his arm to indicate a (very definite) foul from Van Dijk on Ødegaard and then immediately withdrew the decision, allowing play to continue.
Hard to explain, that one.
11 mins: So, 10 minutes have passed and both teams have carved out significant openings without converting them. Which bodes well for the next 80 minutes’ entertainment for neutrals.
9 mins: I’ve had a couple of emails questioning my use of the word ‘sheepish’ to describe Ødegaard’s expression as Arsenal emerged for the guard of honour.
I stand by it.
8 mins: Super save from Raya! Salah finds space on the right and squares it for Luis Diaz, who probably should have found the corner of the goal. Instead he found a diving Arsenal goalkeeper.
6 mins: Arsenal have started the brighter here but Bradley squeezes Martinelli out on the left, with Liverpool’s defence trying to hold firm.
There’s no shortage of intensity in the early stages, despite the dead rubber nature of the game.
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4 mins: What a chance! Liverpool stepped up to play the offside trap from the free-kick and Bukayo Saka, who was a good yard or so onside, had time to tuck it beyond Alisson but didn’t get his contact right and missed. Wow.
3 mins: Arsenal have an early free-kick opportunity. Ødegaard will whip this in from the left…
An email from Stephen G:
As much as I adore Slot for winning the league, and winning the league in a post-Covid world, his treatment of Chiesa has been abhorrent, throughout the season we’ve been told Chiesa isn’t match fit, or he isn’t at that premier level just yet.
I can only think of Robbie Keane in the same light, a striker that scored a brace and then was subsequently dropped by Benitez sent back to Spurs. I can’t think of a forward treated less fair. Chiesa came on in a terrible cup final and scored a goal, and was never to be heard of again, except a measly eight minutes recently and despite us having the league won and no jeopardy at all.
Jota has been sub-par along with Nunez. And with Chiesa being the first signing (technically) of this era, quite frankly it has been a waste of time, a lot of money and doesn’t bode well for the future.
This is the one worry I have for the future of LFC. Slot is so strict on his selection. Like why have Trent in the squad at all?!
1 min: So an Arsenal win would mean they are guaranteed a Champions League spot and would likely see them finish second after the teams below them dropped points this weekend.
The visitors are, unusually, in white shorts with their black tops.
KICK OFF
We are under way!
There wasn’t a huge amount of gusto in the applause from some of those Arsenal players, but they fulfilled their duty, sporting gesture and all that.
Time for action now. Can the Gunners puncture the party atmosphere around this stadium in the next 90 plus minutes?
Martin Ødegaard sheepishly leads the Arsenal players out onto the Anfield turf, to a mixed reception from Liverpool’s fans.
Now here come those Liverpool players to walk through …
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“Doctor’s advice” is the reason given for Declan Rice’s absence. Mikel Arteta tells Sky Sports that the England international couldn’t train post-Paris and is not fit.
“The fact that he’s leaving is one of the reasons to play Conor [Bradley],” says Arne Slot on his decision to put Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench.
A rare case, then, of those Sky pre-match interviews actually offering some genuine insight.
Full times in the early games:
Manchester United 0-2 West Ham
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Leicester
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Crystal Palace
United and Spurs continue to put all their chips in the Europa League final basket, while Forest spurn the opportunity to make up ground in the top five race.
It feels like the Liverpool bench today is rather telling. It contains Caoimhin Kelleher, Wataru Endo, Dawin Núñez and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all of whom are likely – or certain in the case of Alexander-Arnold – to leave the club in the summer.
It’s strange that the title winners find themselves in need of a reset, of sorts, but that’s the slightly odd situation facing Arne Slot this summer.
An absolute ridiculous El Clásico is currently going on. Five goals in 35 minutes?!
Follow it live here.
Let’s not forget Arsenal are going to give Liverpool, the new Premier League champions, a guard of honour today. It will really rankle with Mikel Arteta and everyone connected with the Gunners to do so, but Arteta graciously gave credit to Arne Slot’s side in his pre-match press conference:
They deserve that. They’ve been the best team, they’ve been the most consistent, and what Arne and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it’s been really good. They fully deserve it, and that’s the sport. If somebody’s better, you have to approve and accept and try to reach that level.
Scorelines to make fans of both Liverpool and Arsenal happy:
Manchester United 0-2 West Ham
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Crystal Palace
That Europa League final should be an absolute doozy.
‘No Rice’ is trending on X and it’s unrelated to my Saturday night takeaway order. The reason for Declan Rice’s absence from the Arsenal matchday squad isn’t fully clear but it’s possible he’s being rested after his midweek exertions as the Gunners exited the Champions League against PSG.
How Mikel Arteta’s team cope without the influential midfielder is going to be interesting. There are two differing views on what Rice offers to this side: some say he’s the central lynchpin, others argue his influence is overstated. Let’s see who’s right – Arsenal are likely to come under plenty of pressure at an expectant Anfield today.
Team news
Liverpool: Alisson; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah, Gakpo, Díaz.
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Núñez, Mac Allister, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Merino, Ødegaard; Trossard, Martinelli, Saka.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Timber, Zinchenko, Sterling, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Henry-Francis, Nwaneri.
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Preamble
What a shame for the neutrals this game doesn’t mean more. It’s a classic case of what might have been. A title decider? A ding-ding top-of-the-table clash? A titanic battle between first and second with echoes of 1989, Michael Thomas and all that?
Liverpool’s ruthless efficiency under Arne Slot and Arsenal’s many shortcomings, especially in the Premier League this season, mean it will be none of the above. It’s little more than two teams playing for pride, with the newly-crowned Reds – who will get a guard of honour from their nearest title ‘challengers – looking to put a marker down against the Gunners.
The gap at the summit could grow to a whopping 18 points by the end of the day, although the visitors will hope to cut it to 12 by praying – as Chelsea did last week – that Liverpool will be on the proverbial beach. Team news will drop in the next post; then we’ll get into the meat of the action. It’s a 4.30pm kick-off, UK time.
