Arsenal show their magic and courage, Liverpool show resistance, but this is an advantage for Man City

The day the clock went back both Arsenal and Liverpool felt they had taken a step forward.

Arsenal look like a different force with Bukayo Saka back. They had to avoid a defeat that would have made their title ambitions look slim, even with three-quarters of the race left, and played with more passion and determination than recently.

Liverpool were far from their best level, but they raised their game after a difficult first half and took a point at the home of one of their main Premier League rivals.

The encounters between these two have evoked some classics over the years, Charlie George in the 1971 FA Cup Final, Michael Thomas and it is up for grabs now in 1989, Michael Owen's last double to win the FA Cup 2001 and Andrei Arshavin's four in a 4 -4 thriller in 2009.

Even the first meeting, 131 years ago, when the Victoria Line was an actual bulletin board rather than a nearby tube route, was a 5-0 win for Liverpool.

This 2-2 draw can't compare to any of those compelling collisions, but Arsenal fans loved seeing their team fight so hard, and Liverpool fans enjoyed watching their team fight back.

Liverpool showed their resilience. They didn't play very well, they lacked intensity in the first half, but they counterattacked twice.

They showed why Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, their goalscorers, urgently need their contractual situation resolved. Too good to lose.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, another whose future at Liverpool is in doubt, was below average but was still involved in both goals.

Curtis Jones rarely, if ever, gave the ball away and it certainly enhanced his reputation.

Ibrahima Konate risked being penalized with a challenge on Gabriel Martinelli, but otherwise put in another assured performance.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot continued to impress with his impact on his players at half-time and picked up a useful point.

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Manchester City have a clear point, but they know that Liverpool, well trained and well organized, are in the hunt.

Arsenal, who were falling in the title race, proved that rumors of their demise are premature.

How can they be ruled out when they have Bukayo Saka capable of doing magic like turning around Andy Robertson and beating Caoimhin Kelleher quite easily at his near post? Arsenal's first goal in the ninth minute?

How can they be dismissed lightly when they made a clever set piece, Mikel Merino timing his run perfectly to meet Declan Rice's free kick, in the 43rd minute?

Their manager, Mikel Arteta, later commented on Sky Sports that his team needed to show “more courage to play” in the second half, and they certainly failed to maintain their earlier urgency.

But his hunger in the first half was visceral; It was as if Arteta's players felt their season depended on those 90 minutes.

They are not psychologically fragile; they are simply losing defenders to injuries and suspensions at key moments.

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Some Arsenal fans took to forums and social media platforms to accuse Arteta of lacking courage, which was nonsense. Arteta did not lack courage in sending two teenagers, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.

Individual mistakes cost Arsenal, not Arteta's management. Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey were beaten in the air by Luis Díaz and Van Dijk respectively for Liverpool's first draw.

Martinelli was too weak in possession and Lewis-Skelly reached the second for Liverpool.

Alexander-Arnold, whose corner had led to the first, released Darwin Núñez on the right and Salah delivered the knockout blow.

Salah's tenth goal against Arsenal took him into eighth place alongside Robbie Fowler with 163 goals, overtaking Jermain Defoe. on the list of all-time Premier League scorers. Liverpool have to keep Salah.

It was not Arteta's fault that he had to continue juggling a defense that was already missing the suspended William Saliba and the injured Riccardo Calafiori.

Gabriel limped away and Jurrien Timber limped away. Arsenal had a central midfielder (Partey) at right back, a right back (Ben White) at centre-back and now a player described as surplus (Jakub Kiwior) at left centre-back, and a teenager (Lewis -Skelly) at left back. (A penny for Oleksandr Zinchenko's thoughts.)

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It wasn't Arteta's fault that his defense was deep when he was ahead; They were forced to retreat against a Liverpool team that found greater intensity in the second half.

It was also not Arteta's fault that Arsenal were unlucky in a dispute at 2-2 with the match reaching seven minutes of added time.

Jones cut his attempted clearance and then jumped to head the ball wide of the Liverpool goal. The ball was there to be won, hit the ground, and Kiwior had every right to try.

Dominik Szoboszlai was static, Kiwior ran in and jumped, heading the ball forward and landing on the Hungarian's back.

Szoboszlai did not complain and barely reacted when Havertz took possession of the ball. He lifted the ball over Kelleher and sent it to the post with Gabriel Jesús turning it over the line.

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Anthony Taylor missed two seconds after Kiwior's jumper and tried to explain that it was a foul on Szoboszlai that seemed non-existent, and why not let the play develop first?

If it was a foul, few aerial challenges will be allowed in the future. Arsenal came away with a real sense of grievance at Taylor's decision.

They need to use it as fuel to catch up with Liverpool and City.

It's a three-horse race, but City looks like a real thoroughbred.

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