'Conspiracies, heartache, rage' - media make 'ruthless' point after Arsenal vs Liverpool 'narrative'

Liverpool and Arsenal scrapped to an eventful 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Reds came from behind twice to snatch a point. Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah cancelled out strikes from Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino to ensure Arne Slot's men remain unbeaten on the road.

It leaves Liverpool in second place in the Premier League table, a point behind leaders Manchester City and four ahead of the Gunners, who finished as runners-up last year.

Both sides entered the game with players sidelined and here's what the national media, as well as the ECHO's own Ian Doyle, made of the result:

READ MORE: What the Liverpool away end did at full-time spoke volumes about Arsenal draw

READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings vs Arsenal as Ibrahima Konate outstanding but one man very poor

The Guardian's Barney Ronay concentrated on the tactical differences between the two sides and ultimately concluded that neither team were likely to become league winners this season:

"There are, of course, major tonal and tactical differences between these two teams. Liverpool under Slot are looking for control above all. Arsenal have become a hot mess, a team to which things just keep happening, conspiracies, heartache, rage-wins, vindicated or flagellated every week.

"But the style is similar. What the Premier League gives you now is opposed blocks of colour, possession in isolation. Under Jürgen Klopp Liverpool tried to disrupt this, to enact a kind of high‑speed Jackson Pollock, to create splurges and splashes between the lines. With Slot they have a Mondrian. Crisp hard lines. Squares of red and black.

"They had a chance to win this game, to press the throttle as Arsenal’s defence fell away in the second half, its parts disappearing and being replaced by whatever came to hand in the moment: a hatstand, a broom handle, a labrador in an overcoat. A point was still well deserved. Is it enough? For now, in October, in an evolving team. But we have also seen this movie before. And winning the league tends to require something more active."

Writing in the Mail, Oliver Holt believed that Arsenal held their nerve during the contest:

"Everyone sees different things in a draw. It is hard to read the tea leaves of a game that ends even, but the narrative of this contest was not Arsenal losing their nerve, however tempting it may be to fall back on that trope.

"If anything, it was the opposite. Most people were anticipating an Arsenal implosion against Liverpool but Arsenal did not implode. Arsenal were expected to lose and to fade out of the title race before the end of October. Arsenal were expected to fall over. But they did not fall over. They stood up.

He added: "The final whistle might have been met with boos by the home crowd but they were not boos of disdain for their players. They were boos of derision for the referee, who they blamed for denying them a late winner. But most of all, they were boos of disappointment for a win that got away.

"Before the game, much had been made of Arsenal’s absentees. The loss of Saliba, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori, added to doubts over Saka and Jurrien Timber, were advanced as reasons why Liverpool were favourites."

In The Times, James Gheerbrant was impressed by Arne Slot's ruthless streak and use of substitutes to get Liverpool back into the game:

"Liverpool were not at their best, and Slot’s tactics initially exerted little grip. But the team showed resilience, and the manager a decisive ruthless streak. A bold triple change early in the second half rescued a drifting performance, with the athleticism and range of Dominik Szoboszlai and the thrust of Kostas Tsimikas in particular giving Liverpool more purchase in the match.

"Just as important was Slot’s decision not to take off Darwin Núñez, who kept going physically and whose assist for Salah’s equaliser was a moment of fine-touch execution from within the fog of exertion.

And The Telegraph's Jason Burt concentrated on Mohamed Salah's contribution to the match and as the scourge of Arsenal in recent years:

"Salah has to be the definition of a big-game player. It is now, in fact, 61 goals or assists from him in 72 games against the traditional other “big” Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea who he scored against last Sunday and also claimed an assist in that 2-1 victory.

"Arsenal will certainly be glad to see the back of him if this is, indeed, his last campaign at Liverpool. Although even writing that sentence, and given Salah’s current contract runs out next June, seems incredible. Surely it cannot happen?

"This is the eighth season in a row the Egyptian has scored against Arsenal and even if in some of those earlier campaigns they were not the force they now are, it is still a traditionally grand encounter when these teams meet.

"Salah now has 164 league goals for Liverpool in 273 games, one ahead of Robbie Fowler (379 games), and only seven players have scored more in the Premier League era. And, yes, there was football before 1992 and even if he signs a new deal Salah is clearly unlikely to overtake Ian Rush, for example."

And finally, the ECHO's chief Liverpool writer Ian Doyle says there can now be no doubt about Liverpool's resolve after some impressive away performances under their new head coach Slot:

"Perspective, though, is required, not least after a tepid opening period in which the Reds posted arguably their worst 45 minutes of the Slot era, the desire for control coming across as a lack of intensity although, in fairness, it was no different to recent league visits under predecessor Jurgen Klopp.

"And there can be no doubts over Liverpool’s resolve, twice coming back from behind and eventually growing into the game that, despite protestations from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, didn’t belong to the home team.

"While the draw played into the hands of Manchester City – the champions have leapfrogged the Reds to move a point clear at the summit – and ended Slot’s record-breaking run of six successive away wins at the start of a Liverpool season, it was a step in the right direction regards another good result on the road against their traditional rivals.

"Four points from six at Old Trafford and the Emirates, as has already been achieved under the Reds boss, will always be deemed an acceptable return."