During a downpour in North London, the current Premier League leaders Arsenal hosted reigning champions Liverpool in a clash midway through the 2025/26 season at Emirates Stadium.
What unfolded was a tight, goalless draw – a match of two halves – that saw Arsenal extend their lead at the top to six points, while Liverpool held onto fourth place, now 14 points back of The Gunners, with their title hopes all but over.
Mikel Arteta's side looked dominant in the first half with relentless pressing and possession, but Arne Slot's Liverpool successfully absorbed the pressure before flipping the script in the second half.
Not only did a controversial incident involving Gabriel Martinelli and Conor Bradley during the final moments of the match leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Liverpool fans, but this result underscored both the progress and seemingly perpetual issue in Slot's Liverpool project: the inability to score.
What Arne Slot got wrong
Counter Attack
Arsenal absolutely dominated possession throughout the first half. Liverpool defended well by stacking the box and clogging passing lanes, but through the first 15 minutes of the game, Liverpool hardly put a single toe on the ball and survived several scares that could’ve easily led to an Arsenal goal.
Liverpool finally had a successful counter attack in the 26th minute when Conor Bradley was gifted a fortunate rebound — albeit after a mediocre pass to Frimpong — and put up a nice chip shot that hit the top of the crossbar.
Liverpool have been stagnant over the past month, and while today appeared to be a step in the right direction and proved this is a team that can still compete with anyone, the Reds’ Expected Goals (xG) stood at just 0.36 (Arsenal finished with 0.57) for the match.
This is simply not acceptable and demonstrates that even when maintaining possession and solidifying the defense, the creativity of the attacking scheme is a requirement and needs a lot more work.
Unfortunately, with zero shots on target across the full 90 minutes and no corners won, Liverpool have yet to show any signs of the potent offense from a season ago.
What Arne Slot got right
Second half adjustments
Slot adapted the game plan, making some really nice second half adjustments on both sides of the ball, as Liverpool opened things up more offensively, winning loose balls and were much more aggressive with their attack.
It felt like the teams had swapped shirts at the half as possession and momentum flipped entirely.
However, there wasn’t a single shot on target recorded in the second half from either Mikel Arteta’s or Arne Slot’s side until goalkeeper Alisson Becker caught a weak floater from Gabriel Jesus. The last shot on target prior to this occurred in the 44th minute.
Mental Fortitude of Players
In less than ideal conditions, away from home, against the top team in the English Premier League it would not have been shocking to see Liverpool drop points in tonight’s match. Despite the lack of attacking output, they displayed resilience and escaped with a result.
In his postgame interview, Slot said he was hoping “to create more chances.” And while one could make the argument that Liverpool were the better side and if strikers Hugo Ekitike (hamstring), Mohammed Salah (AFCON) and Alexander Isak (long-term injury) — or even if one would’ve been available — they could’ve done just that and generated more opportunities, it doesn’t alter the fact the offensive issue is still not resolved and they are running out of time to find a remedy.
In the final minutes, Liverpool fullback Conor Bradley went down near the touchline with a non-contact injury and the events preceding him being helped off the pitch on a stretcher were some of the worst displays of sportsmanship a fan could witness during a game.
As the 22-year-old right-back lay on the cold ground — half of his body within the lines of play — Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli first picked up the football and dropped it on Bradley, pecked at him insisting he get up, tried to scoot him with his knee and shin pressed against the Irishman’s upper body, as one might do when trying to reposition a small piece of furniture in their house, and then picked him up a few inches off the ground and tossed him out of the field of play.
That was the final straw for Bradley’s Liverpool teammates, specifically center-back Ibrahima Konaté.
There was shoving and a small skirmish as both Martinelli and Konaté received yellow cards and despite the actions of the former and the understandable desire for revenge from some of the Liverpool players, no further actions – aside from some light jawing back and forth – were made; and play resumed.
This incident could’ve easily gotten out of hand, and while these are grown men who can make their own decisions on how they handle things on and off the pitch, Slot deserves credit for instilling a resilient mindset in his team and fostering a "never-say-die" attitude that bodes well for the season's second half. It’s the Liverpool way.