Arsenal fans might be coming away from the Emirates Stadium feeling a little bit undecided about what they just saw against Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta’s side were brilliant in the second half, but Arsenal then were unable to stop Liverpool from taking control.
Once Gabriel Magalhaes went off injured, it felt like only a matter of time until the visitors equalised again.
Perhaps some Arsenal supporters will be happy, Bukayo Saka was superb and the Gunners played well without some of their key men.
But others will see it as another missed opportunity for Arsenal to assert their authority in the title-race.
The Gunners stay four points behind Liverpool and five behind Manchester City after nine games played, a gap that isn’t necessarily a concern for now.
Virgil van Dijk says it was easy to get away from Thomas Partey before his goal
That being said, when speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk made some surprising comments about Thomas Partey.
Partey played at right-back given William Saliba’s absence, with Ben White tucked inside.
The Ghanaian was superb up against his winger, Luis Diaz, but Van Dijk admitted that he found it very ‘easy’ when Partey was marking him shortly before he scored.
Van Dijk was initially asked: “With your goal, did you know that you might get joy from that near post corner? We saw Bournemouth score one against them last week.”
He replied: “I think they’re very solid in set pieces and obviously they’ve shown it but I think obviously when I was marked by Partey I think he only looked at me so it was quite easy to get from him.
“But anyway, it’s a little bit of luck that you need, a little flick from Lucho and I was there to tap it in.”
Kai Havertz also blamed for Liverpool’s first goal
Interestingly, Jamie Carragher blamed Kai Havertz for the goal in question, one that clearly caught attention.
Perhaps Arsenal are particularly scrutinised when they concede from a set-piece given it’s such a strength of Arteta’s side offensively.
And whether it’s Partey or Havertz being criticised, both should be applauded for their stellar displays otherwise.
As mentioned, a draw may feel frustrating right now given Arsenal were ahead twice, but it’s certainly not a result that damages the Gunner’s title aspirations.
Arteta’s side have already faced some incredibly tough fixtures just nine games in, and have generally navigated the more high-profile games incredibly well.
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