Arsenal enthrall with their intensity but Liverpool find response to deny Gunners

Arsenal (2) 2 Saka 9, Merino 43

Liverpool (1) 2 van Dijk 18, Salah 81

Games at the summit can often disappoint, but this one certainly didn't.

Mikel Arteta promised that we would see an Arsenal side with far more fire in the belly than the one which ground out the insipid 1-0 win over Shakhtar in the midweek Champions League tie and he was true to his word.

The fear was that the side would be too exposed without the suspended William Saliba, and with doubts this week about the participation of Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber.

In the end, two of them found the net. The only problem was that the high intensity cost them again, with Gabriel going off injured after hurting his knee and Timber also failing to complete 90 minutes.

There had already been a makeshift look to this Arsenal team at kick-off with Thomas Partey detailed into a right back position. By the end, with Jakub Kiwior alongside Ben White in central defence, it felt like the strain was going to be just too much - and so it proved when Mo Salah put away a Darwin Nunez cross to give Liverpool their second equaliser of the afternoon and a share of the spoils.

Arsenal's first half was excellent. Saka ran around Andy Roberston after being found by White and blasted high into the roof of the net past Caoimhin Keller. Then, after they had allowed Virgil van Dijk to steal in to head home at a corner, the Gunners regained the lead when Merino powered home a head from Declan Rice's floated cross.

Liverpool might have been feeling the effects of their midweek exertions in Leipzig in their Champions League match, but instead found an Arsenal side running out of steam a little in the closing stages and the goal from Salah was no real surprise.

It was a disappointment for home fans that their team was not quite able to replicate the statement win of last year against the same opponents, but there ought to be enough positives despite the dropped points. One of them was the outstanding display of Partey, who shackled Luis Diaz so effectively that the Colombian was hooked before the end.

The negative is the continuing worry about the availability of personnel and the hope must be that Gabriel's injury does not prove too costly - especially as the Gunners now have four away games in a row to further test the energy levels.

A trip to Preston in the Carabao Cup is followed by a lunchtime visit to Newcastle next weekend, a Champions League match in Milan against Inter and then a demanding derby at Chelsea.

Gunners: (4-4-2) Raya - Partey, White, Gabriel (Kiwior 54), Timber (Lewis-Kelly 76) - Saka (Jesus 85), Rice, Merino, Martinelli (Nwaneri 85) - Havertz, Trossard

Reds: (4-2-3-1) Kelleher - Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson (Tsimikas 63) - Gravenberch, Mac Allister (Szoboszlai 63) - Salah, Jones (Endo 91), Diaz (Gakpo 63) - Nunez

Attendance: 60,383