Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool player ratings: Honours even in four-goal Emirates thriller | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s defending Premier League champions Manchester City were the big winners as Liverpool played out a 2-2 draw at Arsenal this afternoon.

The big pre-game story was Bukayo Saka’s involvement, with the influential Gunners winger missing their loss at Bournemouth last time out. He was declared fit and given the captain’s armband, which enhanced his performance.

Saka opened the scoring for the hosts and, in doing so, became the seventh youngest player to reach 50 Premier League goals. He’s now recorded 10 goal contributions in his first eight Premier League appearances of the season, making him the fastest Arsenal player to achieve this milestone since Cesc Fabregas reached ten contributions after just six games in the 2009-10 season.

Liverpool responded quickly, with skipper Virgil van Dijk scoring from close range following a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner that Luis Díaz flicked on. However, the Gunners regained their lead just before half-time, with Mikel Merino scoring his first Arsenal goal. This marked the 27th time Mikel Arteta’s men have scored from a set-piece in the Premier League since the start of last season (excluding penalties), the highest in the competition.

Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game after halftime. This marked his 11th goal in 15 Premier League appearances against Arsenal, with only Harry Kane (14) and Wayne Rooney (12) scoring more often against the Gunners in the competition.

Although Liverpool had the momentum, they couldn’t secure a second goal, resulting in a draw. As a result, Arne Slot’s unbeaten away record remained intact, but his team dropped to second place, trailing Manchester City by one point going into the tenth gameweek.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya: 55%

He picked the ball out of his goal twice but made two saves and one clearance. Raya’s passing radar, though, was slightly off with an accuracy of 69.7%.

Jurriën Timber: 50%

Timber’s availability for today’s game was uncertain, but he was ultimately deemed fit to play. He faced the challenge of dealing with Salah, a task he often found difficult. The former Ajax man was dribbled past three times during the match.

Gabriel Magalhães: 60%

He left the pitch after the 50th minute due to a suspected knee injury. During his time on the field, Gabriel won two aerial duels and recorded two interceptions, but his retention rate was 83.3%, indicating that he wasn’t passing at his usual fluid level.

Ben White: 58%

He completed three long passes, one brilliantly played into Saka, who finished it to put Arsenal ahead. White, who moved across from his usual right-back position due to William Saliba’s suspension, also fulfilled his defensive responsibilities by making six clearances.

Thomas Partey: 50%

Although he’s played at right-back before, it’s not Partey’s natural position, and this was evident in his mixed performance. He won four tackles and four aerial duels, but he also made two unsuccessful touches, was dribbled past twice, and lost possession in his own half on two occasions.

Declan Rice: 62%

A typical Rice performance in which he made three successful passes into the penalty area, three interceptions (one inside the penalty area), and created one big chance that led to a goal.

Mikel Merino: 60%

He missed a chance from about four yards out but then headed Arsenal back in front before halftime. This felt like a coming-out party for Merino, who also won seven duels and achieved a passing accuracy of 51.43% into the final third.

Gabriel Martinelli: 58%

Martinelli saw plenty of the ball, recording seven touches in the opposition box and five entries into the penalty area. However, he could not make an impact, managing only one shot on goal (with an xG of 0.06) and not creating a single ‘big chance’.

Leandro Trossard: 45%

Positioned alongside Havertz in this 4-4-2 shape, the Belgian forward struggled to impose himself, with only two touches in Liverpool’s penalty area and not a single chance created or shot on goal.

Bukayo Saka: 70%

He timed his run perfectly, spinning past Robertson before calmly cutting inside the full-back with a nutmeg. Saka then finished emphatically to put Arsenal ahead. This was his only shot on goal in a match where he completed two of his three attempted take-ons. Crucially, he also won key fouls in Liverpool’s defensive third, alleviating some of the pressure on his teammates.

Kai Havertz: 48%

Ineffective is how you would describe Havertz’s performance. His two goal attempts were neither on target, and while he created two chances, neither would be classified as ‘big.’

Liverpool player ratings

Caoimhín Kelleher: 39%

He conceded twice while maintaining a subpar 30.43% long passing accuracy, which placed the pressure back on his teammates, especially when Arsenal were in the ascendancy.

Andy Robertson: 48%

Bukayo Saka gave him the runaround, notably for Arsenal’s opening goal, while this head-to-head limited any meaningful attacking involvement. He was also dribbled past twice before going off in the 63rd minute.

Virgil van Dijk: 60%

There’s a reason why he’s known as the Colossus from Breda. Aside from scoring Liverpool’s first equaliser with a close-range header, Van Dijk made six clearances and won five aerial duels, achieving an impressive 89% pass retention rate.

Ibrahima Konaté: 57%%

Won two tackles and made six clearances to back up Van Dijk while registering four successful ball retentions in the defensive third and six overall ball recoveries.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 54%

It was an uncharacteristically subdued performance from the usually reliable Alexander-Arnold, who recorded only 70.8% accuracy. He redeemed himself with a pass that led to Salah’s equaliser. However, Alexander-Arnold was dribbled past once and failed to create a single big chance, which is typically expected from him.

Alexis Mac Allister: 54%

Usually an imposing figure in the midfield, the Argentine midfielder seemed absent in this game. Before departing in the 63rd minute, Mac Allister received a yellow card and won two out of six duels, including half of the aerial battles he faced (1/2).

Ryan Gravenberch: 49%

He possibly had his weakest performance of the season. Gravenberch often struggled in the midfield, failing to win any tackles despite attempting two. He was also dribbled past on one occasion. He also made four unsuccessful touches, contributing to his poor rating.

Curtis Jones: 44%

A stark contrast from last weekend’s player-of-the-match performance against Chelsea, with Jones positioned slightly further ahead in a more advanced midfield role. He produced three touches in the opposition box, registered one shot on goal, and didn’t create a chance. Jones would also lose possession on four occasions more than any teammate.

Luis Díaz: 49%

He produced a crucial flick-on from an Alexander-Arnold corner that led to Liverpool’s equaliser but had two unsuccessful touches and was dispossessed three times while not having a single attempt on goal.

Darwin Núñez: 54%

His only contribution was the important pass for Salah’s equalizer, but besides that, Nunez had a rather quiet game except when he came into contact with an opposition player. He did, though, complete both take-ons attempted .

Mohamed Salah: 71%

No player in Liverpool’s colours touched the ball in Arsenal’s penalty area as often (eight times), while Salah registered four ball recoveries to go along with his goal, showcasing the defensive effort he put in to go along with his attacking endeavours: three shots on goal, two on target, one equaliser.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.