HIGHLIGHTS AND PLAYER’S RATING LIV (1—1) ARS

Liverpool vs Arsenal player ratings: Salah, Rice

The Liverpool vs Arsenal player ratings were a lot of fun to dish out as the two title contenders dished up a festive treat at Anfield.

It ended 1-1 after Gabriel’s early header was canceled out by Mohamed Salah’s smash as both teams had chances to win it but both Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta will be happy enough with the point.

Below are the Liverpool vs Arsenal player ratings out of 10, with analysis on each player.

Liverpool player ratings

Alisson: 6 – Could he have come off his line for Gabriel’s header? Maybe. Solid aside from that.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 7 – Majestic pass for Salah’s goal and thriving in a central role. Should have won it but hit the bar when the ball bobbled up a little. He will be disappointed with that finish.

Ibrahima Konate: 6 – Caught out of position on Gabriel’s goal but did make some great blocks in the second half.

Virgil van Dijk: 7 – Stretched at times but recovered well and settled things down after a sloppy start.

Kostas Tsimikas: 6 – Went off with what looked like a serious shoulder injury in the first half after colliding with Klopp and the ground on the sidelines.

Dominik Szoboszlai: 7 – Plenty of important defensive work and had a few chances in attack but couldn’t quite pick the right option. Worked hard.

Wataru Endo: 6 – Plugged gaps well and after a slow start he finds the rhythm of the game.

Curtis Jones: 6 – Kept plugging away and trying to get on the ball amid all of the chaos.

Mohamed Salah: 9 – His class for the finish on the goal was incredible. Set up the counter where Liverpool nearly won it. Had Zinchenko’s number all game long.

Cody Gakpo: 6 – Drifted in and out of the game and couldn’t get on the ball enough to make something happen.

Luis Diaz: 6 – See above. Struggled to have an impact and subbed off midway through the second half.

Substitutes

Joe Gomez (on for Tsimikas, 35′): 6 – Struggled early on against Saka but recovered and almost scored a beauty. Solid.

Harvey Elliott (on for Diaz, 68′): 6 – Didn’t get on the ball enough but was always available and trying to make things happen.

Ryan Gravenberch (on for Jones, 68′): 6 – Did well to win the ball back and solidify things in midfield.

Darwin Nunez (on for Gakpo, 68′): 6 – Didn’t get the ball in the final third but worked very hard.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya: 6 – Beaten a little too easily at his near post by Salah? Perhaps. Commanding when he came for crosses.

Ben White: 6 – Worked hard defensively but couldn’t offer much in attack. Solid outing.

William Saliba: 6 – Did okay throughout and didn’t give Gakpo a sniff. Did well to stay with Nunez on key Liverpool breakaway.

Gabriel: 7 – Headed home an early goal and stood firm in central defense as he led by example.

Oleksandr Zinchenko: 5 – A really tough outing against Salah. Turned inside out on the goal and some sloppy giveaways.

Martin Odegaard: 7 – Classy on the ball early on. Was lucky to get away with a possible handball for a penalty. Ticked over nicely.

Declan Rice: 9 – Always there when Arsenal needed him to cover for mistakes, cut out passes and stopped Liverpool from getting control of the game. He is a monster at winning it back and using the ball well.

Kai Havertz: 5 – Really struggled to get on the ball and have any impact on the game. Went down too easily late on when looking for a penalty kick.

Bukayo Saka: 7 – Great first half and gave Tsimikas and Joe Gomez problems. Faded a little but always a threat. Liverpool doubled up on him.

Gabriel Jesus: 6 – Did well early to hold the ball up and sustain attacks but then Konate and Van Dijk had his number.

Gabriel Martinelli: 5 – Subdued display after a few early flickers of promise. Wasted a big chance in the first half when Saka went through and Alisson was off his line.

Substitutes

Eddie Nketiah (on for Martinelli, 68′): 6 – Didn’t see much of the ball but held it up well when he did.

Leandro Trossard (on for Jesus, 78′): 6 – A few good runs but like Nketiah, didn’t see much of the ball.