It was a tantalising battle at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal were forced to settle for a point against Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta’s side failed to hold onto a lead on two occasions as Liverpool battled hard to ensure the Gunners would not hand them their second defeat of the campaign.
Bukayo Saka sealed his return to the starting eleven with a blistering goal to open the scoring before Virgil van Dijk cancelled out his strike with a close-range header.
The hosts then flexed their muscles through a profitable avenue as they scored yet another goal from a set-piece.
Declan Rice curled a searching ball into the box and Mikel Merino stayed onside to nod past Caoimhin Kelleher and score his first goal for the Gunners.
But Liverpool would respond again as Mohamed Salah slotted past David Raya in the second half to ensure the points were shared.
Here’s how we rated each Arsenal player’s performance.
Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool: Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya – 6
The stopper could do nothing about either of the goals as Van Dijk’s leveller was from close range and Salah’s perfectly placed into the corner.
Anthony Taylor brandished a yellow card to the goalkeeper for time wasting in the second half as Raya looked to slow the game down to dampen the Liverpool surge.
Thomas Partey – 7
The Ghanaian adapted adeptly to the change of position as he held his own in the right-back position.
He matched the energetic Luis Diaz to reduce the Colombian to very few opportunities on Raya’s goal. His ability to play at full-back could give Arteta a solution to his recent selection headache in defence.
Ben White – 7
White has always been valued for his versatility at Arsenal and that quality again paid dividends.
When signed for £50 million back in 2021, he was regarde as one of the most promising central defenders in the country.
Due to the emergence of William Saliba, White has rarely been deployed in central defence over the last few years but found himself occupying that position this evening due to the Frenchman’s suspension.
His game has evolved since being transformed into an all-encompassing full-back and his assist for Saka’s goal was a prime example of White’s vision and technical ability.
Gabriel – 7
The Brazilian marshalled the backline and kept the usually lively Darwin Nunez quiet in the first half.
Shortly after play resumed, the defender went down twice in the space of three minutes and could not continue after picking up an impact injury in the early stages of the second half.
Arsenal sorely missed his presence as they could not hold on to their lead after Gabriel’s departure.
Jurrien Timber – 7
Timber’s return to action was integral for the Gunners this evening as he hampered the irrepressible Mohamed Salah from making an impact while he was on the pitch.
He went down with exhaustion with 15 minutes to go as the physical demands of the affair took its toll. The Dutchman’s importance was outlined when Salah was left to waltz into the box and score shortly after his exit.
Declan Rice – 8
An imposing performance from Arsenal’s midfield general helped the Gunners to an important point.
Rice is the designated set-piece taker and Arteta’s side profited off his accuracy once again. He curled an inviting free-kick into the area which was firmly met by Merino to put the hosts in front.
■ 85% pass accuracy
■ 5 ball recoveries
■ 3 interceptions
■ 2 chances created (1 BCC)
■ 2 tackles won
■ 1 assistAnother 🔝 performance from Declan Rice pic.twitter.com/g9wuHMlE1E
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 27, 2024
Mikel Merino – 7
The Spaniard has rarely scored in his career, but he opened his Arsenal account with a well-taken header to put his team in front. Having missed a good earlier chance, he atoned at the second time of asking to convert from Rice’s delivery.
The European Championship winner’s start to life in North London was heavily disrupted by a broken shoulder, but he truly announced himself to the Arsenal faithful with a timely goal.
Mikel Merino scores his first Arsenal goal to put Arsenal back in front! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ttPJcyO6CJ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 27, 2024
Merino is a typical Spanish technician and it was classy showing from their summer recruit.
Bukayo Saka – 8
Saka was reinstated into the right-wing position and was handed the captain’s armband by Mikel Arteta.
The 23-year-old took that responsibility in his stride and thundered home the opening goal in ruthless fashion.
Saka looked like a man desperate to make a difference and everything positive from an Arsenal perspective was going through the forward. He came off with five minutes to go to a chorus of applause from the Arsenal faithful, who rightfully adore their academy gem.
STOP THAT, Bukayo Saka. 😍 pic.twitter.com/OhH1AZnpFO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 27, 2024
Leandro Trossard – 6
In Martin Odegaard’s absence, Trossard was tasked with being the inventive force and the Belgian tried his utmost to fashion chances for his teammates.
The former Brighton man delivered a plethora of crosses into the penalty box but his efforts came to no avail.
Gabriel Martinelli- 5
Martinelli often overcame Alexander-Arnold with his guile and trickery, but his end product left a lot to be desired and he was wasteful in front of goal.
Confidence has been an issue for the winger during this calendar year as he struggles to rediscover his goalscoring form.
Kai Havertz – 7
The German is such a handful for any opposition and he occupied the attention of both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
However, his streak of scoring in nine successive home matches ended on Tuesday night against Shakhtar Donetsk and he failed to find the back of the net again.
Substitues
Jakub Kiwior – 6
Arteta was left with no choice but to bring on the Pole after Gabriel was forced off with injury just after the interval.
Kiwior performed to an adequate standard but he does not possess the quality that Gabriel has.
Gabriel Jesus – 6
Jesus caused Liverpool plenty of issues in the dying embers of the contest. He received a yellow card after the final whistle had been blown for protestation.
Myles Lewis-Kelly – 5
The Hale End academy graduate replaced Timber with a quarter of an hour to go and his lack of experience was exposed by Liverpool.
The young defender’s failure to track Mohamed Salah resulted in the Egyptian being in acres of space in the box to dispatch Liverpool’s second equaliser of the evening.
Aside from that lapse of concentration, Lewis-Skelly continues to look suited to senior football.
Ethan Nwaneri – N/A
The 17-year-old was flung into the occasion with little time remaining.
