THERE were enough hard-luck stories to fill a library for Arsenal as Mo Salah stole a point.

The bullet-ridden Gunners ended up with a completely makeshift back four, having seen Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk escape an early yellow card only to equalise Bukayo Saka’s early opener.

Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead with a thunderous strike

He was a fitness doubt before the game but burst into life after just nine minutes

Virgil van Dijk levelled with a header from a corner

Liverpool trailed for just nine minutes as they silenced the Emirates

Both teams had their periods of dominance in the game

Through in a decent penalty shout against Ibrahima Konate and it was no wonder Mikel Arteta was left with a feeling of intense frustration on a day when his team were passionate and the Emirates throbbed with sound.

Saka, who was outstanding on his return from injury, and Mikel Merino twice put Arsenal in front – but they were pegged back both times by a Liverpool side who rode their luck and kept their heads in this hostile environment.

By the time Salah struck on the break ten minutes from time that Arsenal backline read Thomas Partey, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

There were clearly no after-effects as Saka opened the scoring with an outstanding ninth-minute strike.

From Ben White’s lofted through-ball, Saka made haggis meat out of Andy Robertson, first out-pacing the Liverpool left-back then cutting inside him with a nutmeg.

Mikel Merino put Arsenal back in front with a bullet header

With Robertson flailing on the ground, Saka walloped a vicious shot into the roof of the net, beating Caoimhim Kelleher at his near post and sending the Emirates into rapture.

Saka became the youngest Gunner to reach 50 Premier League goals.

And this after Liverpool should have been reduced to 10 men, captain Virgil Van Dijk first pushing, then twice kicking out at Kai Havertz off the ball.

A Mikel Merino error had just given Mo Salah a clear sight of goal, the Egyptian blazing wide.

But from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner, Luis Diaz nodded on at the near post and Van Dijk stooped to head home, nipping between Gabriel and Thomas Partey.

Merino missed an excellent close-range chance and Salah, full of sauce and sorcery, cut inside again to shoot narrowly over.

It was one of those belting, breathless matches where all the Super Sunday hype and ‘best league in the world’ chat seemed entirely justified.

Arsenal thought they should have had a penalty when Ibrahima Konate made a clumsy lunge at Gabriel Martinelli but Salisbury decided he won the ball.

With Saka irresistible, Alexis Mac Allister was booked for hauling down the Arsenal skipper.

Slot’s men had been pinned back for a lengthy stretch before Arsenal seized back the lead late in the first half.

Declan Rice delivered a fizzing free-kick from the right and Merino headed past Kelleher.

The VAR delay to check on offside was lengthy and tense.

Salisbury probably averted a riot by deeming Merino marginally onside – Van Dijk, ironically providing the decisive toenail.

After the break, Diaz nutmegged Partey and slipped past White but converged Raya at the near post, the ball cannoning off the woodwork.

Gabriel, who had just gone down for treatment after a foul by Darwin Nunez, was forced to limp off soon after – Arteta now without both of his first-choice centre-backs as Jakub Kiwior was sent on.

Slot made a triple change – sending on Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Kostas Tsimikas – and the visitors were beginning to exert some pressure on Arsenal’s makeshift back four.

Jurrien Timber, who had passed a late test to start, came up lame and was replaced by youthful Myles Lewis-Skelly, further depleting that backline.

Before they were abruptly exposed, Arsenal had been shown an unquenchable desire for hard work and appeared to be back in charge.

Alexander-Arnold delivered the killer through-ball which released Nunez and Salah, both hurtling down the left.

With speed, movement and intelligence, Nunez picked out the cut-back for Salah to side-foot home and celebrate with the gleeful Scousers in the corner of the Clock End.

 

Mo Salah tucked home Liverpool’s equaliser late on

It is a huge goal in the title race as Liverpool maintain a four-point lead over Arsenal

Saka and Martinelli were withdrawn in favour of Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri and everything about Arsenal was looking threadbare and open to exploitation.

But on 90 minutes, Havertz had the ball in the net just as ref Anthony Taylor had blown up for a foul by Kiwior.

The result left Arsenal five points adrift of leaders Manchester City, who are a point ahead of Arne Slot’s men.