Arsenal stage stunning comeback to draw 2-2 against Liverpool: Stats
What's the story
In an exhilarating Premier League match at Anfield, Arsenal leveled the score against champions Liverpool after being two goals down, before being reduced to 10 men.
Matchweek 36 saw Liverpool start strongly with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz scoring a quickfire double.
Gakpo scored in the 20th minute before Diaz scored in the 21st.
However, second-half goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino turned the tide of the match.
Both sides settled for a point.
Goals
Summary of the contest
Gakpo headed home from Andrew Robertson's cross from the left and 87 seconds later Diaz made it 2-0. It was a fine ball from Dominik Szoboszlai, who moved inward from the right wing and squared the ball for Diaz.
Arsenal had a bright start in the 2nd half. Martinelli scored two minutes after the restart to bring his side back into the contest.
Makeshift striker Merino scored from a header in the 70th minute.
However, he was sent off later on for a 2nd yellow card offense.
Fan reaction
Trent Alexander-Arnold's return sparks controversy
The return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to the pitch, while Liverpool were still leading, sparked controversy among the home fans.
Alexander-Arnold came off the bench in the 67th minute and Liverpool's supporters booed him due to his decision to leave for Real Madrid in the summer.
This negative reception appeared to be a distraction and coincided with Arsenal's impressive comeback.
Match incidents
Merino's red card and disallowed goal
The match took another turn when Merino received a red card, changing the dynamics of play yet again.
In a surprising twist, it was Alexander-Arnold who nearly scored the winning goal.
The game was further marred by Andy Robertson having his stoppage-time goal disallowed due to a foul committed by Ibrahima Konate.
Information
Here are the match stats
Arsenal edged past Liverpool in terms of attempts (15-14) and shots on target (7-5). Arsenal had 57% ball possession and an 86% pass accuracy from 447 passes.
Points
Arsenal get to 68 points
Champions Liverpool played out their 8th draw of the campaign from 36 matches. Liverpool cannot get to the 90-point mark this season. Arne Slot's men have 83 points so far.
2nd-placed Arsenal moved a place closer toward Champions League qualification. Arsenal have 68 points and are five points ahead of 5th-placed Chelsea and 6th-placed Aston Villa (63 points each).
Notably, the top 5 teams from the Premier League will reach Champions League next season.
Opta stats
Unique records made in the match
Liverpool failed to win a Premier League game in which they were leading by two-plus goals for the first time since a 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth in December 2016. Meanwhile, this was their first at Anfield since a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United in April 2016.
Arsenal have won only three of their last 11 Premier League matches (D6 L2).
Liverpool are now unbeaten in 15 home matches against Arsenal in all competitions.
Scorers
Key numbers of the goalscorers
Playing his 159th Premier League game, Martinelli has raced to 40 goals. He also owns 20 assists. He scored his 8th league goal of the season (A4).
Making his 51st Premier League appearance, Merino now owns 8 goals for the Gunners with 7 of them coming this season.
Gakpo has raced to 25 Premier League goals for Liverpool (A10). He has hit 10 goals this season (A3).
Diaz scored his 29th Premier League in what was his 101st appearance.