Point proven? Well, not exactly. Just when Arsenal looked ready to lay down a real marker for their title aspirations, a rejuvenated Liverpool side that has been through the wringer since they were crowned champions last season proved the Gunners are still far from the finished article.

It could have been even worse for Mikel Arteta’s side if Liverpool had been awarded one of two potential penalties or if Conor Bradley’s brilliant chip had not struck the crossbar in the first half. Arne Slot will be delighted with the way his much-maligned defence coped with Arsenal’s threat before the break.

Ed Aarons’ match report

The last email of the night comes from Peter Oh

“Arsenal’s winning run? End of.”

The updated Premier League table

90+7 min Madueke wins a corner, Arsenal’s first of the second half. There is added added time because of the Bradley injury time.

90+5 min: Liverpool substitution Bradley is stretchered off, hands over his face. Joe Gomez replaces him. Gary Neville has called Martinelli’s actions “disgraceful… I don’t know why a Liverpool player didn’t just whack him and take a red card.”

90+3 min Bradley collapses in pain after losing his footing when putting the ball out for a throw-in. Martinelli drops the ball on the prostate Bradley – I’m not certain he meant to do it* - and then tries to push him off the pitch. The second part was deliberate, and it’s bang out of order because Bradley was in obvious pain. It kicks off briefly and there are yellow cards for both Martinelli and Konate.

* Edit: having seen it again, it did look deliberate

90+2 min Jesus and Konate try to undress one another in the penalty area. To the distaste of the home crowd, the referee gives a free-kick to Liverpool.

90+2 min And there’s another, a whipped shot from the left of the area by Martinelli after a lively run. Alisson falls to his left and holds on.

90+1 min Four minutes of added time. Saliba’s cross from a narrow position is headed towards goal by Jesus and held easily by Alisson.

It was a very tough chance for Jesus as he jumped backwards, but at least it’s an attempt on target – Arsenal’s first of the half.

90 min Mac Allister is booked for a tactical foul.

89 min A draw would leave Arsenal six points clear with 17 games to play, still a very healthy lead given the vulnerability of their fellow title challengers. But most people – certainly this pri- writer – expected a bit of a statement victory tonight.

88 min “The tension is palpable,” writes Alan Baverstock. “I am really palping the tension. I can definitely palp the tension. The tension is being palped.”

We both know that entire email is palp fiction.

87 min “Dare I say it or are Liverpool outpassing Arsenal in this second half?” asks Colum Fordham. “Some very slick, tikitaka-like interchanges between Slot’s players. Nice to see Szoboszlai playing further upfield where he is bossing play. Also impressed by Kerkez this evening who is closing down Saka very well.”

You dare say it. Given the quality of opposition and their own issues, Liverpool’s second-half performance has been quite outstanding.

86 min Arsenal still haven’t had an attempt at goal since half-time. In that context, a late winner would literally stink of symbolism.

85 min Now one of the Liverpool backroom staff has been booked, Sipke Hulshoff I think.

84 min “Re: Kari’s 34min note of remembering joys of games played in torrential rain,” begins Saffron Rainey. “I was a student in Valladolid in 94. The Blancavioletas were bobbling at the base of La Liga when the great Barcelona team of Johan Cruyff rolled into town midweek in March. The heavens opened and the Jose Zorrilla was treated to an incredible performance from the Blaugrana winning 3-1. Stoichkov, Koeman, Guardiola, Romario and Michael Laudrup. Amavisca scored a good consolation goal. Everyone left the stadium soaked and smiling.”

This video isn’t the best but it gives a flavour of the conditions that day.

83 min Mikel Arteta has been booked for repeatedly leaving his technical area. How strange that he should suddenly start doing that after all these years.

82 min Szoboszlai is fouled 25 yards from goal by Gabriel Jesus. His second free-kick is much better, a dipping effort that brushes the top of the net. The leaping David Raya probably had it covered.

80 min Zubimendu drives an outstandinbg long pass to Timber, who controls it on the chest and plays it quickly to Madueke. He beats Kerkez and plays an inviting ball across the face of goal. Alas for Arsenal, all the other attackers were on their heels.

78 min: Double substitution for Arsenal Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze replace Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. A year or two ago it would have been unthinkable that Arsenal would take off Saka and Odegaard while chasing a winner.

77 min A low shot from Szobozslai on the edge of the area is blocked by Gabriel. Liverpool have been brilliant in the second half and a winning goal wouldn’t flatter them.

76 min Frimpong runs Rice down the right and hits a cross that is headed away by Saliba. Szoboszlai collects on the edge of the area and splashes a half-volley into orbit. A very tough chance, even for him.

75 min “Your MBM correspondents have been wonderful tonight, far better than the 22 players on the pitch,” writes Nick Parish. “Charles Antaki is particularly masterful. I think he should be summonable on demand, like a genie or a Deliveroo order. We could have used him when Travis Head was smashing 634 not out off 11 balls, that’s for sure.”

How dare you bring up Perth 2025, on today of all days.

75 min The decision to play Bradley and Frimpong on the right has worked really well for Liverpool; their greatest attacking threat has been down that side.

72 min In the second half Arsenal have had 25 per cent possession and no attempts at goal. Crikey.

70 min Saka is lucky not to be booked for a gratuitous hack at Kerkez.

68 min “‘The low block’ fits readily into our contemporary social habits of antagonism: it’s just this thing,” writes Dean Potter. “A noun that is against us. We hate it! Whereas someone has to ‘sit deep’. A person, with feelings and a dog. Probably a useless c-word, to be sure, but a human being or eight.”

I think this is already my favourite MBM email of 2026.

67 min Martinelli runs towards a long pass from Odegaard and then goes over in the area after a little shove from Frimpong. It’s checked and eventually cleared by VAR.

65 min Frimpong scampers into the area from the right, with a chance to shoot across goal from a tightish angle. Instead he tries to tee up Wirtz and plays the ball behind him. That was a really good opening for Liverpool.

65 min: Double substitution The Gabriels, Jesus and Martinelli, come on for the ineffective Leando Trossard and the anonymous Viktor Gyokeres. Apparently he had only one touch in the second half.

64 min “Hold on, son, are Arsenal actually sitting back now?” writes Ian Copestake. “ Am I Arteta? Am I made of Lego?”

63 min After a good Liverpool move, Szoboszlai pings a drive from 22 yards that is blocked by Gabriel.

Liverpool are the better team right now.

62 min … but this time Szoboszlai wobbles the free-kick miles wide.

61 min Zubimendi fouls Mac Allister 28 yards from goal, very similar to the position from which Szoboszlai scored the winner in the return game at Anfield…

60 min A good spell of possession for Liverpool, who have grown into the game after a very tough first 25 minutes.

57 min: Arsenal substitution Arsenal have all kinds of attacking options on the bench: Merino, Jesus, Eze, Martinelli, Madueke – and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has just come on to replace the injured PIero Hincapie.

56 min Trossard slalmons infield from the left and clips a pass towards the unmarked Saka on the first side of the area. It’s cut out by … Zubimendi, who made a late run himself but miscontrolled an awkward pass out of play. I’m pretty sure Trossard was looking for Saka.

54 min “While we’re doing linguistic stuff,” writes Shaun T, “one phrase always grates with me.

‘I’m speechless.’

‘Well, no, you’re not are you.’

53 min A few grumbles from the home fans as Kerkez takes his time over a throw-in. You’d still fancy Arsenal to win, but so far Liverpool have played this beautifully.

50 min “If Arsenal want to beat us,” writes Liverpool fan Ian Copestake, “then they should switch immediately to a low block.”

When did the low block defenestrate the perfectly valid phrase ‘sit deep’? Was it that Mourinho bloke’s doing?

48 min Wirtz dances brilliantly past three players in the area, then goes over after a slightly absent-minded challenge from Trossard. Anthony Taylor doesn’t give a penalty and it’s eventually cleared by VAR. It was a risky challenge from Trossard, probably one of those where the on-field decision would have been upheld either way.

47 min “Van Dijk (36 min) doesn’t get enough credit for being a huge moaner,” says Sean Orlowicz. “Beginning of.”

46 min Peep peep! Arsenal get the second half under way.

“I imagine that the Arsenal FC HR department will be looking at my application for the centre-forward role with some urgency now,” writes Charles Antaki, “as there seems to be no one actually fulfilling it on the pitch at the moment.”

Half-time reading

45+2 min The replay of that Frimpong incident shows Hincapie did kick his left ankle. The contact was slight, and the consensus is it was nowhere near enough for a penalty. But there is also a valid argument that the contact from Hincapie was the only reason Frimpong turned his ankle and went over in genuine pain.

I haven’t a clue any more.

45+1 min Two minutes of added time.

45 min “Thanks for raising the notion of nominal fatalism,” begins Nigel Moore, “as it reduces in a nutshell every game and perhaps even every MBM commentary to the logical and depressing principle of bivalence, ie P or not-P.”

44 min Liverpool need half-time. Rice plays a superb first-time pass into the area to find Saka, who tries desperately to find half a yard for a clear shot. Kerkez does really well to stay with Saka an block the eventual shot.

44 min Timber’s chipped cross is headed away as far as Rice on the edge of the D. The ball bounces awkwardly and Rice improvises a decent shot that is comfortably saved to his right by Alisson.

43 min “I remember when Juve needed a draw away to Perugia to win the league in the last game of the 1999-2000 season and lost 1-0 in torrential rain,” says David Penney. “The ref checked at half time to see if the game could continue by bouncing the ball on the pitch. It went splat in a puddle and refused to rebound. Game on, he said!”

41 min Arsenal have resumed control since Bradley hit the crossbar. But Liverpool, whose defence has been in the stocks for much of the season, deserve a lot of credit for restricting them to so few chances.

40 min “It goes without saying,” says Niall Mullen.

39 min The corner is half cleared to Rice, who flashes a brilliant ball right across the face of goal with his left foot. Gyokeres hadn’t made a typical centre-forward’s run; had he done so he might have had an open goal.

38 min A replay shows that Frimpong twisted his ankle very nastily while competing for that ball with Hincapie (not Saliba). Thankfully he’s on his feet because that could have been a lot worse.

36 min Frimpong suddenly goes over in the area after a challenge from Saliba. There’s no appeal for a penalty, and Gary Neville thinks he may have twisted his ankle.

Arsenal break and Trossard’s cross-shot takes a slight touch before rolling past the far post.

Before the corner is taken, a few of the players get involved in a slanging match, presumably because Liverpool are unhappy that Arsenal played on while Frimpong was down. It’s not a head injury.

34 min “I’m not very nostalgic for the football of yesteryear, with some exceptions (no VAR and no Gianni, mostly),” begins Kári Tulinius. “And I don’t really miss pitches that became reminiscent of the Somme in 1918 once there was a light sprinkle. However, there could be something glorious in seeing two top teams struggle as much against the conditions as each other. My favourite example isn’t very ancient, namely Pep’s Barcelona playing Bielsa’s Athletic in a torrential downpour. I’m sure you can think of other such occasions.”

31 min No sign of Arsenal frustration yet, but it will grow if they continue to dominate so much of the game without creating any clear chances.

29 min “ ‘End of’ is a wonderful example a phrase that means its exact opposite,” writes Hugh Collins. “Along with ‘I don’t mean to pry’ and ‘he’s not that kind of player’.”

I’m not having a go, but.

26 min A good couple of minutes for Liverpool, who give their defence a bit of respite by keeping the ball in the middle third.

24 min A rare Liverpool attack leads to Gravenberch having a shot from the edge of the area that is blocked.

23 min Trossard slows down to draw Bradley towards him on the left, then beats him with an exhilarating change of pace. He gets to the byline, same as Saka a few minutes ago, but his cutback is cleared.

21 min Arsenal are dishing out a kind of chanceless hammering. Liverpool are increasingly on the edge at the back but Alisson hasn’t had any difficult saves to make. Y E T.

20 min “What if someone said, ‘henceforth there will be no more end ofs. End of’?” wonders Joshua Keeling. “Then you couldn’t use it anymore…”

Interesting proposition. Tell you what, how about we just switch the internet off for the next five years and let society do a reset?

17 min On Sky Sports, Peter Drury asks Gary Neville how he would play against Bukayo Saka. “Very difficult,” says Neville.

In other news, here’s a video from a popular dopamine factory called YouTube.

16 min Timber’s dangerous header back across goal is crucially cleared by the off-balance Van Dijk. Moments later, Saka produces some magic in a phonebox to beat Mac Allister, and get to the byline in the area. He stabs the ball back but it’s slightly behind Zubimendi at the near post and Liverpool clear.

15 min The stats say Arsenal have had 55 per cent possession but it feels closer to 70.

Stats and feels, forever in opposition.

14 min “I’m not an Arsenal fan, I’ll get that in early,” says Joshua Keeling. “I just want to say I don’t really get the Gyokeres debate. He’s class. End of.”

Imagine how much better life would be if the phrase ‘end of’ was taken literally. Every time somebody uses it, that’s it – the subject is off limits forever more. No more discussion, no more arguments, no more volanic takes, no more end ofs.

I feel calmer just thinking about it.

12 min Liverpool break from an Arsenal corner until Wirtz is pulled back by Trossard. He’s booked.

10 min A peripheral-vision header down from Gyokeres finds Trossard in space, 22 yards out. He mishits a shot into the ground and Konate heads clear.

10 min Liverpool’s plan is to use the pace of Gakpo and Frimpong in wide positions. But so far they haven’t been able to do that at all, with Arsenal pinning them back for the majority of the first 10 minutes.

8 min “Regarding the weather,” begins Ian Copestake, “the southerners and their northern guests will be enduring, I do hope future winter strips include a onesie.”

Masculinity RIP. Some players are even wearing gloves tonight.

7 min Nothing to report. Arsenal are making the running but so far Liverpool have kept them at arm’s length.

5 min “The weird thing about the non-centre-forward fear tonight is that the curious case of the non-centre-forward is how Liverpool won the league,” writes Paul Griffin. “Darwin Nunez just wasn’t very good, so Luis Diaz played there a lot, doing a lot of Sun Ra difficult jazz movement and very little trad jazz knock-it-up-to-the big-man-business at all.

“The solution to this title-winning non problem was to buy two centre forwards, one of whom admittedly does quite a lot of Eric Dolphy weird jazz. I’m not sure the club does needed to drop £200m to fix the aforementioned non problem, especially when they could have paid me £100,000 a week not to be a centre forward. In fact my agent says I’ll do it for £12. And some Bisto.”

So that’s Paul Griffin up front at one end and Charles Antaki at the other. And is that Gary Naylor I can see patrolling the centre of midfield like a marginally less attractive Pirlo?

4 min It’s a truly disgusting night at the Emirates, John Cusack weather. On Sky Sports, Gary Neville suggests a combination of the wind and rain may preclude a free-flowing contest.

3 min “Give the Liverpool warm-up top a break,” says Justin Kavanagh. “When your team is so dull that even their own coach can’t defend their adrenaline-draining football, you need a bit of colour somewhere in the mix. Remember the great ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ team’s bruised banana kit back in the early 90s? Dog’s vomit, maybe, comes closest to a marketing description.”

2 min Liverpool have started with Gakpo on the left and Wirtz and Szoboszlai as a pair of false nines in a 4-2-4-0 formation. That’s the system that worked so well when they won at the Etihad last season, with Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as the false nines.

1 min Liverpool kick off from right to left as we watch. Arsenal have waited 22 years to win their 14th league title; a win today would bring it tantalisingly close.

“I’m glad to see Zubimendi is playing tonight,” writes Peadar de Búrca. “I got an earful from a Spanish friend who was visiting over Christmas for not pronouncing the ‘Z’ in Zaragoza as ‘Th’. Everytime I introduced her to my friends and told them where she came from, she shot me daggers, much like I used to when my mother would proclaim, ‘I don’t like that Alec Ferguson fella...’

“Funny thing is, she’s a big Coronation Street fan and Roy Barraclough, the scheming landlord from the Rovers Return was always ‘Alex Gilroy’ to her. Ay up cock and happy new year!”

“The Liverpool warmup top,” begins Peter Oh, “looks like the result of opening up a tub of raspberry yoghurt that’s been sitting out too long.”

Flip that’s just reminded me of something. Be back in fridge minutes.

Mikel Arteta’s pre-match thoughts

[Have last night’s results made this an even bigger game?] We can only focus on what we have to do. Let me ask you a question, Patrick: have you read about Harry Brook? What a shocker. The night before a game!

Creating an amazing atmosphere and energy is really helpful. The margins are always small in these games so anything we can add is really important.

Liverpool are very dangerous. The line-up gives you a clear idea of what they want to do; it’s very different to what they did aginast Fulham. We have to make sure we know what to do.

“Arsenal have been annoyingly composed and consistent over the winter holidays and into the new year,” writes Peter Oh, “but I’m an optimist and haven’t given up hope of an imminent ‘Oh Arsenal!’ extended dip in form.

“Preferably starting today.”

Does this email constitute nominative fatalism?

Three-eights of the Spanish midfield

Jonathan O’Malley has written in again to explain the comment that whooshed straight over my big bald head.

Commentating on the Brugge v Arsenal game, Martin Keown reckoned that Arsenal were benefitting from having three quarters of the Spanish midfield with Merino and Zubimendi, which immediately impressed on me the importance of ruthless precision and accidental comedy for those hoping to make it at the business end of the #punditry game.

Niche, but somehow I thought you’d appreciate it. If you’re explaining, etc.

Mikel Arteta has challenged his strikers to score more than 20 goals in a season and backed Viktor Gyökeres as the Premier League leaders prepare to face Liverpool.

The Sweden striker is the club’s joint-top scorer in the league with Leandro Trossard on five. No Arsenal player has passed the 20-goal mark in the league since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed 22 in the 2019-20 season, Arteta’s first in charge.

Gyökeres has not scored from open play since the 2-0 win at Burnley at the start of November and Arsenal are on course to set a Premier League record if they win the title. Chelsea’s Frank Lampard in 2004-05 and Manchester City’s Ilkay Gündogan in 2020-21 are tied on 13 as the lowest top scorers in a team crowned champions. Dennis Bergkamp holds that record for Arsenal with 16 in 1997-98.

Arteta was asked whether that was a concern or whether he preferred to spread the goals around the team. “We want the goals to be spread and our strikers to score over 20 goals,” he said. “That’s the idea.”

It’s a gorgeous January night in north London: driving rain, bone-jarring cold, studied-haircut-busting wind. Football as nature intended.

“Arsenal’s bench is insane,” says Jonathan O’Malley. “By my reckoning the bench alone accounts for three eights of the Spanish midfield.”

I’m nodding like a dog at the first sentence. I haven’t a clue what the second means, though that might be because I’m adjusting to being awake at this hour.

“Rob, can I share one of my New Year’s resolutions with you?” writes Charles ANtaki. “ I know you’ll keep it under your hat. I’ve resolved to offer myself to Arsenal Football Club as their new centre-forward. HR will object that there’s little evidence that I can play football at the elite level (quite true; indeed, at any level whatsoever), and I certainly don’t score enough (in fact any) goals. But on those two criteria I’m more or less par with the current incumbent.

“What puts me ahead is maturity, listening skills and a pleasant demeanour. Admittedly those aren’t on the ‘essential’ side of the job description ledger, but surely they’d be on the ‘desirable’ list? Anyway: mum’s the word for the moment, until I hear back from the club.”

Has he really been that bad? (That’s a genuine question, not a rebuttal – you’ve seen more of Arsenal than I have.) Is he the Stephane Guivarc’h des nos jours? Or did the tactics mafiosi eventually conclude that Guivarc’h played an important role, unrecognised by the ignoramii, at France 98?

Arne Slot’s pre-match thoughts

[On the absence of Hugo Ekitike] Missing players is never nice. It makes it even harder when the other option as a No9 is also not available. Pace is an important weapon, especially against a team who have a lot of the ball and defend so far from their own goal.

[On bringing in Jeremie Frimpong] We’ve brought in a bit of pace with Jeremie. He’s been out for four or five months – not all the time, but mainly – and I decided to use him as a sub against Fulham so that he would could start tonight.

Both [Wirtz and Gakpo] can play as the No9. It will be fluid.

Arsenal are constantly improving, every year, and they are probably in the best moment of the last 5, 10, 15 years.

Arne Slot has said it hurts his principles as an attacking coach to hear his Liverpool team described as boring but he could not entirely disagree on current form.

Liverpool have stabilised after a damaging sequence of nine defeats in 12 matches, the club’s worst return in 71 years, with a nine-game unbeaten run but are struggling to produce convincing performances. Successive draws against Fulham and Leeds have prompted further criticism of Slot’s style and resulted in the champions falling 14 points behind the leaders, Arsenal, who they face at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

The Liverpool head coach admits being stung by accusations his team’s approach is dull. “I find it really hard to hear but I would not completely disagree,” said Slot, who could be without Hugo Ekitiké for a second successive game. “I would use different words and I would take certain things into account. I want to win as many trophies as I can but I think I am also known for the fact that my teams always try to play attacking football and I can only say they’re trying to do so.