Osamagbe Imadiyi
On Sunday, Arsenal gained a crucial 2-2 draw against Liverpool after rallying from a two-goal deficit, advancing the Gunners one step closer to Champions League qualification. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz gave Mikel Arteta’s team a lead at Anfield in the first half. Gabriel Martinelli, however, cut the deficit before Mikel Merino scored the equalizer for the visitors.
Arsenal held on for a crucial point in the fight for a top-five Premier League finish, despite Merino’s dismissal for a second booking with eleven minutes remaining. Arsenal, in second place, leads sixth-place Aston Villa by five points. On the final day of the season, they will travel to relegated Southampton after playing a pivotal match against third-place Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium the following week. Despite winning just one of their last six league games, Arsenal should only need one more point to guarantee a Champions League berth because they have a significantly better goal differential than all five of their rivals.
Widely expected to join Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold was replaced by Conor Bradley. Alexander-Arnold’s choice has caused division among Liverpool supporters, as some sections of the audience jeered him when he entered the game in the second half and his every move after that was met with jeers. After Liverpool won their record-tying 20th English title two weeks ago, what might have been a thrilling title match had lost all significance. There was still much more at stake for the Gunners when they arrived at Anfield, but the title race had become a procession due to their inability to keep up with Liverpool.
