Liverpool blow title race open after thrilling Arsenal draw

LIVERPOOL, England (AP):

Leading 2-0 at Anfield after just 28 minutes, Arsenal’s travelling fans were in dreamland.

By the end, the English Premier League leaders were left clinging on for a point as Liverpool blew the title race wide open.

While it was the home crowd celebrating the loudest as the final whistle blew on a thrilling 2-2 draw, Manchester City feel like the biggest winners.

This could prove a pivotal weekend in determining who will be crowned champions, with the gap at the top down to six points and second-place City still having a game in hand on Arsenal.

With the leading pair also still to play at City’s Etihad Stadium at the end of the month, both teams can determine their own fate.

On the face of it, a point at Anfield is a solid-enough result at one of the most daunting stadiums in football. But this felt like an opportunity missed after Arsenal had cruised into a commanding position through goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus and looked on course for an eighth straight win in the league.

That was until Granit Xhaka’s confrontation with Trent Alexander-Arnold late in the first half, which led to bookings for both players and also roused the home crowd.

Mohamed Salah scored almost immediately after that flashpoint, and in the second half it was the Liverpool of old as the Merseyside club dominated the game.

Salah missed a penalty in the 54th minute and Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale produced a string of saves around substitute Roberto Firmino’s equaliser in the 87th.

“When you concede at the end it’s always two points dropped, because you have it and you’re suffering in certain moments,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said afterwards. “The feeling is ‘Aah, we should have done it.’

“We have to look at ourselves in the mirror, and we should have done better in the second half.”

City’s 4-1 win against Southampton on Saturday was the defending champions’ eighth win in succession, extending their unbeaten run to 12 games.

That is title-winning form and an ominous statement of intent to Arsenal, who have gone 19 years since last lifting the league championship.

The London club’s nerve will be put to the test when it travels to City on April 26, in what could effectively be a play-off for the title.

“Every single day is a test,” Arteta said. “The test now is how good are we going to be on Monday, and how well will we prepare and play the way we want to play to beat West Ham (next Sunday).”

LIVERPOOL BOUNCE BACK

For the best part of an hour, it was vintage Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s team produced a reminder of why it has been one of European football’s dominant teams in recent years.

Having already beaten City, Manchester United and Napoli at home this season, the Merseysiders brought Arsenal down to earth.

The problem for Klopp, whose team looks certain to miss out on Champions League qualification this season, is that Liverpool just cannot seem to do it on a consistent basis.

In another match yesterday, Crystal Palace beat hosts Leeds 5-1.