Salah’s late equaliser earns a point for Liverpool

LONDON, AP:

As the weeks go by, Liverpool is showing the quality and resilience to be Manchester City’s chief title rival in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Arsenal yesterday, with Mohamed Salah scoring the second equaliser in the 81st minute at Emirates Stadium.

It is just one loss in 13 games in all competitions for Liverpool under new manager Arne Slot this season. A testing past week has seen the Reds beat Chelsea 2-1 in the league, eke out a 1-0 win in Leipzig in the Champions League, and now battle back for a draw at Arsenal — the other likely challengers for City’s crown.

If Liverpool’s inner belief is growing, then doubts might be increasing about Arsenal’s durability in the title race after finishing runner-up to City for the past two seasons.

The biggest concern might be the list of injuries, to which defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber were added after they came off in the second half. With defensive linchpin William Saliba missing through suspension, Arsenal finished the game with a makeshift back four and paid the price as a long ball forward from Trent Alexander-Arnold found Darwin Nunez, who crossed for Salah to sidefoot home.

It left Liverpool in second place, a point behind City, and Arsenal five points off the pace after nine games.

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said his teammates were a “bit disappointed.”

“We just felt we didn’t show our best selves for the 90 minutes,” said Saka, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute on his return from a hamstring injury.

Virgil van Dijk equalised with a header from a corner, only for Spain midfielder Mikel Merino to head in Declan Rice’s free kick to put Arsenal back in front.

Salah’s equaliser meant he has scored against Arsenal in eight straight seasons and remains Liverpool’s man for the big occasion.

As for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, he was left to bemoan his team’s lack of “courage” in the second half as the attacking intent faded and defensive injuries told.

TEN HAG FRUSTRATED

If seeing a player miss an open goal wasn’t bad enough for Erik ten Hag, the Manchester United manager then had to endure the VAR overturning an on-field decision to give a stoppage-time penalty that plunged his team to a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.

Jarrod Bowen converted a highly disputed penalty in the second minute of added-on time after a foul by Matthijs de Ligt as United counted the cost of a string of wasted chances, notably when Diogo Dalot sidefooted over when faced with an empty net in the first half.

“We have to score, we created so many chances,” said Ten Hag, whose United team has lost four of its nine games and is languishing in 14th place in the 20-team standings.

Crysencio Summerville put West Ham ahead against the run of play in the 74th before Casemiro equalised for United at Olympic Stadium.

Yesterday’s results: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle, Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham, West Ham 2-1 Manchester United, Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool.