Arne

It was after Liverpool‘s 4-1 defeat by PSV Eindhoven at Anfield in November that Steven Gerrard said his old team just kept on “bleeding”.

A ninth defeat in 12 matches was inflicted that night, but Liverpool have stemmed the painful flow and are now 10 games unbeaten since being embarrassed by the Dutch champions.

With a spirited display in Thursday’s goalless draw against leaders Arsenal, Arne Slot’s side became the first visiting team to take a Premier League point at Emirates Stadium since Manchester City in September.

Conor Bradley’s first-half effort which struck the crossbar was the closest either side went to scoring, while Liverpool were the better team in the second half with 66% possession.

Without a recognised striker, however, they lacked a focal point to their attacks.

Had Hugo Ekitike been fit enough to feature, the visitors could perhaps have taken the win, though this was still a decent night for Liverpool.

After poor showings in recent draws against Leeds and Fulham, last season’s champions delivered a performance from which Slot can take plenty of positives.

Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch were solid in midfield and Milos Kerkez had arguably his best game for the club as he dealt superbly with the threat of Bukayo Saka.

Defensively, Liverpool prevented Arsenal having an attempt in the second half until stoppage time. Mikel Arteta’s side have now failed to score against Liverpool in both games this season.

“I think Arne Slot will be absolutely delighted with the performance of the players,” said ex-Reds forward Daniel Sturridge on Sky Sports.

“You’ve got to give him credit for his game plan. They weathered the storm for the first 20 minutes. After that, their work rate, how tenacious they were, it was a very experienced performance and they showed why they are champions.

“They lacked the cutting edge up front but had very positive moments. Jeremie Frimpong was a threat all night but missed the final pass. Florian Wirtz was very good, picked up a load of pockets and was very clean tonight. The list goes on. The defence was magnificent.

“They stopped attacks all night and I think the manager and players should be very proud of themselves. They performed exceptionally.”

Arsenal‘s Gabriel Martinelli has apologised for trying to push injured Liverpool defender Conor Bradley off the pitch during Thursday’s 0-0 draw between the teams.

Northern Ireland international Bradley landed awkwardly near the touchline when chasing the ball in stoppage time, falling to the ground and immediately clutching his knee.

Martinelli then dropped the ball on the full-back before shoving him in the back in an attempt to get him off the playing surface to allow the game to continue.

That action sparked a melee between the two sets of players, with Martinelli and Liverpool‘s Ibrahima Konate both yellow-carded for their involvement.

After receiving treatment, Bradley was taken away on a stretcher and was later seen leaving Emirates Stadium on crutches and with a knee brace.

Former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Roy Keane were both highly critical of Martinelli, with Neville saying his actions were “absolutely disgraceful” and describing the Arsenal winger as an “idiot”.

Martinelli later issued an apology on social media, saying the two players had been in contact and he had already said sorry.

“I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment,” Martinelli posted on Instagram.

“I want to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting. Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot defended Martinelli after the match, suggesting the wider issue of time-wasting in football may have led to the flashpoint.

“I don’t know Gabriel Martinelli, but he comes across as a nice guy,” said Slot.

“I think the problem for him – and it’s a problem in general in football – is that there is so much time-wasting and players pretending that they are injured in the final parts of the game and during the game, that you can sometimes be annoyed if you want to try to score a goal that you think the player is time-wasting.

“You cannot ask Martinelli to think so clear in the 94th minute.”

Arne Slot says Liverpool are doing enough things right to be winning their matches more comfortably following a nervy 2-1 victory against Premier League bottom club Wolves.

MATCH REPORT: Liverpool 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

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