Match of the Day pundits Dion Dublin and Phil Jones look at how Portsmouth were punished by Arsenal’s set pieces as the Gunners secure comfortable 4-1 win to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
READ MORE: ‘Big personality’ Martinelli goes from ‘idiot’ to hat-trick hero
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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.”
Arsenal miss the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after they are held to a frustrating goalless draw by Liverpool.
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Who: Arsenal vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Emirates Stadium in London, United Kingdom
When: Thursday, January 8, at 8pm (20:00 GMT).
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
Table-topping Arsenal entertain defending champions Liverpool in a mouth-watering offering in the English Premier League on Thursday, with glory on offer for the former but pride heavily at stake for the latter.
The Gunners are searching for their first league title since 2003, while the Reds are licking their wounds from a season that has almost inexplicably imploded following their runaway success last term.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the match in which a home win is fully expected, but nothing can ever be taken for granted in the Premier League.
The Gunners have stormed to top spot as manager Mikel Arteta looks to go one better than three consecutive second-placed finishes in the English top flight.
Only one defeat in 21 matches to begin the season – the loss coming at Liverpool – has marked Arsenal as the team to stop on all fronts. Free-scoring in front of the goal and miserly at the back, Arteta appears to have finally cracked the code.
The gap with second-placed Manchester City is six points, ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side welcoming Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Aston Villa are level on points with City, and travel to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on December 30 was regarded as a serious dent to their title ambitions.
The Reds enjoyed a stunning start to the new campaign, which made their demise this season all the more alarming. Slot’s side won their opening five league matches as part of a seven-game winning run in all competitions.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot insists his reigning champions can still do “special things” this season.
“It is nine games unbeaten but we have definitely had two draws too many,” Slot told a pre-match news conference on Wednesday.
A great deal of the focus for the Reds’ slide, which saw them lose the following four Premier League games on the bounce after their fine start, has focused on the fallout with their iconic forward Mohamed Salah.
Slot has insisted the club have moved on since Salah’s departure for international duty with Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but questions remain across the park.
“We haven’t had the consistency but we’ve already beaten some very good teams, so that tells you the talent is definitely there but the consistency isn’t,” he said.
Only 41 goals were conceded by Liverpool last season, but 28 have already been let in during their 20 games so far this season.
The massive summer spending spree, which was headlined by Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz as marquee signings, has seemingly unsettled the balance of a side that stormed to the title last season.
The talent of both, and the rest brought in, is quite clear, but whether Slot can gel them into a side capable of salvaging this season and beyond remains to be seen.
The manager believes his side are still in the reckoning in the league.
“There’s a lot of importance on this match because we still have a lot to play for in the Premier League,” said Slot.
Liverpool secured a 1-0 win against Arsenal in an early-season encounter between the sides in the Premier League on August 31 at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game with an explosive free-kick in the 83rd minute of an otherwise tight match.
The sides could not be separated in last season’s Premier League match at Emirates Stadium, although Liverpool had to twice come from behind – including a late Mohamed Salah leveller – to snare a 2-2 draw.
Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino had given the Gunners the lead twice in the first half with Virgil van Dijk netting in between.
The Reds, however, had to nervously wait until the 81st minute for Salah to secure a point.
Arsenal’s last win against Liverpool came three seasons ago, courtesy of a 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium in February 2024.
A fiery match saw nine yellow cards shown and Reds defender Ibrahima Konate sent off in the 88th minute when his side were still searching for an equaliser.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored in either half to twice give the Gunners the lead, either side of Gabriel Magalhaes’s own goal.
Leandro Trossard rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute.
The Gunners are on a seven-game winning streak, during which they have netted 13 goals and conceded only six – two of which came in the win against Brighton in their last game.
The north Londoners are the only team to retain an unbeaten home record in the Premier League at this stage, winning nine of their 10 matches at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have fired in 26 goals in front of their own fans in the league this season, and conceded only five.
Bukayo Saka, such a huge part of the Gunners’ form of recent seasons, is aiming to become the first Arsenal player to score in four straight league home games against Liverpool.
Liverpool are unbeaten in nine matches, winning five, but have drawn their last two – both in the league.
The Reds have kept only one clean sheet in their last seven league matches – a 2-0 home victory against Brighton and the 0-0 draw at Leeds two games ago.
Eight goals have been shipped in that time, with 12 scored.
Four of their six defeats this season have come on the road – where they have also won four and drawn two – with 18 goals conceded on their travels and only 17 scored.
Even bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers have not shipped so many goals away from home.
Liverpool are unbeaten in three matches against Arsenal, winning the last match and drawing twice.
That victory for the Reds, however, ended a six-match winless run in the league, during which the Gunners won twice.
The last victory for the Reds prior to that stretch was the last time the Merseysiders won at Emirates Stadium, back in March 2022, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.
The Gunners have won two of the three league meetings in London since then.
This is the 246th meeting between the sides, with Liverpool winning 95 of the matches and Arsenal emerging victorious on 81 occasions.
Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera miss out, with both struggling with ankle problems, while Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt due to an unspecified injury.
Kai Havertz was rested from the squad that was named for the win at Bournemouth and may have to make do with a place on the bench at best as his recovery from a previous injury is managed.
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard
Salah remains at AFCON with Egypt, while Isak is a long-term absentee with a leg injury.
Fellow forward Hugo Ekitike missed the draw with Fulham due to a muscle problem and remains a doubt.
Florian Wirtz is nursing a hamstring problem but is expected to continue to play through the issue.
Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo remain longer-term absentees.
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Jones; Gakpo
Rice has continued to flourish for Arsenal in a more attacking midfield role – having initially been a defensive midfielder for West Ham, and when first moving to the Emirates.
This season he has played more passes into the box than any other Premier League player – 146.
He ranks in the top 10 for touches, chances created and times he has won possession.
Rice has four Premier League goals this season – only Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard (both five) have more for the Gunners – while Belgian forward Trossard is his only team-mate to top his three assists.
Meanwhile, Rice is the top-ranking Arsenal player for line-breaking passes (142) and progressive carries (188).
Arteta said: “He is extremely consistent on everything that you ask him to do, and that is what makes the difference.
“Firstly, he has the abilities and the qualities to achieve that, but then you need the consistency to do it, and he is doing it every single day, and then you see that kind of performance.”
On being told it was the first time he has scored twice in a league game, Rice told Sky Sports: “That’s a crazy stat.
“I haven’t scored a lot this season, I’d only scored two, so to grab a brace today in an important victory was a really nice feeling. When you win and you’re able to help out the team like I did today always adds that extra bit of a special feeling.”
Rice has scored five goals in 12 Premier League games against Bournemouth, more than double the goals he has scored against any other team in the league.
Declan Rice shrugged off a knee injury to extend Arsenal’s advantage at the top of the Premier League to six points with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Bournemouth.
A rare Gabriel Magalhaes error gifted the Cherries an early opener through Evanilson on Saturday, but the Brazilian quickly redeemed himself to level.
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Rice had been a doubt after missing Tuesday’s 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa due to knee swelling.
The England international returned to the starting lineup and doubled his tally for the season with two composed finishes either side of the hour mark.
Eli Kroupi’s fine strike gave Bournemouth hope, but Arsenal comfortably saw out the closing stage to move seven points clear of Manchester City, who host managerless Chelsea in their game in hand on Sunday.
There had been a glimmer of hope for Pep Guardiola’s men when Arsenal conceded after just 10 minutes.
Gabriel mishit his attempted cross-field pass towards Jurrien Timber and presented the ball to his compatriot Evanilson, who slotted past David Raya for his first home goal of the season.
Arsenal’s towering centre-back netted on his first start for nearly two months against Villa in midweek and showed his eye for goal once more to equalise within six minutes
Gabriel pounced to slam home Noni Madueke’s deflected cross for his 20th Premier League goal since he joined the Gunners in 2020 — seven more than any other defender.
Rice has also turned into a useful source of important goals since being pushed into a more advanced role this season.
He was perfectly picked out by Martin Odegaard to slot in from the edge of the box to put the visitors in front on 56 minutes.
Bukayo Saka came off the bench to create Arsenal’s third as Rice swept home his cut-back.
Bournemouth remain without a win, stretching back 11 games to October 26.
However, only five sides have scored more Premier League goals this season than Andoni Iraola’s men.
A stunning strike by Kropi from long range set up a nervy finale.
But Mikel Arteta’s men held firm to take another big step towards ending their 22-year wait to lift the Premier League title.
Aston Villa beat struggling Nottingham Forest 3-1 at their home fortress to ease the pain of their midweek mauling by Arsenal, leapfrogging Manchester City into second place in the Premier League.
Ollie Watkins’s strike on the cusp of half-time gave Unai Emery’s side a deserved lead, and John McGinn scored twice in the second half, either side of a Morgan Gibbs-White goal for the visitors.
Villa’s 11-game winning streak in all competitions was brought to a shuddering halt with a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, raising doubts about their ability to maintain a title charge.
But their impressive record at Villa Park remains intact – they have now won 11 straight matches there since a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in August.
Villa boss Emery told Sky Sports that his players and coaching staff had held a meeting after their chastening loss to Arsenal.
“I am so happy,” he said. “We had to recover our energy and our confidence. Here, at Villa Park, the energy we create was really important.
“Forest are competitive. After the Arsenal match, we met the players and staff: how we are doing this season, how we are feeling, how we needed to keep the same consistency as before, how we needed to be together and strong.”
Villa started brightly on a bitingly cold day in Birmingham, but struggled to make their dominance count in a tepid first half.
But the in-form Watkins broke the deadlock in the closing moments of a half in which they enjoyed nearly 80 percent possession.
The England international received the ball outside the area from Morgan Rogers and slammed home for his fourth goal in three games.
McGinn doubled Villa’s lead in the 49th minute, side-footing home from a Matty Cash cross.
Villa appeared to be cruising, but Forest were back in the game in the 61st minute courtesy of a fine finish from Gibbs-White, who chipped past the diving Emi Martinez.
The home side were gifted a third goal in the 73rd minute when Forest goalkeeper John Victor inexplicably vacated his goalmouth to try to reach a long ball from Youri Tielemans, even though there were defenders nearby.
Scotland midfielder McGinn collected the ball and remained cool, sidestepping Victor and stroking the ball into the empty net with his left foot from well outside the area.
The win took Villa to 42 points, one ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who host managerless Chelsea on Sunday.
Forest, who have now suffered four straight league defeats, remain one place above the relegation zone, four points clear of West Ham, who were thumped 3-0 at bottom-of-the-table Wolves.
“The first half was embarrassing, and I have to apologise to the fans – this is not what we want to show,” beleaguered Hammers’ manager Nuno Espirito Santo said after.
Elsewhere, second-bottom Burnley lost 2-0 at Brighton and Hove Albion.
It had seemed like Arsenal were starting to wobble.
After starting December with defeat by Aston Villa, they were far from convincing as they beat Wolves, Everton and Brighton by narrow margins.
But the Gunners ground out vital results and they answered any lingering doubts over their title credentials with an emphatic 4-1 home victory over Villa on Tuesday.
It not only kept Unai Emery’s in-form side at bay in third place, it served as a powerful statement to any team hoping to derail their trophy ambitions.
Arsenal head into 2026, and the second half of the campaign, at the top of the league – five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, with Villa a further point behind.
“Arsenal doing what they did to Villa tells you where they are,” former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It’s all going right for them because everyone is contributing – the manager, the players, the staff.”
Speaking on Match of the Day, ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy added: “Arsenal‘s performance was a big statement. It was powerful, full of quality and showed their strength in depth.”
But, with a history of letting the title slip from their grasp following three successive runners-up finishes, can Arsenal finally make it count this season and be champions for the first time since 2004?
Aston Villa’s latest comeback win has highlighted coach Unai Emery’s remarkable record of turning around games, which has put his side firmly in the Premier League title race.
After Saturday’s 2-1 win at Chelsea – their 12th in 13th league matches – Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
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And it is not just this year that the Spaniard has been affecting games with his decision-making. Across the last three seasons, Villa have won more points from matches in which they were losing than any other Premier League team, according to data firm Opta.
In the 58th minute on Saturday, with Chelsea 1-0 up and looking in control, Emery gambled on a triple substitution, bringing on Ollie Watkins and more attacking firepower in the form of winger Jadon Sancho, along with midfielder Amadou Onana.
Five minutes later, Watkins pounced on a through ball by Morgan Rogers to beat Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.
Buoyed by their equaliser and their change of personnel, Villa looked transformed from the side that was pinned back by their hosts for most of the first hour.
In the 84th minute, Watkins – hoping for a place in the England World Cup squad next summer – met a Youri Tielemans corner with an angled header that left Sanchez with no chance.
“He’s a tactical genius,” Watkins said when asked by Sky Sports about Emery’s ability to change the momentum of matches.
The coach himself tried to sound a bit less effusive. “It’s something, of course, that makes us proud of everything we are doing,” Emery said when asked about Villa’s ability to turn losing situations into victories.
He sought to play down his side’s chances of winning the title, despite their blistering form.
“I am not feeling it,” Emery said. “I am feeling we competing very well, and we are now the third in the league with two teams, Manchester City and Arsenal, wow.”
But with the season only halfway through, Villa, who struggled badly at the start of the campaign, need to show more consistency, he said.
Villa face league leaders Arsenal in London on Tuesday.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had to face questions about much less impressive statistics for his young side, who have dropped 11 points from winning positions in home Premier League matches this season – four more than any other side.
“We need to understand why when we concede a goal, we struggle a bit to manage the game,” the Italian told reporters.
He was left to rue Chelsea’s failure to build a bigger lead before Villa’s fightback.
“By the time they scored the goal, I think we should have scored two to three goals,” Maresca said.
Manchester City threw down the gauntlet for the second successive weekend, and Arsenal proved undaunted as they kicked off their festive fixtures with a narrow 2-1 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion to stay as Premier League leaders on Saturday.
City won 2-1 at Nottingham Forest, with Rayan Cherki grabbing a goal and an assist to briefly move to the top of the pile.
But Arsenal, just as they had done last week by beating Everton after City’s earlier win over West Ham United, were unwavering as captain Martin Odegaard scored his first goal of the season for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal also needed an own goal and a spectacular save by keeper David Raya to preserve their lead, as the halfway point in the Premier League season looms.
The London side have 42 points from 18 games, with City on 40.
When Odegaard drilled in a 14th-minute opener for the Gunners, and Georginio Rutter’s own goal from a Declan Rice corner made it 2-0 shortly after the break, it should have been a routine three points for the hosts.
But Diego Gomez’s reply for Brighton changed the complexion of the contest, and there was relief at the final whistle as Arsenal cleared another obstacle in the title chase.
“The knock-on effect of winning is incredibly powerful,” Arteta said of a victory that should have been easier.
“It should never be 2-1, but that’s the Premier League. What I like is that we have a lot of issues [but] we’re dealing with it in an incredible way. Yesterday, we lost Jurrien [Timber]; today, we lost [Riccardo] Calafiori in the warm-up; Declan [Rice] has to play as a full-back, and you see the performance that he put in. So, that’s the spirit and that’s how much our players want it.”
Florian Wirtz scored his first Liverpool goal as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on an emotional Anfield afternoon, when both sets of fans remembered the late Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in July.
Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead shortly after Ryan Gravenberch had put them in front, although Wolves rallied in the second half and Santiago Bueno pulled a goal back.
Reigning champions Liverpool moved fourth on 32 points, while the misery for the bottom club Wolves continues.
They have now broken the Premier League record for winless starts to a season and have two points from 18 games, and are 16 points behind the fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.