Arteta, notably more cheerful in his recent post-match interviews, offered an intriguing perspective on Arsenal’s hard-fought 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. He commended his players for standing their ground in the midst of Anfield’s fervent atmosphere, a setting that has historically troubled many Arsenal teams. The stellar performance of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in central defense ensured the Gunners maintained their top spot in the Premier League.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta expressed, “We wanted to [go head-to-head] against a team that plays that way in this atmosphere. To do that today shows that we can go to any ground and play that way. I think there were ‘washing machine’ moments for both teams. We missed some big players when we came here last year, crucial elements that you need to have to be able to play this way against them. We had that today.”
Reflecting on the match, Arteta added, “An unbelievable game of football, one of the most intense I’ve witnessed in 20 years in this league. For many moments we were on top, in the last 20 minutes we wanted it more, but a draw is a fair result.”
Arsenal’s league victory at Anfield hasn’t occurred since September 2012, during Arteta’s time as a player, and securing a win today seemed improbable. Despite a penalty shout for a Martin Odegaard handball and a missed opportunity by Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Gunners are content with the draw that maintains their league-leading position. Yet, the true beneficiaries of the match were Manchester City, fresh from their Club World Cup triumph, aiming to close the gap on those ahead of them.
For the second consecutive year, Arsenal will be atop the Premier League on Christmas Day. Encouragingly for Arteta, in the past 14 seasons, the team leading at Christmas has clinched the league title 10 times. Conversely, Arsenal have been Christmas leaders on three occasions (2002-03, 2007-08, and 2022-23) without winning the title.
Arsenal performance and stats
Arsenal is currently 1st in the Premier League with 40 points.
In the last 18 games, it has won 12 times, drawn 4 times, and lost twice. In its last match, Arsenal drawn 1-1 against Liverpool.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 36 goals and conceding 16.
Arsenal will play the next match in Premier League against West Ham United on Tuesday 26th of December in London. The prediction is Arsenal winning the match.
