Premier League 2025/26: Arsenal plays goalless draw against Liverpool, misses chance to extend lead at the top

Arsenal missed the chance to go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League in a swollen 0-0 draw with champions Liverpool at a rain-soaked Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta’s side had won seven consecutive home games and were expected to capitalize on their title rivals’ loss of points the previous evening against injury-hit Liverpool, who started without a recognized striker.

Liverpool looked overrun early but grew in stature and came closest to breaking the deadlock when Conor Bradley hit the crossbar in the first half.

Arsenal sent a whole series of attacking substitutes after the break, but that had too little effect as a cagey game did not occur.

The draw leaves Arsenal six points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa, while Liverpool remain fourth, 14 points behind, despite a nine-match unbeaten league run.

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Arsenal failed to put any pressure on Liverpool in a forgettable second half, only earning a corner deep into stoppage time, but even the famous set pieces proved harmless.

There were somber faces among the Arsenal players, both full-time and in the stands, although the London club are favorites to claim a first English title since 2004 with seventeen games remaining.

“The second half was a real battle,” said Arteta. «These games need a magical moment, but it didn’t happen. But if you can’t win it, don’t lose it.»

“We have had a very demanding schedule with six games over the Christmas period and we have come out of it in a very strong position.”

Liverpool were worth their point but suffered further injuries later when Bradley left the field on a stretcher. The incident sparked an ugly fight after Gabriel Martinelli tried to push the affected player off the pitch and was shown a yellow card.

«I understand you want to win, we want to win too, but I think a player’s health is much more important than anything else,» Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai said.

SET PHASE

With City drawing for the third time in a row on Wednesday and Aston Villa also dropping points, the stage looked set for Arsenal to take a stranglehold on the title race.

They dominated possession in the opening stages as Liverpool camped in their own half, but managed just one try from the lively Bukayo Saka to show their early authority.

However, Liverpool, without injured top scorer Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah, had the first big chance thanks to a mix-up between William Saliba and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

Saliba’s high back pass forced Raya into a hasty clearance and the ball fell to Bradley, who spotted Raya off his line, but his chip bounced back off the crossbar before Cody Gakpo’s follow-through was blocked.

With Arsenal settling down, Liverpool began to control the tempo, even as the hosts occasionally threatened.

Leandro Trossard’s effort went wide for Arsenal after a counter-attack, with Liverpool furious that the match had continued with Jeremy Frimpong injured at the other end.

The pattern continued in the second half as Arsenal were passive and it was no surprise when manager Arteta brought on Brazilian duo Gabriel Jesus and Martinelli for the disappointing Viktor Gyokeres and Trossard.

With that making no difference to Arsenal’s attacking threat, Arteta rolled the dice again by bringing Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke off the bench with ten minutes remaining.

Madueke flashed a pass across goal but Arsenal’s quadruple attack failed to make an impact as they failed to score in the league for the first time since the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in August.

Published on January 9, 2026