It started with a guard of honour from Arsenal to the team they have chased, unsuccessfully all season, but finished with the Gunners claiming an unlikely point.
Liverpool haven't been at their best since being confirmed as Premier League champions with several games to spare, understandably taking their foot off the gas with no other competitions still running and sharing out minutes to those who haven't had as much time on the pitch.
But the Reds still raced into a 2-0 first-half lead through quick-fire goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.
Arsenal, wounds still fresh from a Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, eventually clawed their way back into the game.
Gabriel Martinelli halved the Liverpool lead straight after half-time, before Mikel Merino, operating in a more conventional midfield role, drew the Gunners level with 20 minutes left.
But Arsenal would go on to finish the game with ten players, as Merino picked up a second yellow card to add to one he'd been shown in the first half.
The Gunners almost completed the comeback in stoppage time when Martin Odegaard dragged a decent effort just wide, which would have been some consolation on the season. Liverpool then went even closer to winning it when Andrew Robertson gobbled up a rebound on a corner, only to have it ruled out after VAR spotted a foul in the build-up.
Liverpool player ratings vs Arsenal (4-3-2-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Alisson | 6.9/10 |
RB: Conor Bradley | 6.9/10 |
CB: Ibrahima Konate | 6.3/10 |
CB: Virgil van Dijk (c) | 6.3/10 |
LB: Andrew Robertson | 7.3/10 |
CM: Ryan Gravenberch | 5.6/10 |
CM: Curtis Jones | 6.8/10 |
RM: Mohamed Salah | 6.5/10 |
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai | 7.6/10 |
LM: Cody Gakpo | 7.4/10 |
ST: Luis Diaz | 7.6/10 |
SUB: Alexis Mac Allister (66' for Jones) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Darwin Nunez (66' for Gakpo) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (67' for Bradley) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Diogo Jota (79' for Diaz) | 6.0/10 |
SUB: Harvey Elliott (83' for Gravenberch) | N/A |
Subs not used: Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo.
Arsenal player ratings vs Liverpool (4-3-3)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 7.6/10 |
RB: Ben White | 6.9/10 |
CB: William Saliba | 6.4/10 |
CB: Jakub Kiwior | 6.5/10 |
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly | 6.4/10 |
CM: Martin Odegaard (c) | 7.1/10 |
CM: Thomas Partey | 7.8/10 |
CM: Mikel Merino | 6.8/10 |
RW: Bukayo Saka | 7.7/10 |
ST: Leandro Trossard | 7.8/10 |
LW: Gabriel Martinelli | 7.4/10 |
SUB: Kieran Tierney (78' for Trossard) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Riccardo Calafiori (78' for White) | 6.0/10 |
SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (88' for Saka) | N/A |
Subs not used: Neto, Jurrien Timber, Jack Henry-Francis, Ethan Nwaneri, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, Raheem Sterling.
Player of the match - Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
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