The match began with Arsenal paying tribute to Liverpool with a guard of honour, acknowledging the team they had chased all season without success. However, it ended with the Gunners battling back to earn an unexpected point.
Liverpool, having secured the Premier League title with games to spare, hadn’t been at their best, understandably easing off as they had no other competitions to focus on, giving more playing time to those with fewer minutes. Still, they surged into a 2-0 lead in the first half, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.
Arsenal, still reeling from their Champions League semi-final exit to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the week, eventually found their rhythm. Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back early in the second half, and 20 minutes later, Mikel Merino, playing in a more traditional midfield role, leveled the score for the Gunners.
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Arsenal’s hopes were slightly dampened, however, as Merino was sent off after picking up a second yellow card, having already been booked in the first half.
The Gunners nearly completed a dramatic comeback in stoppage time, but Martin Odegaard’s effort narrowly missed the target. At the other end, Liverpool almost grabbed a winner when Andrew Robertson pounced on a corner rebound, only for VAR to disallow the goal after a foul was spotted in the build-up.
In the end, a thrilling encounter saw both teams settle for a draw, leaving Arsenal with a hard-earned point despite finishing with ten men.
