Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool: Player ratings as subpar Gunners held by Liverpool

Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by Liverpool to prevent them from extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta made two changes to the side to that defeated Bournemouth 3-2 at the weekend, bringing Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka back into the side with Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke dropping to the bench.

The Gunners dominated the early stages with Saka and Jurrien Timber combining well down the right flank. Their best chance came when the England international took the ball round Milos Kerkez to dribble into the box before sending in a low cross, but no one was there to meet it.

Liverpool slowly grew into the game and nearly grabbed the opener in bizarre circumstances near the half-hour mark. Conor Bradley looked to play a through ball for Jeremie Frimpong, which William Saliba got to and tried to play back to David Raya, without realising the Spaniard had raced out of goal. The 'keeper reacted quickly to kick it back out to Bradley, who struck the crossbar with a lobbed effort.

Arsenal soon found their feet again and looked good in the build-up, but struggled to find the finishing product. Declan Rice went close to putting his side ahead with an improvised effort from the edge of the box, but Alisson got down well to save.

The visitors started the second-half stronger with Florian Wirtz causing some problems, but it was Arsenal who enjoyed the best chance. Trossard made a darting run inside and looked to send the ball over to Saka on the far side of the box, but Martín Zubimendi got in the way and touched it out of play.

As the game went on, the Gunners found it difficult to find their feet with the visitors dominating much of the possession, but with no real goalscoring opportunities being presented to either team.

Arteta made a number of changes in the final 25 minutes, switching his entire frontline and that almost paid off. Zubimendi played a superb pass for Timber to chest down and send out to Noni Madueke. The winger darted into the box and sent a low cross in, but no red shirt was there to meet it.

With the clock ticking down, Arsenal finally upped the ante, but continued to be frustrated by Liverpool and couldn't find a way through.

A disappointing performance prevented the Gunners from capitalising on Manchester City and Aston Villa both dropping points earlier in the week, meaning their advantage at the top of the table remained at six points.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their stalemate with Liverpool.

Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 6.5/10 - Escaped a disaster after a mix-up with Saliba allowed Liverpool a chance., but recovered well. Didn't have much to do after that moment.

Jurrien Timber (RB) - 7.5/10 - Made a number of overlapping runs, combining well with Saka down the right side. Did what was required of him defensively. By far his side's best player on a frustrating night.

William Saliba (CB) - 6.5/10 - Almost scored an own goal when him and Raya miscommunicated, but was saved by his keeper. Otherwise steady.

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) - 6.5/10 - Looked solid at the back and dealt with the Liverpool pressure well.

Piero Hincapié (LB) - 6.5/10 - Made a few runs up and down the left flank as well as supporting in defence. Forced with an injury before the hour mark.

Midfielders

Martin Ødegaard (CM) - 6/10 - Struggled to be too involved as Liverpool kept him quiet for a lot of the game. Withdrawn in the closing stages.

Martín Zubimendi (CM) - 6.5/10 - Unfortunate to take the ball away from Saka after a great run and pass by Trossard. Played a brilliant long ball for Timber to bring down and start a move late on.

Declan Rice (CM) - 6/10 - Saw an improvised effort from the edge saved by Alisson. Another to be subdued by the visitors for much of the 90 minutes.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka (RW) - 7/10 - Made an outstanding run round Kerkez early on, but no one could meet his cross. Continued to cause problems, but his influence faded in the second half and he was replaced by Madueke.

Viktor Gyökeres (ST) - 3/10 - Practically non-existent throughout his whole time on the pitch. Not involved in any way and was subbed off after the hour. Really poor performance from the Swede.

Leandro Trossard (LW) - 7/10 - Caused a few problems on the left flank, sending a number of crosses into the box. Made a great run inside to almost set Saka up, but Zubimendi got in the way. Taken off with just under half-hour to play.

Substitutes

• Myles Lewis-Skelly (on 57' for Hincapié) - 6/10
• Gabriel Jesus (on 64' for Gyökeres) - 5/10
• Gabriel Martinelli (on 64' for Trossard) - 5/10
• Noni Madueke (on 78' for Saka) - 6.5/10
• Eberechi Eze (on 78' for Ødegaard) - 5/10

Player of the match: Jurrien Timber