Irresistible Salah makes point to deny Arsenal statement win

The numbers speak for themselves. Mohamed Salah does not only make hay against the Premier League's lesser lights; he routinely damages Liverpool's rivals in the so-called Big Six.

- David Hytner

And so it was here. Yet again.

The first half had been a story of Bukayo Saka's excellence for Arsenal. He scored a wonderful opener and, after Virgil Van Dijk had helped Liverpool back up from the canvas, there was a first Arsenal goal for Mikel Merino, the summer signing from Real Sociedad.

Mikel Arteta's team looked poised for a statement victory in a game that they really could not afford to lose. Everything changed in the second half when Arsenal lost Gabriel Magalhães and then Jurrien Timber to injuries. Their defensive reserves were already close to breaking point. Now they snapped.

Liverpool did not create very much and there was the sense that Arsenal might be set for a backs-to-the-wall triumph. But the visitors only needed to create something and, when they did, Salah made it count for a result that further swelled the feelgood factor under Arne Slot.

It was Darwin Núñez who played the final pass after a lovely ball up the inside right channel by Trent Alexander-Arnold and there was Salah to sweep home. Was there even a scintilla of doubt as to the outcome when the low cross reached him? The statistics show that Salah has 62 combined goals and assists in 73 appearances against Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and the Manchester clubs. It was his 11th goal in 15 league appearances against Arsenal.