Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Arsenal as both sides had to settle for a point after a titanic clash at the top of the Premier League.

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool and Arsenal couldn’t be separated at Anfield as their titanic Premier League encounter ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Anfield crowd responded to Jürgen Klopp’s rallying cry before kick-off, but his players didn’t quite follow the same message. They made the worst possible start as they fell behind in the opening few minutes, with Gabriel heading home from a free-kick.

The Reds though began to play their way into the game, with Mohamed Salah looking dangerous up against Oleksandr Zinchenko. It was no surprise then to see the Egyptian blast Liverpool level from an exquisite Trent Alexander-Arnold pass.

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The game continued at a breakneck speed in the second half, even if the chances were a little more sporadic. Liverpool though could, and should, have taken the lead when Salah found Alexander-Arnold on the break, only for the Reds vice-captain to cannon his effort off the bar.

That miss proved decisive, with Liverpool missing the chance to move to the top of the table in time for Christmas as Arsenal holds on to its slender advantage.

WINNERS

Trent Alexander-Arnold was simply sublime at times as he took the game by the scruff of the neck. He won’t want to look back at that second half miss anytime soon though.

Wataru Endō, meanwhile, produced his best display yet in the middle of the park against his toughest opponent. The Japanese international is really growing into his role in the side.

LOSERS

The big question before kick-off was which two of Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo would start alongside Mohamed Salah in the front three. The latter duo got the nod, but didn’t do anything to back up the selection.

Kostas Tsimikas’ collision with Klopp looked comical at first, but it soon became apparent it was much more serious for the Greek. Liverpool needs good news on his shoulder injury, but it didn’t look promising.

PLAYER RATINGS

Alisson Becker — 6

Caught in two minds for the opener, and found himself stranded in no man’s land. Wasn’t worked too hard thereafter as his defense remained solid.

Trent Alexander-Arnold — 8

Incredible ball to find Salah for the equalizer. Took the game by the scruff of the neck at times, had to score on the break though.

Ibrahima Konaté — 7

Looked nervy early on, giving away the foul that led to Arsenal’s opener. Grew into the game more thereafter, with a vital tackle on Martinelli in the second half.

Virgil van Dijk — 8

Another composed display at the back as he marshalled his troops. Unbeatable in the air and kept Gabriel Jesus under wraps.

Kostas Tsimikas — 6

A freak accident as he collided with his manager ended his evening early. A big worry now as he went off holding his shoulder.

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Wataru Endō — 8

Really impressive on the ball and kept things tight in the middle of the park. If anything, he got better after the break, reading situations perfectly and nipping in at the perfect moment.

Dominik Szoboszlai — 6

Involved more defensively than he’d perhaps like, and couldn’t really make an impact further up the pitch.

Curtis Jones — 6

His usual reliable self on the ball, and won a few free-kicks to ease some pressure. His influence waned a little in the second half.

Mohamed Salah — 7

Does what he does best as he turned Zinchenko inside out before blasting the ball beyond Raya. Guilty at times of trying to do too much on his own.

Cody Gakpo — 5

A sloppy start as a miscued pass played his side into trouble, before playing Gabriel onside for the opener. Guilty too often of some aimless passes.

Luis Díaz — 5

Worked hard without any reward during the first half. A slight worry as he came off after suffering a knee injury, hopefully it’s nothing serious.

SUBSTITUTES

Joe Gomez — 6

Found himself up against it against Saka, and struggled early on after his introduction. Improved thereafter, although needed a bit of help from his teammates at time.

Darwin Núñez — 6

Posed a threat on the left but couldn’t quite find the decisive moment he threatened.

Ryan Gravenberch — 5

Couldn’t get himself into the game, and his touch evaded him too often.

Harvey Elliott — 6

Looked a danger after coming on and worked hard for the cause.

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Jürgen Klopp has confirmed his team as Liverpool takes on Arsenal in a huge clash at the top of the Premier League, with five changes made from the win over West Ham.

Jürgen Klopp’s team has been confirmed as Liverpool hosts Arsenal in a huge clash at the top of the Premier League at Anfield.

Liverpool will not struggle for motivation as it takes on Arsenal this evening. There’s a place at the top of the Premier League table up for grabs, along with the coveted status of being top at Christmas.

Having bounced back from last weekend’s disappointing draw with Manchester United with a comprehensive win in the Carabao Cup over West Ham, Klopp had been given plenty of food for thought ahead of today’s game. As it is, the Liverpool boss has made five changes to his midweek side.

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Curtis Jones retains his spot in the starting line-up after impressing against the Hammers. He’s joined by the returning Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté and Mohamed Salah.

Meanwhile, Luis Díaz is back in front three as he replaces Darwin Núñez, with Cody Gakpo preferred in the center. Alisson Becker takes his usual spot back in goal.

Confirmed Liverpool team vs Arsenal: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endō, Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Díaz.

Neither Klopp nor Mikel Arteta will need reminding that a victory this evening is not a guarantee of success come the end of the season, with both having become part of an unwelcome statistic in the recent past. But with Manchester City already mathematically unable to match its best campaign of the past, both Liverpool and Arsenal will sense a real chance to seize pole position as the halfway mark looms large.

Ahead of today’s game, three of our Liverpool.com writers had their say on who they would select. Take a look at their teams below and see how they stack up against Klopp’s.

Matt Addison – Cody Gakpo stays down the middle

As I wrote yesterday, I’d like to see Liverpool stick with Cody Gakpo centrally and leave Darwin Núñez on the left. Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker will all come back into the team.

As good as Jarell Quansah has been, Ibrahima Konaté is an obvious pick to play alongside Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones is a must. I’m going with Wataru Endō as the number six with Alexis Mac Allister absent.

My starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Endō, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Núñez

Predicted scoreline: 2-2 draw.

One thing to watch:Where does Trent Alexander-Arnold play and can Arsenal stop him?

James Martin – Darwin Núñez drops out

There’s no real dilemmas for Klopp in defense, where Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Tsimikas are all near-automatic picks at the moment. To be fair to Quansah, he has put some pressure on Konaté, but the Frenchman would be heavily fancied to start.

A few weeks ago, most wouldn’t have wanted Endō near a fixture like this. But he’s bedding in really nicely now, acclimatizing to the speed of the league. He’s still frustrating in certain moments, but his combative presence would be welcome here in the absence of Mac Allister.

Ahead of him, Curtis Jones has played his way in, despite Ryan Gravenberch being cleared to feature. Harvey Elliott has almost done the same, but Szoboszlai gets the nod, having got back among the goals against West Ham.

I’ve said before that all other things being equal, I’d always favor Núñez for the front line, with the club having made such a big investment in his very obvious potential. But at the moment, all is not equal, with the other fit forwards having done more to earn a place.

It’s marginal with Luis Díaz, who has not set the world alight recently either, but he is more of a natural on the wing. With Gakpo earning the central berth for this huge clash, that leaves Núñez to make an impact off the bench — and I back him to do it.

My starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endō, Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Díaz

Predicted scoreline: 3-2 to Liverpool.

One thing to watch: Will Darwin Núñez make a telling difference, either from the start or the bench?

James Findlater – Stick to the West Ham plan

The team largely picks itself for me this week. There were certainly no issues with Liverpool’s defense against Manchester United, so that stays the same for me, with Alisson Becker returning in goal from midweek while Ibrahima Konaté partners Virgil van Dijk in the center.

Curtis Jones has surely made up Jürgen Klopp’s mind after his performance against West Ham. Even if Ryan Gravenberch is fit to start, the academy graduate should get the nod alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endō.

The front three is where things get a bit tricky. Obviously Mohamed Salah starts on the right, but picking the other two alongside him is difficult at the moment.

Given the way things went in midweek, I’d stick with the same plan of Darwin Núñez on the left and Cody Gakpo through the center. Arsenal won’t give up as much space as West Ham did, so Gakpo’s nous in the middle might well be needed.

My starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endō,Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Núñez

Predicted scoreline: 1-1 draw.

One thing to watch: Darwin Núñez to finally get himself back on the scoresheet.