Leading 2-0 at Anfield after just 28 minutes, Arsenal’s travelling fans were in dreamland.
By the end, though, the Premier League leaders were left clinging on for a point as Liverpool blew the title race wide open.
While it was the home crowd celebrating the loudest on Sunday as the final whistle blew on a thrilling 2-2 draw, Manchester City felt like the biggest winners.
This could prove a pivotal weekend in determining who will be crowned champions, with the gap at the top down to six points and second-place City still having a game in hand on Arsenal and a superior goal difference.
With the leading pair also still to play at City’s Etihad Stadium at the end of the month, both teams can determine their own fate.
On the face of it, a point at Anfield is a solid-enough result at one of the most daunting stadiums in football.
But this felt like an opportunity missed after Arsenal had cruised into a commanding position through goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus and looked on course for an eighth straight win in the league.
That was until Granit Xhaka’s confrontation with Trent Alexander-Arnold late in the first half, which led to bookings for both players and also roused the home crowd.
Mohamed Salah scored almost immediately after that flashpoint and in the second half it was the Liverpool of old as the Merseyside club dominated the game.
Salah missed a penalty in the 54th minute and Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale produced a string of saves around substitute Roberto Firmino’s equaliser in the 87th.
“When you concede at the end it’s always two points dropped because you have it and you’re suffering in certain moments,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said afterwards. “The feeling is, ‘Ah we should have done it.’
“We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and we should have done better in the second half.”
City’s 4-1 win against Southampton on Saturday was the defending champions’ eighth win in succession, extending their unbeaten run to 12 games.
That is title-winning form and an ominous statement of intent to Arsenal, who have gone 19 years since last lifting the title.
The London club’s nerve will be put to the test when they travel to City on April 26.
For the best part of an hour, it had been vintage Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s team produced a reminder of why they’ve been one of European soccer’s dominant teams in recent years.
The problem for Klopp is that Liverpool just cannot seem to do it on a consistent basis, not even having won a game since routing Manchester United 7-0 last month.
Refereeing body PGMOL will investigate after Liverpool’s Andy Robertson appeared to be elbowed in the chin by assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis.
Robertson approached the official angrily at the end of the first half against Arsenal and appeared to shove him as he passed, with Hatzidakis raising an elbow which hit Robertson.
The Scot reacted furiously and, along with several team-mates, approached referee Paul Tierney, who booked 29-year-old Robertson.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said Hatzidakis should be punished.
“I really don’t know what he was thinking. As far as I can see, he has to be banned,” said Sutton.”He will have to sit out a number of games. I can’t remember another incident like this. Where is the precedent for these things?”
Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane called the Reds player a “big baby” for his reaction.
But former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes it will be Hatzidakis who finds himself in hot water.
“I’ve never seen an official raise an elbow to a player,” Neville said on Sky Sports. “I think he’ll be in a lot of trouble after this game ends.”
Keane pointed the finger squarely at Robertson.
“Does Robertson grab the linesman first? I’m not sure but Robertson’s then complaining,” said former Manchester United captain Keane, speaking in his role as a pundit on Sky Sports.
“He should be more worried about his defending. Do you know what he is, that Robertson? I’ve watched him a number of times, he is a big baby, that’s what that guy is.
“Just get on with the game and concentrate on your defending. He does grab the linesman first.”
Robertson could be in trouble if the incident is investigated further. Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is currently serving an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in their FA Cup loss at Manchester United on 19 March.
Sutton added: “A big debating point was Mitrovic and the eight-game ban and the FA want him banned for more but you can’t have assistants throwing elbows. What should the punishment be?”
PGMOL’s statement said it was “aware of an incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at half-time during the Liverpool v Arsenal fixture at Anfield”, adding that it would “review the matter in full”.
In the day’s other game, Roy Hodgson’s golden touch continued as he made it two wins out of two since stepping out of retirement at the age of 75 to help Crystal Palace’s Premier League survival bid.
A 5-1 rout of Leeds on Sunday, followed the 2-1 win against Leicester a week earlier in his second stint at the London club.
With Palace now up to 12th in the table and six points above the relegation zone, Hodgson has gone a long way to ensuring the club avoids the drop.
Not that he’s taking anything for granted.
Patrick Bamford had put fellow relegation-fighters Leeds ahead in the first half before Marc Guehi evened the score before the break at Elland Road.
A second-half goal spree secured the win with Jordan Ayew scoring twice and Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard also netting.
Newshttps://www.theroar.com.au/2023/04/10/arsenal-let-two-goal-lead-slip-against-liverpool-to-hand-man-city-title-boost/‘Big baby’: Liverpool star hit by assistant ref as Arsenal let lead slip
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