Arsenal v Liverpool live: Title race explodes as Salah & Saka trade blows
10.02.2026 - 23:57:56
The Emirates was absolutely bouncing from minute one. Arsenal flew out of the traps, pressing like crazy, buzzing into every duel. And it took just 12 minutes for the place to erupt: a slick move down the right, Martin Ødegaard slipping a filthy pass into the half-space, and Bukayo Saka crashed in at the back post to tap home after Gabriel Jesus’ low cross was only half-cleared. 1–0 Arsenal, and the stadium was shaking.
Liverpool, though, don’t scare easily. They rode the storm, and slowly the red wave started to build. In the 28th minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold clipped a trademark diagonal into the box, Darwin Núñez bullied his marker, cushioned it down, and who else but Mohamed Salah arrived to lash a left-foot rocket into the far corner. Ramsdale (or Raya, depending who you back in this never-ending keeper debate) got a touch, but no chance. 1–1, Salah silencing half the ground with that classic arms-wide celebration.
The rest of the first half was pure chaos. Salah nearly doubled up with a curling effort from the edge of the box, while at the other end, Saka kept torturing Liverpool’s left side, combining nicely with Ødegaard and Ben White. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté had to throw bodies on the line multiple times to stop Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard getting clean looks at goal.
Second-half drama: screamers, slip-ups and a huge VAR call
After the break, the tempo somehow went up another level. Arsenal’s press looked insane – Declan Rice hoovering everything in midfield, Ødegaard constantly finding little pockets. And on 55 minutes, the Gunners struck again. Rice won the ball high, slipped it into Jesus, who twisted between Van Dijk and Konaté before sliding it left to Leandro Trossard. The Belgian chopped inside and drilled a low shot that deflected off Konaté and wrong-footed Alisson. Officially, it went down as a Trossard goal – and the Emirates exploded. 2–1 Arsenal.
Liverpool answered the only way they know – by throwing even more bodies forward. Dominik Szoboszlai started dictating things, slicing through midfield with those powerful runs. On 69 minutes, he combined with Curtis Jones, fed the ball wide right to Salah, and the Egyptian dropped a filthy shoulder, cut across the box and drew a desperate lunge from Jakub Kiwior. Penalty given on the field. But then came the moment that broke the internet.
VAR sent the ref to the monitor. Replays showed minimal contact – Kiwior’s leg brushed Salah but there was also a hint of Salah initiating the collision. After a full stadium held its breath, the referee stuck with the original call. Penalty stands. Arsenal fans lost their minds; Liverpool fans were already celebrating. Up stepped Mohamed Salah, cool as ice, smashing it into the top corner on 71 minutes. 2–2. Another brace for the king of clutch.
The final 20 minutes were pure madness. Mikel Arteta threw on fresh legs, chasing a famous win. Jürgen Klopp responded with tactical tweaks, dropping Szoboszlai a little deeper and letting Luis Díaz go all-out on the left. Díaz almost grabbed it on 82 minutes with a dancing solo run and a low drive that skimmed just past the post.
Right at the death, Arsenal thought they’d nicked it. A corner swung in by Ødegaard, chaos in the box, and Gabriel Magalhães rose to power in a header. The ball clipped the underside of the bar and bounced down onto the line and out. Goal-line tech said no goal by millimetres. That’s the title race in a single frame: tiny margins, massive consequences.
Stars under the spotlight: who delivered, who dipped?
Mohamed Salah was pure superstar mode again – two goals, constant threat, and once more dragging Liverpool through a storm. He drifted everywhere across the front line, forced Rice and the Arsenal centre-backs to constantly reshuffle. If we’re talking about top scorers today, he just keeps padding that Golden Boot charge.
Bukayo Saka matched the energy at the other end. A goal, relentless running, and some brutal one-v-one wins against the Liverpool full-back. He might only have one strike on the sheet, but his every touch sparked danger. Martin Ødegaard quietly pulled strings between the lines – two pre-assists, constantly opening the defence with clever passing angles.
For Liverpool, Darwin Núñez didn’t score but was a total menace – winning duels, creating the Salah opener, and pressing like a madman. Virgil van Dijk had a mixed bag: some big blocks and clearances, but Arsenal’s movement dragged him into ugly spaces. On the Arsenal side, Declan Rice was colossal defensively but will be annoyed at allowing Szoboszlai and Salah a little too much room on transitions late on.
What this thriller does to the table
This draw might feel like a loss for both sides. Arsenal had the lead twice at home – they'll be gutted not to close it out. Liverpool showed character again, but dropped points mean the gap at the top tightens. With Manchester City breathing down both their necks, every single point from here is basically gold dust.
In terms of the football league table, Arsenal stay right in the title race mix but miss a chance to open daylight. Liverpool, thanks to Salah’s brace, cling on near the summit but invite City and maybe even an in-form outsider right back into it. The margins are getting razor-thin, and every upcoming round now feels like a cup final.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Social Media Spotlight: the penalty that broke the timeline
Let's be honest: one moment is running the whole online conversation – that Salah penalty. Was there enough contact? Did Salah buy it? Did Kiwior get stitched up by VAR? X (Twitter) is a warzone right now.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious and divided over the Salah VAR penalty
My take: title heavyweights, defensive lightweights
From a young reporter eye test, this felt like two sides who are absolutely elite going forward… and just a little too loose at the back to kill off games. Arsenal dropping deep late on invited Salah and friends to go full chaos mode. Liverpool, meanwhile, keep needing Salah worldies or penalties to bail them out because the structure behind him wobbles under pressure.
In my opinion, Arsenal’s game plan was brave and almost perfect early on – but if you want to win this league, you simply can’t let a team like Liverpool off the hook at 2–1. You need that third goal. You need to be ruthless. On the flip side, Liverpool look like a side built for big Champions League nights, but in a brutal 38-game grind, these small defensive errors and slow starts can be lethal.
Still, as a neutral? Absolute dream. This is why you lock in to these soccer games and don’t move for 90+ minutes. Superstars delivering, controversy popping off, and the table twisting in real time – this is the Premier League at full volume.
Final whistle: chaos now, clarity later
So where does that leave us? Arsenal and Liverpool both still firmly in the title chase, but they've just given everyone else hope. Salah adds two more to his tally in the top scorers today conversation, Saka confirms his superstar status, and VAR once again steals a chunk of the headlines.
The only thing that's certain right now is that the run-in is going to be absolutely insane. Every fixture feels massive, every dropped point feels like a disaster, and every goal swings the mood of entire fanbases.
Check full stats & standings now
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