Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool: 3 things we learned

Arsenal and Liverpool played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Saturday. Here are three things we learned from the match.

Arsenal and Liverpool have served up some crackerjack matches in recent seasons, especially at the Emirates. Last year’s 3-3 was one of the most entertaining matches of the year for neutrals, but the sides came close to matching it in a thrilling 1-1 draw on Saturday. Here’s what we learned.

Milner reliable as always

James Milner may not get the plaudits Liverpool’s front three receive on a consistent basis, but his importance to the team is undeniable.

As a team that looks to exploit the space in behind opposition teams, Liverpool need to have energy and legs in midfield. Milner typifies this more than any other player in the Premier League.

His engine in the midfield, coupled with his experience and grit, compliments the quality that Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane possess.

Milner has always been a reliable player throughout his career, but his importance has grown since his move to Liverpool. His versatility is what makes him so reliable. He scores important goals, makes important challenges, is a good passer of the ball and almost always completes 90 minutes.

Captaining the side against Arsenal, Milner was arguably Liverpool’s best player alongside Virgil van Dijk.

The manner in which he took his goal exemplified everything that makes him such a good player. He showed composure, technique and skill with his finish, while Henrik Mkhitaryan scuffed a similar opportunity presented to him in the first half.

Milner has carved himself a very important place in this Liverpool side, and it’s time people outside of Merseyside began to take notice.

Arsenal reborn under Emery

Too many times in Arsene Wenger’s last few seasons Arsenal completely lost the plot against their rivals. Under Emery, they’re slowly starting to shake off the lethargy that set in towards the tail end of Wenger’s tenure.

Emery wants players that believe in his idea and his system of play, and he’s slowly instilling that collective mentality in his players. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang may not have been pleased to be substituted, but it was his replacement, Alex Iwobi, who set up the equalizer for Alexandre Lacazette.

Emery is allowing players the opportunity to prove themselves on the field. He tinkered with the side during the early part of the season, but has now settled on a core group of players.

One player who has typifies Emery’s ideas on the field is Lucas Torreira. The diminutive holding midfielder has settled into life in the Premier League with ease. He’s tough in the tackle, but it’s his intention on the ball that is so indicative of what Emery likes. He’s always thinking forward.

Emery likes a high-pressing, passing, fast-paced style of play, and Torreira embodies that like no other.

Slowly but surely, Emery has started chipping away at any complacency that might have settled into the Arsenal players. Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka’s revitalization is proof of that.

Despite going down to title challengers Liverpool, there was a sense of belief among Arsenal’s player, and they looked more likely to win in the closing minutes.

Emery deserves major credit.

Both teams show us how they’ve improved

Arsenal are expecting to finish in the Champions League places this season, meaning they’ll almost certainly have to finish ahead of both Manchester United and Tottenham. After losing their first two games of the season, to Manchester City and Chelsea, this was their first chance to test themselves against another side expecting to finish in the top four.

They passed with flying colors. They’re now unbeaten in 13 consecutive matches, and no one can say they haven’t faced any good opponents. With United and Tottenham both dealing with plenty of problems of their own, the Gunners can feel good about their Champions League credentials.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have their sights set higher, on a real title challenge. Jurgen Klopp won’t be happy to have dropped points, but given the Reds were far from their best, he’ll be pleased with the defensive resilience his side showed.

They’ve improved drastically at the back this season, with van Dijk and Alisson adding the sort of stability that has been lacking for years, while Joe Gomez has excelled since moving to center-back.

And so while the result may not have been ideal, the Reds remain unbeaten, having played four other members of the big six, and three of those away from home. They weren’t great, but they still managed to get a good result. That’s a sign of how far they’ve come.