After a turgid, stodgy goalless draw, Arsenal walked away with a point against Liverpool.
Neither side deserved all three, in fairness. Viktor Gyokeres, though… his lack of presence in front of goal is becoming a greater problem by the week for Mikel Arteta.
As rain swirled in the heavy winds, Arteta’s frustration grew and grew.
The game was there for the taking, yet his side couldn’t penetrate this Liverpool team to any great effect.
Deliveries into the area whistled past players, particularly in the first half, which should have been utilised better.
Gyokeres was the main culprit for this, often found nowhere near a whizzing goal-bound cross.
Viktor Gyokeres’ lack of effectiveness was the major worry for Arsenal – he had eight touches
Gabriel Jesus only came on in the 64th minute and still managed more touches than him
Many of the Gunners players looked ponderous in trying to progress the ball when in the final third — and that cost them in the second period, the Reds getting on top by the end.
Yet the unavoidable main takeaway was the inefficacy of Gyokeres on Thursday night.
He had just eight touches, the fewest the Swede has had in an Arsenal match. In perspective, substitute Gabriel Jesus who came on in the 64th minute had 11 in 26 minutes.
That is not good enough. Arteta, though, still somehow tried to deflect blame away from the striker.
He said: ‘He was in great positions sometimes and the ball didn’t arrive and as I said, there was a situation, where normally we’re going to the six yard box, and normally that’s a goal.
‘You pick somebody and you score a goal, and we didn’t do that. That’s the thing today.
‘We have to improve. Apart from the thing we did in the second half, it wasn’t probably at the standards that we are used to.’
When asked if he think the forward is getting better, Arteta replied: ‘Yes.’
Mikel Arteta insisted his £64million man is getting better, but he is becoming a problem
It’s stubbornness, which can be arguably afforded when your team is six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
In reality, although this was a chance for a further three points wasted, a point is no bad result for Arsenal.
The three consecutive draws in 2026 for Manchester City has opened up a healthy gap at the top of the table.
With league games against Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Leeds to come for the Gunners, they are on track to widen the crack further.
So, to get too wrapped up on this actual result from an Arsenal perspective would be ignorant of the wider outlook.
But going back to Gyokeres, the striker is increasingly becoming a problem for Arteta.
He has been steadfast in his backing the £64million man. It’s time for him to show just why he was brought to north London.
A draw is not a bad result for Arsenal and it extended their lead over Man City to six points
Arteta often eulogises about ‘our house’ that is the Emirates Stadium.
His constant efforts in press conferences to relay that message to fans of making their stadium a fortress hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Whether it’s a reminder to them about getting to their seats well before kick-off — he’ll repeatedly state the time, too — or whipping these supporters up in general, Arteta doesn’t relent.
He said on Wednesday: ‘They’ve been unbelievable again this season and it makes such a difference, we become a different team.
‘The level of energy, commitment, confidence, desire that we can show in every action is transmitted by them and we need them tomorrow in every ball.’
Ahead of kick-off against Liverpool, red and white bags were placed on seats to create a visual effect.
The ploy did enhance the atmosphere, raising the decibel levels a notch or two, along with a lightshow.
It is these touches which do make a difference, and Arteta deserves credit for having the fans in mind.
Arteta deserves credit for enhancing the atmosphere at the Emirates and encouraging the fans to be with the team
The bags on seats were a particularly nice touch because they were also to encourage attendees to donate goods for food banks.
After the awful poverty chants heard from some travelling Arsenal fans at Everton last month, this was needed.
