The numbers speak for themselves. Mohamed Salah not only scores against the lesser sides of the Premier League, he regularly damages Liverpool’s rivals in the so-called Big Six. And so it was here. Again.

The first half was a story of Bukayo Saka’s excellence for Arsenal. He scored a beautiful opener and after Virgil Van Dijk had helped Liverpool get off the canvas again, there was a first Arsenal goal for Mikel Merino, the summer signing from Real Sociedad.

Mikel Arteta’s team looked set for a statement win in a match they really couldn’t afford to lose. Everything changed in the second half when Arsenal lost Gabriel Magalhães and then Jurriën Timber to injuries. Their defensive reserves were already close to breaking point. Now they snapped.

Liverpool weren’t creating much and there was a feeling that Arsenal were heading for a win with their backs against the wall. But all the visitors had to do was create something and when they did, Salah made sure it counted towards a result that further increased the feel-good factor under Arne Slot.

It was Darwin Núñez who played the final pass after a beautiful ball through Trent Alexander-Arnold’s right inside channel and Salah had to sweep home. Was there even a glimmer of doubt about the outcome when the low cross reached him? The statistics show that Salah has scored a combined 62 goals and provided assists in 73 matches against Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and the Manchester clubs. It was his eleventh goal in fifteen league matches against Arsenal.

The draw was a fair result, even if Arsenal would be furious in the end when Gabriel Jesus had the ball in the net. The referee, Anthony Taylor, had already blown his whistle, although it was not entirely clear at the time why he had done so. It may have been due to a foul by another substitute, Jakub Kiwior, in the run-up. Kai Havertz helped the ball over Caoimhín Kelleher and against a post, but the game was downright dead.

It would be wrong to fixate on that moment, no matter how loudly the Arsenal fans cheered as they left the stadium. From their point of view, it was better to honor the first-half performance, which was highlighted by Saka, who had returned after a hamstring injury.

It’s worth reflecting on how he manipulated the space for the breakthrough goal, how he bound Andy Robertson inside and out with a touch of hypnotic brilliance. Saka’s first attempt had been to bring a long Ben White ball up the channel under his influence, but it was all about the second; a mischievous nutmeg to Robertson with the outside of his left boot as he cut inside. It even had a bit of anesthetic on it, which opened up the shooting opportunity. Saka pounded high into Kelleher’s post.

Liverpool didn’t stay down for long. Van Dijk had shown he was ready for the fight by clashing the ball with Havertz from the start and aiming two kicks at the Arsenal striker. Taylor called the play back for a free kick, but took no further action. That was mind-boggling. Van Dijk was then a target for the home crowd.

Salah had squandered half a chance after a Merino mischeck when Van Dijk stuck his head in where it would hurt to bring his team level. It was an inswinging corner from Alexander-Arnold from the left and Luis Díaz was first to attack, ahead of Havertz. Van Dijk defeated Thomas Partey in a crowded six-yard box.

Arsenal roared back, the intensity of their first half performance was really something; the same completely true for the way Saka played. Every time he burst in, alarm bells sounded for Liverpool. He was often too fast and too difficult; always in control of the situation.

Arsenal’s second came from a free-kick they road-tested in the 19th minute, with Declan Rice knocking the ball over from the right and Merino timing his run. At the first opportunity Merino tangled with Partey and the opportunity was lost. Now, with 43 minutes left on the clock, he got it exactly right: the header swelled into the net, Van Dijk’s boot turned out to have just played him onside after a chaotically long check from the video assistant referee .

Arteta was without the suspended William Saliba and the injured Riccardo Calafiori and his solution had been to start Partey at right-back, move White to the center and ask Timber, who had passed a late fitness test, to come in at left-back. But he was forced to rearrange when Gabriel appeared to bump his knee into the turf and was forced off in the 54th minute and Timber later succumbed to cramp. Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly were the replacements.

Liverpool felt there was something in it for them. In the second half they held the ball more easily and pushed; their dominance expressed in territorial terms. Confidence breeds patience in these types of situations and Liverpool have plenty of that after their start under Slot. They also have Salah.