A point at the Emirates Stadium is usually met with a sense of relief and a sign of matching one of the Premier League's all-time great outfits.

However, it's difficult to celebrate a point gained at one of England's most famous grounds as Liverpool and Arsenal fought out a 1-1 stalemate.

James Milner put the Reds ahead a minute after the hour mark before Alexandre Lacazette's late equaliser extended Arsenal's unbeaten run to 13 games under their impressive manager Unai Emery.

A point gained, or two points dropped?

Despite Jürgen Klopp's side ensuring they are still one of only three teams left unbeaten in the division Lacazzete's late hammer blow could prove significant to the Reds credentials.

To leave the capital with a point despite performing poorly should mark a sign of Liverpool's resistance as well as their tenacity. However, if Klopp's side is to compete with arguably the Premier League's best ever side (Manchester City) then the Reds may be left to rue two points dropped.

This, after all, was a match that Pep Guardiola's side have already won.

Liverpool may also feel hard done by when considering the injustice they suffered when Sadio Mane's first-half goal was wrongly disallowed for offside which could have changed the complete dynamic of the contest.

Despite the refereeing wrong-doing, Liverpool will once again look to their impenetrable central defenders at the reason this Premier League contest didn't slip from their grasps.

Arsenal were magnificent on the ball with the outstanding Lucas Torreira pulling the strings in midfield, and Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk were once again at their absolute best to keep this rejuvenated Gunners side at bay.

If Liverpool are to earn their first domestic title in over 28 years then they have to start winning big-six encounters away rather than just grinding out hard contested draws.

This is precisely why the Reds title ambitions will be diminished by many, why it's difficult not to anticipate that champions City will just have too much, earn too many points and most likely retain their crown.

Guardiola's side have set the benchmark and you simply can't afford to slip up.

And that's exactly how this result will seem considering Milner fired the Reds in the ascendancy early in the second half.

A Gunners side revitalised

What was so remarkable was how Liverpool couldn't live with Arsenal's intensity, their speed, their intelligence and these are all credentials that are usually associated with Klopp's impressive side.

The Gunners aggression doesn't just apply to going forward. One of the most noticeable differences with Emery's side is the team's determination to track back. Torreira covered every blade of Emirates grass and continues to prove he is the midfielder this Arsenal side have been crying out for many years.

On the contrast, Klopp's team were nowhere near their best, but, did have some good chances, not least Mane's wrongly disallowed first-half strike.

Liverpool never really got going with their midfield failing to ascend any real stronghold on the match. Fabinho looked completely overwhelmed by the speed of the contest in comparison to his two starts against Cardiff and Red Star Belgrade - both resoundingly less testing opposition.

The Reds goal on the night even came from the host's generous bounce of the ball that summarised Liverpool's unfamiliar toothlessness this Saturday evening.

Bernd Leno attempted to catch a cross that was fizzled in from Mane, but only got caught out as he parried the ball into the path of Milner who was in no forgiving mood to emphatically strike home.

If Liverpool had left the Emirates victorious it could have marked an impressive calculated away performance that plummetted the Reds to three points clear at the top of the league.

It could have even led to discussions of Klopp unlocking a new dynamic to winning matches ugly, a departure from their own usually frenetic all-out attack approach that has blown bigger fish than Arsenal completely out of the water in the past.

However, it never quite felt like that for Liverpool, and the Reds always looked stretched, as if they were grinding out a win rather than holding their own.

The equaliser was inevitable, as well as deserved. Lacazette demonstrated incredible persistence to redeem his early failures by bending a deliciously curled effort into the bottom right corner - a man displaying he is deserving to lead this Arsenal line.

The proceedings of this evenings result leave Liverpool at the summit of the table by a point. However, with the Citizens expected to win tomorrow, it could prove a bigger missed opportunity for Klopp's side in regards to the title race.

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