Mikel Arteta fails using luxury unavailable to Arne Slot in Arsenal vs Liverpool

Arne Slot made only one substitution during Liverpool's draw with Arsenal in the Premier League, while Mikel Arteta made use of all five as the Gunners chased victory

Arne Slot applauds Liverpool's fans after the draw with Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool defied many people's expectations as the Reds emerged from the Emirates Stadium with a point on Thursday night.

Most soccer fans expected Arne Slot's men's nine-game unbeaten streak to come to an end at the hands of the unbeaten Gunners, but the visiting team dominated for much of the game and came closest to scoring when Conor Bradley hit the crossbar in the first half.

Liverpool's point looks even more impressive when the state of the squad is taken into consideration.

Liverpool arrived in North London without five players – three of which would arguably form the squad's best attacking trio – with Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike all out; Giovanni Leoni's and Wataru Endo's long-term absences only served to further deplete the squad depth.

So while Arsenal called on Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Myles Lewis-Skelly as it chased victory, Liverpool's options were relatively threadbare.

Joe Gomez came on for the injured Conor Bradley in the closing stages, but he was the only substitute that Liverpool called on.

Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa were among the substitutes, but those were the only other senior attack-minded players on the Liverpool bench.

Had Liverpool had the likes of Salah, Ekitike and Isak available to them, Liverpool could easily have ended up winning the game.

Still, most Liverpool fans would have taken a point ahead of kick-off, and the wider picture is that Liverpool produced one of its best halves of the season during the second period, dominating the game against a team that some are tipping for Premier League and Champions League glory.

Liverpool's only substitution against Arsenal came after Conor Bradley suffered an injury(Image: Getty Images)

The injury situation will frustrate Slot, though, and it's an issue that the club needs to resolve in the long run, considering how many players have missed games since the start of the season.

Another player joined the Liverpool injury list in second-half stoppage time as right-back Bradley suffered a serious-looking knee injury.

Bradley sustained the issue as he cleared the ball for a throw-in during the closing stages of the 0-0 draw between the Reds and Arsenal.

After receiving treatment on the field, Bradley was taken off on a stretcher and was later seen departing the stadium on crutches.

Slot was not optimistic about Bradley's prognosis. "I’m afraid that another injury has come up today," he said. "Let’s hope for the best, but I fear the worst for Conor Bradley.”