Arsenal stayed top of the Premier League but wasted the chance to move eight points clear, drawing 0-0 with Liverpool at Emirates Stadium as both attacks struggled, producing only 0.93 expected goals combined and no Liverpool shot on target, despite a run of three straight Manchester City draws opening the door for Mikel Arteta's side.
The stalemate also ended Arsenal's five-match winning run and left the title race tighter than it might have been, with Arsenal now six points ahead of City and Aston Villa, while Liverpool remained fourth, two points in front of the chasing pack after a contest that rarely matched its pre-match build-up.
Liverpool's lack of threat was striking, as this was the first Premier League match for nearly 16 years in which
Liverpool did not manage a single shot on target, a sequence stretching back 600 league games to a meeting with Wigan Athletic in March 2010, underlining how little serious work David Raya faced.
Tonight was the first time that Liverpool haven't attempted a single shot on target in a Premier League match for nearly 16 years (March 2010). Here the their team in the last Premier League match that they failed to have one. pic.twitter.com/itUMg0rtNBOpta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 8, 2026
The numbers told the story of the Arsenal vs Liverpool stalemate, with Arsenal posting 0.57 expected goals and Liverpool 0.36 expected goals, a huge drop from the 79 goals scored across their previous 20 league meetings, where these fixtures had averaged 3.95 goals per game and often produced far more drama.
Arsenal began on the front foot, with Bukayo Saka involved in several early moves and Jurrien Timber also advancing into wide areas, yet both struggled to find team-mates from promising byline positions, and that lack of precision soon encouraged Liverpool, who almost punished a defensive mix-up midway through the first half.
William Saliba under-hit a back pass towards David Raya in the 27th minute, forcing a hurried clearance that fell straight to Conor Bradley, whose precise lob from outside the area beat Raya but clipped the crossbar, and no clearer opportunity arrived for either side during a match that became increasingly tight and cautious.
Arsenal's attacking rhythm faded badly after the break, with the league leaders failing to record any attempt between the 45th minute and second-half stoppage time, although Dominik Szoboszlai briefly threatened for Liverpool when a free-kick from distance landed on the roof of the Arsenal net rather than testing Raya directly.
The closing stages finally brought some Arsenal pressure, including three attempts after the fourth official signalled added time, yet Gabriel Magalhaes sent the best of those chances into the side netting, while frustrations rose further when Gabriel Martinelli tried to shove Bradley, who was already down with a serious-looking knee injury and was later carried off.
This result extended several recent patterns between these clubs, as Arsenal failed to score for only the second time in 32 Premier League matches, with both blanks coming against Liverpool, and the Gunners have now gone five league games without a home win over Liverpool when starting the day as leaders, drawing four and losing one.
