January 9, 2026
Premier League Round 21 served up a proper headline fixture on the 8th (local time) — Arsenal (1st) vs Liverpool (4th)— and it finished 0-0.
Arsenal’s five-game winning run is now dead. Liverpool, meanwhile, have made it three straight draws. One point each, and both the title race and the CL spots fight are getting even messier.
Match highlights: Saka vs Kerkez was the main event
Arsenal started stronger, pushed on by the Emirates noise.
Saka’s constant threat:
Right winger Bukayo Saka kept twisting Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez into knots and whipped in several dangerous balls — but the final touch was rubbish.
Liverpool’s second-half push:
After the break, Liverpool flipped the script and pinned Arsenal back. Right-back Conor Bradley even rattled the bar, and Liverpool kept probing — until Bradley went off injured late on, which was a nasty blow for them.
Defenders did the job:
Arsenal’s Saliba and Magalhães were solid, and Liverpool’s Van Dijk and Konaté matched them. Nobody blinked. Nobody scored.
Premier League provisional table (as of 1/9)
Arsenal stay top on 49 points, and the gap to 2nd-place Manchester City is 6.
Arsenal Fan Reactions
672: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
That was a criminally boring match. Proper football terrorism.
674: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
If that first-half chance goes in, we might’ve even lost. With how we played after the break, a point is basically a bargain. Still… I woke up early for THAT.
677: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
Second half was disgusting. Got completely trapped, ran ourselves into the ground, then collapsed.
683: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
Yeah… second half we had absolutely nothing.
689: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
We put in loads of good crosses in the first half too.
693: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
A draw is fine, honestly. Beat the teams we’re meant to beat and we’ll be alright.
710: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
>>693
Nah, at the Emirates this should be a must-win. On performance, fine, take the point — but still.
699: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
Madueke at least wins corners. I’d rather start him wide than Saka. Magalhães kept over-jumping and it didn’t line up right.
702: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
Skelly needs his head sorted. He’s genuinely a different player right now.
707: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
So THIS is what people meant by Slot’s in-game adjustments.
711: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
Arteta vs Slot… Slot wins. Twice now. We got played.
712: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
That’s not a match you’re allowed to serve at home. Arteta and the players were both awful. No plan, Jesus still useless, same old.
717: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
If you can beat the man-marking 1v1, it turns into chances instantly.
738: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
>>717
We don’t have anyone who can actually do that though.
741: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
>>717
It takes ridiculous running to beat a man-mark system. The attacking side has to move even more. In this schedule, keeping that intensity for 90 is brutal. First half worked, second half died.
722: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
Second half was horrible. Fix it.
726: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
Alisson and Raya were just… there. Not even mad.
728: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
Skelly’s defending was terrifying, but he did keep it and slipped a through ball once. Maybe he’s an interior midfielder instead of a defender?
736: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
Hope Incapié’s injury is minor.
734: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
He’s walking, so it can’t be that bad.
739: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
Felt like self-destruction. Second half was so bad I don’t even know what we were trying to do.
We go long but Gyöke doesn’t run. We sub on Jesus instead of Merino who can actually battle.
We don’t build, we just hoof it, lose it, win second ball, repeat. Infinite loop.
CB carrying the ball breaks because Szoboszlai/Wirtz just follow them and suddenly we’re dead.
Arteta needs to explain that second half.
744: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:59
Honestly, chuck Merino on and just spam high balls. Would’ve been better.
748: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:59
>>744
I want to see Merino start at CF, no joke.
749: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:59
Jesus came on and it felt unnecessary. Maybe it was the plan, but the second-half “no response” thing feels mental, not tactical. Needs fixing.
754: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:00
Please stop prioritising Jesus over Merino. I beg.
765: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:00
We can only “Gyö → Je” like it’s an automatic script and it’s killing us.
Need Kai back as an actual focal point CF or we’ll start dropping points everywhere. Gyö’s struggling, Jesus is struggling.
774: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:01
Jesus wasn’t even bad. He’s miles better than Gyö. A CF who can’t hold it up is torture.
786: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:02
Eze did nothing, but he keeps trying striker-like runs in behind lately. The problem is… he’s not winning headers, so those runs are pointless. Same issue as Gyökeres: not fitting the team yet.
796: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:03
Last 10 minutes, only “Mal” looked like he was actually attacking. Before that, it was grim.
803: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:04
>>796
Madueke showed some promise at least.
802: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:04
Local commentary is losing it over Skelly vs Frimpong. Feels like Skelly’s head’s gone — peak was when he baited Haaland.
815: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:05
If Zubimendi and Rice have the ball and everyone ahead is marked and just floating about, you can’t progress.
You need the courage to play risky passes and have someone turn even while dragging a marker. Otherwise you get no chances.
822: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:07
Gravenberch is quality. We couldn’t nick the ball off him at all.
828: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:08
Madueke 1v1 is ridiculous. Give him more minutes. Stop starving him of the ball.
830: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:08
Can we solve the “nobody at the near post” thing? It’s been YEARS.
847: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:10
>>830
Thought Gyö was literally bought for that. Instead he’s either wrestling CBs, standing there daydreaming, or on the floor. Pick one.
834: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:08
Arteta’s subs have been fine lately, but today Slot outclassed him from start to finish.
846: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:10
>>834
Slot’s plan cooked us. Their “false nine” build-up had no answer from us.
836: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:08
This one’s on Arteta more than player quality. He’s obsessed with minimising risk and it backfired.
If you want to win, do Merino and fight for seconds. Swap Zubi for Eze.
But he’s always “minimum risk for one goal”, and that’s why we got battered second half.
840: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:09
>>836
It’s not subs. It’s the whole approach.
842: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:10
Result’s fair, but I’m gutted Skelly killed the momentum. Maybe start thinking about White again.
860: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:13
What do we do with Jesus? Still skilful, but he goes down easy and looks half-asleep.
863: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:14
Ødegaard, Gyö, Jesus, Eze, Rice — everyone central was invisible. Liverpool forced that.
We needed something to happen via Saka/Trossard first half.
866: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:14
Øde dropping less and CBs stepping up was good. But second half the wide attack vanished, we lost second balls, and even when we had it we rushed, made errors, then imploded. Sometimes slow build is fine. This team suits it.
872: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:15
Gyö’s movement is dead. Only knows flat runs onto straight passes.
When Saka/Øde get it, he neither attacks near post nor far post — just cuddles the CB.
Same on crosses. He doesn’t plan spaces, just fights people.
895: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:20
>>872
It’s exactly what Lineker said. I just want him to make committed runs. Even crashing near post helps.
892: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:19
Arteta-ball is easy to stall. Mark tight and we freeze. We don’t play into pressured players to bounce it and go. That’s why we needed someone who can hold it up.
904: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:22
>>892
We never turn their pressure against them. We’re too honest. I’ve never seen a proper layoff from us.
893: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:19
Jesus was honestly his best in a while. Gyö is the one with zero options vs a low block. Merino first half would’ve helped.
902: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:21
Gyökeres used to press before the injury. Since he came back? Nothing.
913: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:24
Liverpool’s “play for a draw” plan is anti-football. If Arsenal did it, we’d get cooked for it.
929: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:28
>>913
They had zero shots on target, so yeah. But away to the top side, people let it slide.
919: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:26
Not even about Liverpool. If we can’t crush defensive teams, football isn’t fun. It’s HOME.
921: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:26
Gyokeres had 8 touches in 64 minutes. Jesus had 11 in 26. It’s literally in the numbers. Low block? He has no tools.
949: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:35
Liverpool baited our high press with a “keep it, do nothing, false nine” setup and we swallowed it. Second half we gave them the game.
954: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:38
After a while, even when we pressed, midfield stopped stepping up because they were scared of numbers. Then we got dragged into a low block. Add Skelly looking shaky and everyone’s focus shifts to protecting him. Spiral.
956: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:39
Second half was just mistakes and weak mentality. Not tactics. You could literally see Arteta raging.
962: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:43
Staying 6 points clear while burning a fixture isn’t “good”, but I’ll force myself to cope with it.
968: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:49
I feel empty. Please smash Forest in the next league game. Away, bad schedule, “Daichi” vibes… and we keep losing even after their manager change. Great.
Liverpool Fan Reactions
725: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:55
Jesus Christ. A draw. I’ll take it.
726: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:55
Arsenal at home and THAT’S what they served?
729: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
I thought we’d get battered. We did what we needed. Honestly, we even had a chance to win it.
730: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:56
Good away point, but this isn’t a title-chasing squad build. Anyway, cheers lads.
733: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
Slot basically won that. Also Arsenal matches are always salt.
Bradley please just be a sprain.
736: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
Bradley out is massive.
739: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
With that pain, it’s not “just a sprain”, mate.
743: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:57
We did everything we could. Bradley injury is the only sour bit.
But why did Arsenal drop off second half? If they played the first-half way, they might’ve pinned us.
749: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
Boring match.
750: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:58
That was genuinely good from us. No Salah, no Ekitike, no Isak… and we still got a result. Arsenal were basically full strength and it was underwhelming.
754: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:59
Second half was decent. If Ekitike’s there, maybe we win.
755: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 06:59
Szoboszlai in defence can sit central, but in attack he shouldn’t be central.
760: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:00
Slot got it right today. We just don’t have attackers. We need signings.
768: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:03
Defence is fine. Midfield’s okay.
But our attack is Big Six bottom-tier. We’re missing wingers and it’s killing us.
773: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:06
THIS is the way. Defend tight, nick a chance.
If we tried to press like idiots, we’d have died. Now just buy a winger who can run in behind.
778: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:09
We have basically zero wing options.
779: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:10
Could’ve subbed Gakpo and Bradley earlier, surely.
782: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:12
Best we could do with what we’ve got.
Nobody can beat a man on the dribble. Even Gakpo — our “only attacker” — can’t do it. Grim.
789: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:17
You can’t take Gakpo off, he’s the only one who can fight physically up top.
And you can’t easily take Frimpong off either, he was cooking Skelly.
Midfield wasn’t dying either. And honestly, Chiesa has been so bad lately I wouldn’t use him.
798: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:26
Gakpo + Frimpong tucked in as man-markers, Szobo + Wirtz sliding to erase Zubimendi — it worked.
Slot basically copied the old “kill Busquets and Barca dies” blueprint.
794: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:19
Wirtz can only do false nine, so he just floated.
Szobo only links play, so they clogged the same space and formed the “backpass brothers”.
Gakpo at CF would’ve been better — he does it for country and gets results.
796: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:24
>>794
Gakpo can’t cover Zubimendi though, so it’s fine. We shut that down, forced their CBs to step up, and they kept doing low-quality attacks.
808: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:42
Right side with Frimpong had some threat. Left side was dead.
Did Gakpo even make a run in behind once? Arsenal’s wide lads were constantly doing it. Wingers who can’t run vertical create nothing.
811: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 07:46
Also Frimpong being right-footed means even when he beats someone, he can’t really shoot.
Maybe sign a right-sided winger and convert Frimpong to the left.
829: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 10:10
So the “Slot getting sacked” thing was just fake news then?
830: Anonymous Fan 2026/01/09 10:15
Ed Hughes won’t take responsibility, so Slot probably survives until summer. Full-on throwaway season.
