100% duels won: Liverpool's 8/10 titan was even better than Salah

That might not have been the result that either team wanted, but it leaves both in the Premier League title race and not too far off Manchester City in first.

Yes, both Liverpool and Arsenal would have wanted to come away with all three points this evening, but ultimately, neither side could quite outdo the other, and a 2-2 draw is a more than fair outcome.

Moreover, Arne Slot’s men should take some encouragement from the fact that they came back from going a goal down twice, thanks to strikes from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, and while the latter was impressive in the second half, he wasn’t the Reds’ best player.

Salah’s performance in numbers

It was an interesting performance by Salah this afternoon, as even though he was slightly underwhelming at points, particularly in the first half, he proved to be utterly crucial when it mattered – as he always does.

For example, it was the Egyptian icon who finally breached the Gunners’ defence in the second half, in no small part thanks to some brilliant play from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Núñez, and while moments like that will always make up for lacklustre passages of play earlier in the game.

This is an opinion shared by Liverpoolworld writer Will Rooney, who gave the 32-year-old a 7/10 match rating at full-time, writing that after a ‘subdued’ first 45, he quickly became the Merseysider’s ‘most threatening player’ in the second half, which is an appraisal backed up by the forward’s statistics.

Salah’s game in numbers
Minutes	97′
Expected Goals	0.38
Goals	1
Touches	46
Key Passes	1
Dribbles (Successful)	3 (2)
Ground Duels (Won)	6 (3)
Shots on Target	2
Shots off Target	1
Fouls Won	1
All Stats via Sofascore

In his 97 minutes of action, the former AS Roma star scored once, racked up an expected goals figure of 0.38, took 46 touches, played one key pass, was successful in two of three dribbles, won 50% of his ground duels, took two shots on target, one off target and won one foul.

Overall, Salah’s performance was reasonably strong this afternoon, and while he didn’t blow the roof off the Emirates, he was effective when it mattered most, and yet he was not Liverpool’s best player.

Ibrahima Konate’s performance in numbers

Yes, as Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher said at full-time, French defender Ibrahima Konaté was “was Liverpool’s best player by a mile” today.

It might sound odd to name a centre-back as the team’s standout player given the fact they conceded twice, but unlike his defensive partner who had to get back quicker for Bukayo Saka’s opener, it would be extremely harsh to blame either goal on the Paris-born ace.

Moreover, when you look at the 25-year-old’s statistics from the game, his monumental impact becomes impossible to deny.

For example, in his 97 minutes of action, the 6 foot 4 titan made six clearances, won 100% of his duels, made two tackles, completed two of three long balls, took 74 touches, completed 54 of 62 passes and won one foul.

With numbers like that, it’s hardly surprising that the RB Leipzig gem also impressed Rooney, with the journalist awarding him a fully justified 8/10 at full-time and writing that he ‘gamely stuck to his task’ and ‘constantly got across to thwart Martinelli,’ who was proving to be a real handful for Andrew Robertson.

Ultimately, Liverpool were not at their free-flowing best this afternoon, but that is precisely when the best players step up, which is what Salah did with his goal and Konate with his entire display.

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