Arsenal stage rousing Liverpool comeback as Trent Alexander-Arnold booed - 7 talking points

Arsenal staged a morale-boosting comeback to hold Liverpool 2-2 at Anfield on Sunday. The Reds, still celebrating their title success, continued their party as 's close range header gave them the lead.

And just a minute later, doubled the lead with a tap-in. Despite cruising, Liverpool were made to sweat just seconds after the restart thanks to 's header. And Mikel Merino then headed home a dramatic equaliser to silence Anfield.

The Spaniard then received his marching orders for two bookable offences. Andrew Robertson thought he had stolen victory late on, only for a linesman's flag to ruin his celebrations for a foul.

Here are all of the talking points from Anfield:

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Gakpo nods home opener

It was a relatively even start to the game, with Saka actually wasting a brilliant chance from a novel free-kick. But soon hit their straps and were ahead midway through the first-half through Gakpo.

From an earlier chance, the Dutchman just ghosted back onside, with neither of the central defenders picking him up. Andrew Robertson's cross was perfectly on his forehead and he nodded a brilliant effort beyond the despairing dive of .

The 26-year-old now has 18 goals to his name this season - an excellent return - and something that he will no doubt be aiming to add to next term.

Who was your man-of-the-match between Liverpool and Arsenal?

Lively Liverpool double lead

As Arsenal began licking their wounds at Anfield, they were soon picking the ball back out of their net again. Effectively from kick-off, Liverpool seized the ball and flooded forwards. Salah's excellent throughball freed, who had the freedom of the pitch down the right.

Raya did all he could to intervene but the Liverpool star skipped past him and presented the ball to Diaz, who had the simple job of sliding it home into an empty net.

If anything, those two ruthless minutes from the home side showed how much better they have been than Arsenal this season - and why they have justifiably won the title.

Alexander-Arnold axed

With Liverpool playing out the final throws of the current campaign, it appears that boss is already starting to think about next term. Sunday's showdown with Arsenal was the first game at Anfield since

And he was named on the bench in favour of Conor Bradley. As it stands, the youngster will come straight into the side next season as's replacement - the academy graduate getting booed throughout the second-half after entering the pitch as a substitute.

It seems likely that Liverpool could dip into the transfer market but giving Bradley chances will do him the of good - especially if they continue to be as composed as his outing against Arsenal.

Regarding Alexander-Arnold, it's a real shame to see his Liverpool career end with such vitriol.

Arsenal respond instantly

One misstep from Bradley did end up being costly for Liverpool just minutes after the half-time break. He allowed far too much room to produce a right-footed cross.

It found the head of Martinelli, whose glanced finish nestled into the far corner of Alisson's net. It was the Brazilian's sixth career goal against Liverpool.

Merino levels matters

Another Arsenal star who has a handy knack of finding the back of the net against Liverpool is Merino - and he repeated the trick at Anfield on Sunday. Captain Martin Odegaard had set his sights from range midway through the second-half.

Alisson managed to get a glove to his effort, tipping it on the post. But Merino reacted to nod home into the unguarded net.

He has now scored home and away against Liverpool this term, having netted nine goals throughout the campaign. If Arsenal are to have another push for the title next term, the Spanish midfielder would certainly be a useful option to have.

Another Arsenal red card

Just as it looked as though Merino had done enough to earn Arsenal a point, he very quickly changed into a villain. Liverpool pressed ferociously throughout the closing stages, with the Spanish midfielder letting the ball slip away.

In attempting to make up for his error, he crunched in on Szoboszlai with a strong challenge. Having brandished a yellow card earlier in the game, it was a simple decision for Anthony Taylor, who dismissed Merino.

While it does not matter too much now, Arteta will be desperate to fix Arsenal's disciplinary problems next season.

Liverpool robbed of winner

With the game drifting towards a draw, Liverpool thought they had snatched all three points. From a corner, Raya saved but only saw the ball drop to Robertson.

And he scored, only to see the linesman's flag go up for a foul from Ibrahima Konate. And upon a VAR review, it was the correct decision.

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