Mohamed Salah proved the saviour for Liverpool as they twice fought back to earn a 2-2 draw against Arsenal in a pulsating encounter between two Premier League title rivals at the Emirates Stadium.

The Egyptian finished a clinical Liverpool counter-attack on 81 minutes to earn a point, capping a second half that saw Arsenal lose Gabriel Magalhaes to injury and Jurrien Timber also forced off.

Bukayo Saka had given Arsenal a ninth-minute lead with his 50th Premier League strike and Mikel Merino's first Gunners goal had them in front by the break after Virgil van Dijk's equaliser.

But it was Salah who had the final say to ensure the spoils would be shared, sending Liverpool home with an important point in the bag.

Arne Slot's men are consequently second in the table, just a point behind leaders Manchester City, while Mikel Arteta's Gunners are five off top spot in third.

How the match unfolded

Saka struck first when he received Ben White's excellent long ball in the right-hand channel, then turned Andrew Robertson and lashed past Caoimhin Kelleher at his near post.

Salah then failed to punish a mis-control from Merino but Liverpool were level when Luis Diaz flicked on a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner that Van Dijk nodded in from close range.

Merino fluffed his lines from one Declan Rice set-piece but just before the break, but he made no mistake at the second attempt as he headed home from the England midfielder's delicious whipped free-kick to restore Arsenal's lead.

Liverpool gained more of a foothold when Arsenal lost Gabriel and Timber after the interval, though, and they had the hosts noticeably penned deeper inside their own half.

Eventually the pressure told when Alexander-Arnold bent a beautiful ball forward for Darwin Nunez, who squared for Salah to slot home the equaliser.

Defensive woes prove too much for Arsenal

Last week's defeat at AFC Bournemouth not only put a dent in Arsenal's title hopes, but it also came at the cost of a suspension for William Saliba.

With Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu injured, Arteta faced a headache that was partially solved by the return of Timber and saw Thomas Partey play at right-back.

It was a solution that initially appeared to work, though it has to be said the return of Saka – missing against Bournemouth and Shakhtar Donetsk through injury – was also a huge boost.

Robertson struggled all game to get a grip of Saka, who became the youngest Arsenal player to reach a half-century of Premier League goals.

Rice was also typically excellent and Merino saw one inviting delivery from his team-mate come off his heel, though the chance for his goal soon afterwards was almost unmissable, such was the quality of Rice's cross.

But you could sense a shift when Gabriel and Timber exited the field in the second half and, although Liverpool initially struggled to find the killer ball, Arsenal's resolve finally yielded and Arteta will now face a nervy wait to learn the extent of his latest injury woes.

Liverpool show their mettle

Liverpool knew this was a great chance to really enhance their title credentials and the absence of Saliba for the Gunners will have provided a big pre-game boost.

The Reds will be disappointed with the opener, not just Robertson getting turned but Van Dijk being nowhere on the cover to thwart Saka, who was also on target when Arsenal won last season's corresponding fixture 3-1 in February.

The equaliser from their captain provided a shot in the arm, though if anything it only served to strengthen the resolve of the hosts, who began to dominate the midfield battle.

But in fairness to the Reds, they showed character and the second half was already becoming more attritional prior to Arsenal's injury misfortune.

Though they initially struggled to turn the extra pressure into clear-cut chances, when the moment came – thanks to Alexander-Arnold's exquisite pass – Salah was there, as he has so often been in the past, to secure a point and show Liverpool's mettle.

Coming off the back of a hard-fought win over an impressive Chelsea team a week ago, this point showed Liverpool have what it takes to be in the title picture this season.

Club reports

Arsenal report | Liverpool report

Match officials

Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Sam Barrott. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Darren Cann.