Arsenal defeated Liverpool 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and moved two points behind the Premier League leaders to ignite the title race.

Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard were on target for Arsenal while Liverpool had a goal via Gabriel Magalhaes’ own goal.

The hosts dominated much of the contest but gifted Liverpool a route back into the game when a defensive mix-up on the stroke of half-time saw Magalhaes turn into his own net to cancel out Saka’s early opener.

Arsenal continued to push, though, and went back in front when Martinelli turned into an empty net after Liverpool’s Alisson Becker had charged off his line and failed to clear a long ball.

Jurgen Klopp’s side, unbeaten in their previous 15 Premier League games, had Ibrahima Konate sent off before substitute Trossard wrapped up a huge win for the Gunners in stoppage time, finishing smartly through Alisson’s legs from an acute angle.

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The victory sees Arsenal move back into second place above Manchester City, who face Brentford on Monday night and ensures Liverpool taste defeat in the Premier League for the first time since September.

Speaking after the game, Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, told Sky Sports: “Especially with the performance we had in the first half and the chances we created, the way we conceded was painful.

“We could not feel sorry for ourselves, we needed to react. There was a lot to play for and we went out and suffered a bit.

“They were attacking open spaces and that is a bad thing to concede against them. They changed their shape and we had to bring a player inside.

“Basically the message was that there were going to be difficult moments and we had to navigate through those moments. We were ruthless when we had a chance and it feels like a big win.”

On his part, Jurgen Klopp said: “A lot of things were against us today. This referee gave me a red card against Man City for wrestling situation between Bernardo Silva and Mo Salah. Today same situation with Jota but didn’t get a red card.

“It is unbelievable, then the of holding Havertz on Konate for the first yellow card. Then Havertz goes down and the referee gives Konate a yellow card. Gabriel does the same to Nunez and no yellow card.

“We gave them all the momentum. We had possession and just didn’t have the finishes.

“In general, we can admit that Arsenal deserve the three points. But the circumstances were a bit strange. The goal for us was similar to the cup game. In the cup game, we had even bigger chances.

Burnley visit Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League next Saturday, while West Ham host Arsenal on Sunday.

The Star