Cole Palmer's availability for Chelsea's crunch Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday is still to be decided.

Blues talisman Palmer was on the end of a painful challenge from Lisandro Martinez in last week's draw with Manchester United.

With seven goals and five assists in the Premier League already this season, following a breakout campaign last time out, Chelsea will be keen to have Palmer back for their next league match against Arsenal.

But Enzo Maresca revealed ahead of his side's Conference League meeting with Noah that Palmer was yet to train with the team again.

Palmer is not part of Chelsea's European squad for the league phase and so would not have featured on Thursday regardless, but his status for the Arsenal encounter is uncertain.

"Cole didn't train [on Tuesday], so we will see today if he can train with us," Maresca said on Wednesday.

"We hope [he will be available for Sunday]. We need to wait and see and then decide."

Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League, above Arsenal on goal difference, while they lead the Conference League table after two matches.

Maresca's men have so far succeeded in that competition due to their incredible strength in depth, although the vast number of options means some star names are struggling to see minutes in the Premier League.

Asked about Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku, Maresca said: "I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League, but I have said many times: we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole, Christo.

"I like to put all of them inside the pitch, but then you also have to defend and you need the right balance between the two phases of attacking and defending.

"This is the only reason why. There is no doubt if Joao keeps working well, he is going to find his moment also in the Premier League."

Declan Rice will miss Arsenal's Champions League match at Inter through injury but Mikel Arteta is hopeful of having Martin Odegaard available after two months on the sidelines.

Rice has not travelled to Milan after picking up an injury during Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

The England international will now undergo further tests to determine his availability for Sunday's London derby at Chelsea.

"Declan unfortunately picked up an injury against Newcastle. He was able to finish and he wasn't feeling good the last few days," Arteta told a press conference.

"We'll have to assess him on Thursday and see if he's ready for Chelsea."

Meanwhile, Arteta will wait to see if Odegaard can feature at San Siro after recovering from an ankle injury he suffered while on international duty with Norway in September.

"The positive news, Martin, it's great to have him back," the Spaniard said.

"He trained with us first time today. He's a bit earlier than expected. But it's great to have him here and we will decide if we use him tomorrow."

Both Arsenal and Inter have seven points apiece after three Champions League games.

Arteta's side will look to restore morale after a three-game winless streak in the Premier League, in what will be the team's first game after sporting director Edu surprisingly announced his departure.

"Everything happened very quickly. I loved working with him, I really enjoyed being alongside him in this incredible journey. I'm very grateful for everything he's done for me and the club," Arteta said about the Brazilian.

"He's had an amazing opportunity now to do something else in a different role. He feels that's best for him. We have to respect that. From the bottom of my heart I wish the best for him.

"We have a very strong leadership team and we're not going to stop right now. The passion to fulfil this journey is not going to stop. That means opportunities for someone else. We say thank you and we have to move on."

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has returned to full training after spending two months out of action with an ankle injury. 

Odegaard has missed 12 matches for the Gunners in all competitions after damaging his ankle ligaments against Austria while on international duty with Norway in September. 

The 25-year-old midfielder trained with Arsenal ahead of their trip to the San Siro to face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

Mikel Arteta's side have, however, struggled in Odegaard's absence recently, failing to win any of their last three games in the Premier League. 

In the seven games that Odegaard has missed in the top-flight, Arsenal's win percentage dropped from 66.7% to 42.9% after going unbeaten in their first three games. 

The Gunners have also averaged 1.6 points per game without Odegaard, compared to 2.3 points won with the Norwegian in their ranks.

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is expecting a difficult test against "one of the best teams in Europe" when Arsenal visit the San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

Arsenal come into the encounter against the reigning Serie A champions on the back of a defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend. 

Mikel Arteta's side have now lost two of their last three league games, having tasted defeat just once in their 25 games in the top-flight (W21 D3) in 2024. 

But Inzaghi, who helped Inter keep pace at the Serie A summit with a controversial 1-0 win over Venezia, is expecting a reaction from the Gunners. 

"We are facing one of the best teams in Europe, very recognisable with a great coach," Inzaghi said.

"We all know how the big teams react after a defeat. Look at us after the derby... You find teams out for redress.

"I saw the match between Arsenal and Newcastle. Playing at Newcastle's home is not easy, but it was an open and fascinating match.

"We will find a team that lost two-and-a-half days ago, they will want to play a great game at San Siro."

Inter lost the Derby della Madonnina 2-1 to Milan in September, but have since gone on to win seven of their eight games in all competitions. 

Inzaghi's side are just ahead of Arsenal in the Champions League table, with both teams picking up seven points from their opening three games. 

The two sides have only met previously in the 2003-04 Champions League – both games were away wins (Arsenal 0-3 Inter, Inter 1-5 Arsenal).

While history favours the visiting side, Inzaghi has said his side will try to dominate possession against Arsenal in order to remain unbeaten in the competition. 

"If you see Arsenal among 100 teams, without knowing the name, you recognise them. They played for the last two English titles, point for point with Manchester City," he said.

"We will have to try to keep the ball as much as possible, we know that we are facing a team that put on a lot of offensive pressure.

"We know that it will be a problem for us when they have the ball but the opposite is also true."

Arsenal have also struggled in recent games in the Champions League in Italy, failing to find the back of the net in their last four away games in the country. 

Emmanuel Adebayor was the last Gunners player to score there in a 2-0 win over Milan in March 2008, and Inter will be confident of keeping it that way. 

Although only five teams have faced more shots in the Champions League this season than Inter (53), they have kept three clean sheets so far.

Arsenal have confirmed Edu has resigned from his role as the club's sporting director.

Edu, a former Arsenal player who was part of the "Invincibles" squad in the 2003-04 season, has been involved in the behind-the-scenes running of the Gunners since July 2019.

He first returned to the club as technical director, and was promoted to sporting director in November 2022.

Edu has played a key role in supporting Mikel Arteta, and helping the Spaniard transform the Gunners into Premier League title contenders.

Reports emerged on Monday, however, that the Brazilian was quitting his role, with speculation mounting that he will be joining Evangelos Marinakis' footballing organisation - the Greek magnate owns Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos.

"This was an incredibly hard decision to make," Edu said in a statement released on Arsenal's website.

"Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history. It has been a special journey.

"I've loved working with so many great colleagues across our men’s, women’s and academy teams, especially Mikel, who has become a great friend.

"Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best."

The news comes after Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday to leave them seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Arsenal face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday.

We are now 10 games into the Premier League season and the table is beginning to take shape, but that does not mean there is no room for an upset or two.

On Saturday, both Manchester City and Arsenal fell to surprise defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle United respectively. 

It was only the third time since the start of 2017-18 that both of the previous season's top two teams had lost on the same day in the Premier League, after March 7, 2021 and January 14, 2023.

Pep Guardiola's champions could have few complaints about the result at the Vitality Stadium, where Andoni Iraola's Cherries won the expected goals (xG) battle by 2.04 to 1.56.

But which other games featured a lucky winner or an unlucky loser? We delve into the Opta data to find out.

Unlucky losers: Arsenal

The weekend's action began with Arsenal travelling to St James' Park to face Newcastle, with Mikel Arteta's side chasing a victory to move within a point of leaders Liverpool.

However, they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat as Alexander Isak's early goal proved enough for Newcastle to make it three wins in their last four home league games against Arsenal (one loss).

The Gunners could count themselves unlucky to come away from Tyneside with nothing, however, after limiting Newcastle to a measly 0.53 xG – 0.25 of which came from the chance for Isak's goal.

Only West Ham, who played half of their defeat to Nottingham Forest with 10 men, created a lower figure across the nine games to take place this weekend, with 0.13 xG.

Arsenal were far from their free-flowing best, though, only recording 10 attempts worth 1.05 xG themselves. They have averaged just 7.4 shots per game in their away Premier League matches this season, with only Brentford (7.5) taking fewer.

Lucky winners: Southampton 

Just two teams – Wolves and Ipswich Town – remain without a victory in the Premier League after Southampton finally got off the mark by beating Everton 1-0 at St Mary's.

Russell Martin's team accumulated just 0.74 xG to Everton's 1.56, but Adam Armstrong's strike five minutes from time handed them a huge three points in their fight for safety.

While Beto, who headed against the crossbar just 25 seconds before Armstrong's winner, and Jack Harrison spurned great chances for the Toffees, Southampton were also grateful for a late VAR intervention, as the former saw a potential leveller chalked off for a marginal offside call.

It was the first time Everton had failed to score against Southampton in the Premier League since February 2022, bringing their five-match unbeaten run in the competition to a halt.

Unlucky losers: Crystal Palace

Southampton ended the weekend in 19th, above winless Wolves after they were pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Molineux.

Marc Guehi salvaged a draw for the Eagles, who were without star men Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze yet arguably still did enough to leave the West Midlands with all three points.

They racked up 19 shots totalling 2.51 xG to their hosts' 11, which had a total value of 1.51 xG. Palace's xG figure was the highest in the Premier League this weekend, but they were missing their shooting boots as Ismaila Sarr squandered two glorious chances when they were a goal to the good in the second half. 

With both defences struggling, this was only the second Premier League game of the season to be goalless at half-time but see both sides score at least twice in the second half, after Everton 2-3 Bournemouth in August.

There could have been a fifth goal in stoppage time, too, as Jean-Phillipe Mateta saw a potential winner disallowed for a foul on Jose Sa in the build-up. Wolves – and their under-fire head coach Gary O'Neil – arguably got away with one.

Lucky winners: Chelsea 

Sunday's late game saw Chelsea fight back to draw 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford, denying Ruud van Nistelrooy a first Premier League win as the Red Devils' interim head coach.

Moises Caicedo's well-taken volley cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' penalty and Chelsea arguably looked the more likely victors in the second half, but they only generated 1.1 xG from their 12 attempts – and just 0.29 from six after the interval.

United, meanwhile, had chances worth 1.98 xG, though Fernandes' spot-kick – with an xG value of 0.79 – was a major contributing factor.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho squandered decent opportunities for United, though, and incoming boss Ruben Amorim has plenty of work to do with their attackers.

United have scored just nine goals in 10 Premier League games this season – their worst record through 10 matches of any league campaign since 1973-74 (also nine).

Fans of a certain vintage will need no reminder of what happened at the end of that season – United were relegated from the First Division, their fate sealed by club legend Denis Law scoring against them with a nonchalant backheel, while representing rivals Man City.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi acknowledged his side need to be more ruthless in front of goal following their Serie A win over Venezia, with matches against Arsenal and Napoli coming up.

Lautaro Martinez's first home goal in league action since February handed the Nerazzurri a hard-fought 1-0 win at San Siro, though they missed several chances to make their victory more comfortable.

Inzaghi's team racked up 20 shots worth 2.41 expected goals (xG) to Venezia's seven attempts and 1.07 xG during Sunday's game.

They have now scored in each of their 28 league games at San Siro after failing to net in three in a row between March and April 2023, but Inzaghi knows they must take their chances when they face Arsenal and Napoli this week.

"We should’ve been more clinical, but to be honest, I congratulated the team because the first half was excellent even if we wasted big opportunities," he told DAZN.

"Once we broke the deadlock, the big regret is that we didn’t kill off the game and when it is in the balance, anything can still happen."

Arsenal visit San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday, before Napoli – who are currently one point clear at the top of Serie A – make the trip on Sunday.

"In two days we are up against one of the best teams in Europe with huge quality, so clearly my focus right now is on Arsenal," Inzaghi said.

The 48-year-old expressed concern about the challenging schedule ahead but felt relieved after seeing key players return.

"This is our fifth game in two weeks, there are another two to come against Arsenal and Napoli, but we’ve got Hakan Calhanoglu back and Francesco Acerbi will be available on Wednesday too," he said.

"Carlos Augusto is the only one still out and as a coach I will need everyone." 

Mikel Arteta was left frustrated by Arsenal's performance in their 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle United on Saturday.

The defeat left them third in the Premier League, though they could be up to eight points behind Manchester City by the end of the day.

Arsenal had 63.9% possession and mustered more shots (10) and a higher expected goals total (1.11) than Newcastle, but could not find a leveller following Alexander Isak's early header.

And Arteta was disappointed with how his side did the basics following what he thought was a good start.

"We deserved to lose today. I thought we started really well and were really dominant. We didn't defend the box well enough," he told Premier League Productions.

"Credit to them. They scored a great goal with a good ball.

"Then the game changes and you start to play a different game. You have to adapt and we didn't do that well enough. I am very frustrated.

"We got dragged into a game they are looking for constantly and we couldn't play the game that we wanted."

Arsenal only managed one shot on target in the match, coming from a Mikel Merino effort that was cleared off the line in the first half. Declan Rice, meanwhile, put a close-range header wide in second-half stoppage time.

"We had two big chances: Mikel had a big one, Declan had a big one. We lacked answers," said Arteta.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, meanwhile, was delighted with the Magpies' performance as they sealed back-to-back victories following their win over Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

"You have to be really strong mentality and know results will turn if you continue to do the right things," Howe told BBC Sport.

"It has been a difficult week with the fixtures, but the players have done really well.

"There was a better feeling in training after the Chelsea win, as if pressure lifted slightly.

"Today's performance was built on hard work, desire and a lot of really good defending in the second half. I thought we looked good."

Isak headed home from a pinpoint Anthony Gordon cross to tally up his third goal in three successive appearances in all competitions.

"I wouldn't say it is a trademark goal for Alex but really pleased to see it. Anthony can give you that on his natural right-hand side and it was a great ball," said Howe.

"It was always going to take a moment like that as it was a game of few chances."

Alexander Isak headed Newcastle United to their first Premier League win in five games as they beat Arsenal 1-0 to dent the Gunners’ title hopes.

The decisive moment came in the 12th minute when Isak combined with Anthony Gordon, heading the ball into the roof of the net to continue his fine form at St. James’ Park.

Arsenal rarely threatened throughout, registering just one shot on target, which came in the first half when Mikel Merino saw his effort blocked on the line by Lewis Hall. 

Isak threatened a second for the hosts on the hour mark, but his attempt stung the palms of David Raya, while Declan Rice’s deflected strike narrowly evaded the far post just under a minute later.

The win moved Newcastle into eighth place in the table, while Arsenal remain third but could find themselves eight points off the top should Manchester City beat Bournemouth later on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Alexander the Great

Having marked his return from a toe injury with two goals in as many games, Isak's return to form for Newcastle is a welcome boost for Eddie Howe.

The Swede has now scored in three successive appearances in all competitions for Newcastle for the first time since January last season, and has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 17 Premier League starts at St. James’ Park (16 goals, two assists).

Isak's header also saw the Magpies claim a third win in their last four Premier League home games against Arsenal (L1), as many as their previous 23 beforehand (W3 D8 L12).

For Arsenal, meanwhile, their poor run continued. After losing just one of their first 25 Premier League games in 2024 (W21 D3), they have since lost two of their last three (D1).

The Gunners have also now lost successive away matches in the league for the first time since May 2022.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says that it is up to young midfielder Ethan Nwaneri to dictate how quickly he will become a regular in their first team.

That was after the 17-year-old midfielder played a starring role in his side's 3-0 victory away to Preston North End in the last 16 of the EFL Cup, curling in a wonderful effort for the second.

Nwaneri scored his first senior goals with a brace in the 5-1 win over League One Bolton in the previous round and looked in great shape again on Wednesday.

"He's a big talent, he's got the right attitude and he's got the right players and context around him," Arteta told BBC Sport.

"We need to make sure that we build brick by brick in the right tempo, in the right order, but we have some player there."

Nwaneri has already made four substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, having come off the bench against Tottenham, Leicester, Bournemouth and Liverpool.

In September 2022, meanwhile, he became the youngest player in history to feature in the Premier League after coming off the bench against Brentford at just 15 years and 181 days.

According to his manager, the pace of his further development will be down to him.

"He's going to really dictate how fast that's going to go, but I'm really happy with him," Arteta added.

"There's so much personality there. He wants to impose himself, he wants every ball, he wants to make things happen.

"He's very respectful, his work ethic is tremendous and he loves what he does, you can tell that. I think he is showing every day what he is capable of.

“You see his team-mates, they are giving him the ball all the time, that's a great sign. So we have some player there."

Mikel Arteta wants to keep Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League title when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday, opting to ignore comparisons with Jose Mourinho.

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher likened Arsenal's manager to Mourinho, suggesting the Gunners "don't play great football".

That verdict came after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool before Arsenal eased to a 3-0 win against Preston North End in the EFL Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

Arteta refused to be drawn on the comparison, however, insisting his focus was solely on repaying the faith of Arsenal's board and supporters with victory away to Newcastle.

"I don’t talk about myself. I leave him to give his opinion," Arteta started, referring to Carragher's punditry comments.

"Nobody is un-sackable. When this happens you have earned something and you have it in the bank somehow, but we are here to win football matches – never forget that."

Pressed on his five-year tenure at Arsenal, Arteta reiterated the same message, adding: "Very unusual. Unfortunately, it is very unusual.

"I will carry on with my job in the best possible way and football matches are the most important thing and you have to win many of them to keep your job."

Hosts Newcastle are winless in five league outings, slipping down to 12th in the table, and boss Eddie Howe warned no player is guaranteed selection before Wednesday's 2-0 against Chelsea in the same cup competition.

"No one is undroppable," he said, referring to Bruno Guimaraes.

"I think you make a valid point on Bruno’s minutes, his travelling, he’s done a lot, he’s always been there for us so we need to make sure we manage him well and manage the other players who have had a lot of minutes well."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle United – Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak averages a goal every 133 minutes in the Premier League for Newcastle – only Andrew Cole (one every 121 minutes) has a better average for the Magpies in the competition.

The Sweden striker has also scored 11 goals in his last 11 league appearances at St James’ Park, where he will hope to continue that run of form on Saturday.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has created more chances than any other Premier League player this season (27), while he has either scored or assisted in 10 of his last 12 league games – including seven of eight matches this campaign.

His three goals and seven assists in 2024-25 also make him one of just four players to achieve double figures for goal involvements in the Premier League.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal may be winless in their last two league games but they will be the favourites against Howe's struggling side.

Newcastle have not tasted victory in their last five league outings, their longest winless streak since a six-match run across August and September 2022.

Arsenal may have been beaten in their last trip to Bournemouth, too, but they have not suffered back-to-back away defeats in the league since May 2022.

The second of those defeats did come at Newcastle, however, where the Magpies have won two of their last three home Premier League games against Arsenal.

That is as many wins as Newcastle managed across 19 previous home league fixtures with Arsenal, who lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season thanks to Anthony Gordon's controversial winner.

Fortunately for Arteta, Arsenal have not suffered defeat in consecutive away league games against Newcastle since their first three such visits in the Premier League between 1994 and 1996.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle United win – 27.1%
Draw – 25.1%
Arsenal win – 47.8%

Tottenham will host Manchester United for a place in the EFL Cup semi-finals as the last-eight ties were confirmed on Wednesday.

Ange Postecoglou's side inflicted Manchester City's first defeat of the 2024-25 campaign with a 2-1 victory at home in the fourth round.

Timo Werner and Pape Sarr were both on target for Spurs, whose next test in the competition will come against United, who smashed Leicester City 5-2 to reach the next stage.

That victory marked Ruud van Nistelrooy's first game in interim charge after Erik ten Hag's dismissal on Monday, though Sporting's Ruben Amorim is expected to soon be appointed at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag ended a six-year trophy drought for United when winning the EFL Cup in 2023, leaving the possibility for Amorim to follow suit should he arrive and guide his side past Tottenham.

Arsenal will also meet London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in another quarter-final tie.

Mikel Arteta's side eased past Preston North End in the fourth round, while Palace stunned Aston Villa with a 2-1 away win after Daichi Kamada's second-half winner.

Staying in London, Brentford sneaked past Sheffield Wednesday on penalties and will visit Newcastle United, who battled to a 2-0 home win over Chelsea to reach the last eight.

Defending champions Liverpool edged to a 3-2 win over Brighton, earning a quarter-final trip to Southampton after Russel Martin's side snatched a late 3-2 win over Stoke City on Tuesday.

All quarter-final clashes are set to be played across the week of December 17.

EFL Cup quarter-final draw in full:

Tottenham vs Manchester United

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

Newcastle United vs Brentford

Southampton vs Liverpool

Arsenal eased their way into the EFL Cup quarter-finals after a dominant 3-0 away victory over Preston North End on Wednesday.

Paul Heckingbotton's Championship side proved no match for the Gunners at Deepdale, where Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring after 24 minutes when sweeping home Jakub Kiwior's headed assist.

Jesus turned into the creator just nine minutes later, sliding inside towards the edge of the area before teenager Ethan Nwaneri curled a stunning left-footed attempt into the top-left corner.

Left-back Kiwior grabbed another assist with a delightful delivery after the interval, leaving Kai Havertz with a simple header past Freddie Woodman just before the hour.

The Preston goalkeeper denied Raheem Sterling twice in quick succession soon after, before Stefan Thordarson almost turned into his own net when attempting to clear Arsenal's set-piece routine.

Nwaneri then rattled the crossbar with an ambitious effort as Arsenal cruised into the last-eight draw before Saturday's Premier League trip to Newcastle United.

Data Debrief: Gunners fire past another challenger

Since losing 3-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in October 2015, Arsenal have won all 12 of their EFL Cup matches against sides from outside the Premier League by an aggregate score of 41-5.

The Gunners added another emphatic away victory here to that streak, which also includes a 4-0 win at Nottingham Forest in 2016 and a 6-0 thrashing of West Brom at the Hawthorns in 2021.

For Preston, it was a further disappointment as they lost in the fourth round for an eighth occasion – they have played the most games in the competition without ever featuring in the quarter-final stage (185).

Arne Slot was pleased by Liverpool's resilience in coming from behind twice to earn a draw against Arsenal, but acknowledged the Gunners were the better team on the day. 

Virgil van Dijk's header cancelled out Bukayo Saka's opener, before Mohamed Salah sealed a share of the spoils after Mikel Merino had restored Arsenal's advantage. 

The Reds had their chances to return to the Premier League summit after Arsenal lost Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber to injury, but they were unable to find a winner. 

Slot preserved his unbeaten away record during a pulsating encounter at the Emirates, but said the Gunners deserved their half-time advantage.

"Eventful, exciting. Both teams scored from a set piece. In my opinion, Arsenal were the better team than us," Slot said. "They deserved to be one up at half-time.

"We had less to recover and prepare for this game and if I look at how strong we were in the second half, that pleased me and most being two times down."

Slot is now the first Liverpool manager to not lose any of his first seven away matches in charge since William Connell in February 1923.

But Liverpool conceded twice in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time since December 2023 (two versus Fulham).

Indeed, 40% of the Reds’ goals conceded in the competition under Slot were scored by the Gunners today, but the Dutchman was keen to focus on the positives.

"Two times behind then it's pleasing to see we can come back into the game especially with one day less to recover," he continued.

"To be stronger in second half than first pleases me. You come here to win but maybe a draw was a result we can take with us, especially after the first half.

"You know coming here that they have many quality players, you can have difficult moments in the game. Pleased me to score from a set piece.

"We needed that because from open play we weren't dominant at all. They deserved to be up 2-1 at half-time. But the way we showed up second half was impressive."

It was also a memorable game for Van Dijk, who scored on his 100th appearance as the captain of Liverpool. 

His goal was his 17th with his head, with only John Terry (27) now the only defender to have netted more headed goals in the Premier League than Van Dijk. 

But away from his personal milestones, the Reds captain echoed the thoughts of his manager and was happy to leave the Emirates with a point.

"Listen, it's a very tough place to come. They created a solid team and make it difficult for everyone. To come back twice is a good thing, we take the point and we move," he said.

"You play here in London, they have the fans behind them and they created some momentum.

"You have to be ready to fight because you will have some tough moments. One point and we take it."

The Dutch defender was also asked about his ongoing contract situation at the club, with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season.

"I'm very calm. Let's see what happens towards the end of the season," Van Dijk said.

"I'm enjoying my football, physically and mentally. Keep enjoying the game because it's a beautiful game that we play and I play."

Mikel Arteta is unsure on the severity of the injuries sustained by Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber as Arsenal twice surrendered the lead in a 2-2 draw with title rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino were on target for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium but Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah both equalised to ensure Arne Slot's men would leave with a point.

There was a noticeable shift in momentum when Arsenal, already without the suspended William Saliba, lost Gabriel and Timber to injuries after the break.

Asked by Sky Sports for an update after the game, Arteta said: " Well I don't know exactly what happened (with Timber) but he said he cannot carry on and big Gabi as well, so I don't know."

Prompted on Gabriel specifically, he said: "I don't know."

Arteta felt his side were the better side even accounting for the injuries, adding: "Even with the changes I thought we were the better team, we deserved to win the game.

"But obviously we didn't so there are learnings to take from that especially when we concede both goals, the second one the transition moment, we ended up in the final third then 10 seconds later we are two-on-one in our box at this level against this team, obviously you cannot give this away."

Saka acknowledged that losing Gabriel was a momentum shifter in the game but said the incident cannot be used as an excuse by the Gunners, who are now five points off leaders Manchester City in third place.

"Yeah of course he's a big player for us, that's not an excuse we have to adapt and do our best whoever's on the pitch," he said.

"It's (the mood in the dressing room) a bit disappointed, credit to Liverpool they're a good team but we just felt like we didn't show our best selves for the full 90 minutes."

Saka had also missed the past two matches with injury and he was chomping at the bit to be involved.

"I hate missing games, it was really frustrating to be on the side watching, I just had this game on my mind. I was happy to be back out there today."