Arsenal were meant to be a work-in-progress this season but a 10 game winning streak and now, after the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, a 12 game unbeaten run has raised the suggestion Unai Emery isn't happy hanging about waiting to get things sorted out.

Liverpool are pushing for the title this season but were matched by a spirited, organised Arsenal who earned their point. Even if Liverpool were denied a legitimate goal for offside, a draw was a fair result.

So, how did the match play out?

Team shapes

Arsenal defended in a 4-4-2 and attacked in a 2-4-3-1 with the full-backs flanking Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, who were key to gaining an advantage in the midfield battle.

Mesut Ozil was positioned close to Alexandre Lacazette and expected to play to his strengths, ready to receive the ball and link play rather than do any real defensive work, something he either isn't very good at or doesn't want to do.

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Liverpool played a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3, defending in a 4-5-1 at times and a 4-3-3 at others, looking to press high up the pitch and disrupt Arsenal's build-up play.

Liverpool's 4-3-3 defensive shape

Fabinho, James Milner and Gigi Wijnaldum were all positioned as narrow central midfielders which - in theory - meant that Liverpool would have numerical advantage over Arsenal's midfield two, allowing the full-backs a bit of freedom to get high and wide to supply the narrow front three.

Winning the ball back

Jurgen Klopp said in his pre-match interview that Liverpool wanted to have some control of the centre of the pitch while watching out for the attacking threat from wide. "The defensive plan is that we try to lead the ball to a specific area then try to win it, then do something with it," he said. "They press high as well - it's a full package to ask for".

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By having lots of players in central positions, Liverpool could force Arsenal's passing wide, at which point there were players in positions ready to quickly close them down. It's a fairly common trap but one that Liverpool are expert at.

Arsenal's build-up play from goal kicks has been a serious vulnerability this season with Petr Cech's distribution questionable (to be kind). Klopp was clearly eager to take advantage of this.

Bernd Leno is a lot better with the ball at his feet though and as Liverpool applied their high press, covering every pass out from the goalkeeper and forcing punted long balls, Leno occasionally chipped lovely little passes over the top of the press and Arsenal were able to get into the opposition half.

Arsenal also employed a high press when Liverpool built from the back in something of a 4-2-4 shape but their real method of winning the ball back was through Xhaka and Torreira.

Granit Xhaka recoveries vs Liverpool credit: OPTA

Both central midfielders prowled the area in front of the defence like a series of pop-up ads that prove impossible to get past. If one doesn't stop you, the other does and they're very annoying to have to deal with.

Lucas Torreira recoveries vs Liverpool

One situation of particular note was when Torreira stopped Mohamed Salah running in behind the defence with a crunching slide tackle, then immediately getting to his feet and making another recovery straight after.

Arsene Wenger used to play the cultured, ball-playing Mikel Arteta in that holding role, Emery has changed things with two ball-winning players prepared to dig in, giving Arsenal's centre-backs vital protection.

In possession

In the first half Arsenal focused the vast majority of their play down the left wing, having Ozil link with Aubameyang and Sead Kolasinac on the overlap. After beating the first line of Liverpool press, the entire team shifted forward quickly and the wide forwards moved inside the pitch.

First half attacking thirds, Arsenal focusing 48.6 per cent of their play down the left credit: OPTA

Liverpool addressed this at half time by moving Milner from the left of a midfield three:

James Milner often overlapped Andrew Robertson in the first half

And shifted him to the right to halt the waves of attacks threatening to drown poor Trent Alexander-Arnold, who actually coped really well.

Liverpool, as ever, played vertical passes whenever possible to break the lines and beat the walls of Arsenal players. Firmino dropped slightly deeper than Mane and Salah, which allowed him to run through on goal for the disallowed goal as he wandered in behind the block of Xhaka and Torreira to attack the space.

Throughout the game Liverpool didn't really employ that famous high-intensity gegenpress (something they actually haven't done much this season) and often left space for Arsenal to make the passes they wanted. Milner and Klopp both admitted after the game that this wasn't really part of the plan and felt that Arsenal had things a little too easy when on the ball.

The first to blink

Leno's diving-punch was a mistake and gave Milner the chance to score, but it was Mane's smart movement off the ball that created the opportunity for Liverpool's opener.

The defence passed out from the back with Virgil Van Dijk and Arsenal tucked into their 4-4-2 shape.

Liverpool's front three are difficult to mind because they are both amazing and because they swap positions so fluidly. Here, Mane drops into space between Arsenal's defence and midfield, drawing Bellerin with him.

Robertson makes the pass as Mane then darts in behind Bellerin, having freed up the channel. Mane crosses, Leno punches, Milner scores.

Emery reacted and made changes a few minutes later, sending on Alex Iwobi for the passive Henrikh Mkhitaryan and then Aaron Ramsey for Aubameyang, who had faded out of the game after Klopp's tactical switch of Milner to the right of midfield.

With Liverpool in a compact 4-4-1-1 defensive shape, it was going to take something special to break them down and Iwobi's forward-thinking made the difference. He had the vision to spot the run of Lacazette for the equaliser and threaded the ball between Milner and Wijnaldum.

Lacazette rounded Alisson and finished superbly into the empty net.

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Had Liverpool stuck with a 4-3-3/4-5-1 shape there is every chance that the player in Xherdan Shaqiri's position - pictured next to the referee - would have been in the 'six' space between defence and midfield and might have blocked this pass. But, to quote a wise man, if my auntie had wheels, she would be a bike. There is no way of knowing.

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In the end it was what Arsenal deserved. Liverpool hadn't shut Arsenal's passing down as they have done to many other teams this season and Arsenal were able to bypass the press with quality passing from the back - the same type of passing that has gotten them in trouble a few times this season.

Liverpool will lament not seeing the game out at 1-0 up, especially considering the goal came in the second half, but just like Emery's side, Klopp's isn't quite fully-cooked quite yet. Emery's Gunners have completed their first real test since the start of the season and they did so with some moderate distinction.