Highlights Arsenal 3-2 Liverpool, Premier League: Saka, Martinelli goals guide ARS to win and top of the table

It is over at the Emirates and Arsenal has clinched a 3-2 win against Liverpool at the Emirates. The Gunners move to the top of the table again.

The match is well beyond the 97th minute now and Arsenal players and Mikel Arteta making their dissatisfaction shown.

Fabio Vieira replaces Saka. Saka leaves the pitch with a brace and as things stand, the match winner.

A lot of time wasting going on in the closing stages of the match.

Eddie Nketiah replaces Jesus.

Five added minutes at the end of the second half!!

Arsenal with a good spell of pressure around Liverpool’s penalty-area. The Gunners showing no sign of sitting back after taking the lead.

Kieran Tierney replaces Martin Odegaard.

Harvey Elliot replaces Jota i-n Liverpool’s final substitution.

Saka converts his penalty and Arsenal takes a lead for the third time in the match.

VAR has checked the penalty incident and Oliver’s decision stands. Meanwhile the referee has called the Xhaka to have a word with him and calm things down.

Thiago brings down Jesus inside the box and Michael Oliver points to the spot. Liverpool players are not happy with the decision and tempers are flaring between the teams.

Martinelli keeps the ball well to find Xhaka in space on the left inside the Liverpool box. Xhaka tries to find Saka at the far-post with a grounded ball but Konate does well to intercept the cross and clear it.

Liverpool’s Joe Gomez is shown yellow for time wasting.

Fabinho and Ibrahim Konate replace Salah and Matip.

It has been a fairly even contest till now. Arsenal has had the better chances and Liverpool has been good with its finishing.

Xhaka with a lovely bit of skill to flick the ball away from Matip inside the Liverpool box. He then shoots on the volley but skies his effort. Needed to keep the ball lower to trouble Alisson.

This time Martinelli clashes with Gomez and goes down. It seemed like a painful one but the Brazilian is okay. No foul given by referee Michael Oliver.

Gabriel and Odegaard on the ground currently. Odegaard’s one seems like a head injury. The medical staff is on the pitch but both seem fine. Odegaard and Jesus both sitting up right now.

Liverpool equalizes again!! Firmino finds the net against Arsenal!! Jota finds Firmino with a deft pass and the latter slots the ball at the far-post with a grounded shot. Ramsdale dived but could not get to the ball. This is Firmino’s 10th goal against the Gunners.

Martin Odegaard with a wonderful chance to score Arsenal’s third. Martinelli does well to find Odegaard. Odegaard gets his shot away but it is straight at Alisson. Martinelli proving to be a nuisance on the left flank.

Joe Gomez comes on for Trent Alexander-Arnold at the start of the second-half!

Arsenal kicks-off the second half with a 2-1 lead!!

Goals by Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka keep Arsenal in a 2-1 lead against Liverpool at the break. Darwin Nunez the sole goalscorer for the Reds.

Arsenal snatches the lead late in the first half!! Saka with a simple tap-in!! It was a good counter-attack by Arsenal. Martinelli found Saka at the far-post with a good pass and Saka just had to get a touch to put the ball inside the net. Poor defending by Liverpool there.

Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard is shown yellow for his challenge on Jota.

Arsenal with its first corner in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Nothing comes of it.

Five-added minutes at the end of the first half!!

Salah puts in a measured cross inside the Arsenal box aimed towards Tsimikas. Tsimikas jumped for the ball but White prevents the Liverpool full-back in getting a touch. Good defending by White there.

Roberto Firmino replaces Diaz late in the first half.

Diaz is on the ground the signs aren’t good for him. Firmino warming up on the sidelines so the Columbian’s night is over by the looks of it.

Arsenal’s inability to keep a clean sheet at the Emirates continues. The Gunners last kept a clean sheet here in March.

Liverpool equalises!! It is Darwin Nunez with the goal. Luis Diaz with a wonderful cross from the right flank. It seemed a bit overhit at first but Nunez makes use of his long strides to get to the ball and poke it past Ramsdale.

Nunez with a good cross from the right flank. Diaz was waiting to get a touch but Saliba gets a touch which sends the ball towards Ramsdale. It was a tricky one for the Arsenal keeper but he gets down well and gloves the ball away from danger.

Jesus keeps the ball despite the tight space in the Liverpool box. He makes use of his quick feet and shoots from the left. The shot is weak and is easily gathered by Alisson.

A good counter-attack by Liverpool- Salah finds Nunez with a good pass. Nunez shoots but it is a fairly easy save by Ramsdale. The angle wasn’t ideal for Nunez.

Replay shows that Martinelli accidentally stepped on Alexander-Arnold’s ankle which led to the incident. However, it is nothing serious and he is up and lightly jogging.

The play has been stopped and it is Alexander-Arnold who is on the ground. It is not sure what prompted the English full-back to do so.

Odegaard slips a good ball to Xhaka but the Swiss international cannot keep the ball after being outmuscled by Matip. It was half a chance to have a clear run at goal but Xhaka did not have the required pace to do that.

Partey plays a good ball to Saka who was in space. However, Tsimikas does well to match Saka’s pace and snatch the ball from Saka. Saka takes a tumble clutching his face but no foul is given.

Save- Xhaka is played a wonderful ball from the right flank. He wraps his feet around the ball and dispatches a shot but Alisson gets a solid pair of hands to the ball and parries it away. The offside whistle is eventually blown by the assistant referee. Liverpool under all the pressure right now.

It was an awkward goalkick for Ramsdale. His leg twisted abnormally as soon as he kicked the ball. He is currently receiving medical attention but indicates that he is okay to continue.

Diaz is shown a yellow card for his ill-timed challenge on Martinelli. Martinelli got the better of Diaz with his pace but the Columbian brought the Brazilian down from behind to see the first booking of the match.

Arsenal scores!! Its Gabriel Martinelli. Odegaard slips a good pass to Martinelli on the left flank and he makes no mistake in slotting the ball home. VAR has a look but the goal is given.

Liverpool kicks off the match at the Emirates Stadium.

• Arsenal has won just one of its last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool. (D4 L9)
• Arsenal is on a run of 13 consecutive Premier League matches without a clean sheet against Liverpool.
• Arsenal has won its last seven Premier League home games, its longest run at the Emirates since a run of 10 games in the 2018-19 season under Unai Emery.

Arsenal Premier League form: W-W-W-L-W-W

Liverpool Premier League form: D-L-W-W-D-D

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale(GK), White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Jesus.

Liverpool XI: Alisson(GK); Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Henderson, Thiago, Diaz, Salah, Jota, Nunez.

Arsenal faces a real test of its credentials against Liverpool on Sunday, but it still has plenty of room for improvement, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday.

Liverpool, champion in 2019-20 and runners-up last season, is tenth with only two wins from seven matches ahead of the game at the Emirates Stadium. It won 2-0 there last time around in March.

“It is a really exciting game to play against one of the top opponents in this league,” Arteta told reporters. “It’s going to be a really demanding match that’s going to require us to be at our best again.

“It’s a fixture that everybody is looking for against an opponent that has shown in the last five or six years the level they have and we have to show that we have raised the level and are ready to compete against them.”

Arsenal is unbeaten at home in the league, its sole defeat coming at Manchester United last month, and Arteta said he was proud of the change in atmosphere at the North London club.

“How you measure success is lifting trophies, but as well you have to understand where we were and how fractured the club and the environment looked,” he said.

“I am very conscious that we can get much better than what we are today... we have to do better to be the team that we want to be and the challenge now is to do it every three days.

“You always see the weaknesses that you want to improve.”