Arsenal held 0-0 by Liverpool to miss chance to pull 8 points clear in Premier League

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

Arsenal missed a chance to pull eight points clear in the Premier League after being stifled in a 0-0 home draw with Liverpool on Thursday.

Disappointing for so much of its title defense so far this season, Liverpool put in a polished display at Emirates Stadium to bring an end to Arsenal’s five-match winning run in the league.

The closest either team came to scoring was when Liverpool right back Conor Bradley chipped David Raya after a mix-up between the Arsenal goalkeeper and center back William Saliba, only for the ball to rebound off the crossbar.

Arsenal had just four shots on target all match and looked unusually disjointed, leading to frustration among the home supporters.

Still, they have plenty to be happy about. Arsenal ended the latest round how it started — with a six-point lead over both second-place Manchester City and third-place Aston Villa. With 17 games left, the Gunners remain strong favorites to clinch a first league title since 2004.

City and Villa both drew matches on Wednesday, against Brighton and Crystal Palace, respectively.

Liverpool stayed in fourth place and extended its unbeaten streak in the league to 10 matches. Defensively, the champions have tightened up but they still lacked a spark up front without injured strikers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, and with Mohamed Salah away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

A big negative for Liverpool was the sight of the injury-prone Bradley getting carried off on a stretcher in second-half stoppage time with an apparent ankle issue.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Steve Douglas, The Associated Press