BUKAYO SAKA was back to his best as Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
The Gunners’ ace was an injury doubt before the game, but was selected by Mikel Arteta.
And he more than justified that choice after slamming in the opener after ten minutes.
However, Liverpool fought their way back into the game to equalise through Virgil van Dijk at a corner, before Arsenal then retook the lead with a Mikel Merino header at a set play.
Arsenal were dealt another injury headache as both Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber had to be taken off in the second half, before Mohamed Salah netted a second equaliser.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated the Arsenal players in the Sunday afternoon clash.
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DAVID RAYA – 6/10
Very little he could do for Liverpool’s equaliser, forced to stay on his line from the flicked-on corner, and the same goes for Mohamed Salah’s tap in from a speedy counter.
JURRIEN TIMBER – 7
Kept Salah quiet for the majority and proved his worth with ball at feet, but starting him was clearly a risk as he hobbled off late on.
BEN WHITE – 7
He may have been at centre back but his telepathy with Saka remained, curling a peach of a ball over the top for the opener and remained solid even when those around him chopped and changed.
GABRIEL – 7
Missed his centre-back partner but did well until he worryingly limped off. No surprise that Salah and Darwin Nunez found space when he was absent.
Was targeted in his unnatural position within the first 30 seconds but held his ground for the most part. One of Arsenal’s best players.
MIKEL MERINO – 8
A stray touch gifted Salah a great chance to score before getting a bang to the same shoulder that kept him out at the start of the season.
‘If Arsenal lose to Liverpool, they are out of the Premier League title race… the gulf is massive’
And then, after a so-so performance, he steps up with a thumping header just before the break to regain the lead.
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DECLAN RICE – 8
Did the nitty-gritty very well in the middle of the pitch with some crucial interceptions and timely tackles. Carried on covering every blade of grass until the very last.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 6
Drifted in and out of the game as a floating 10 and striker but got stuck in when needed and pressed like a rabid dog. Still, was quiet given his recent form.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 7
Lively enough without creating too many clear-cut chances in the first half. Unlucky not to win a penalty after being hauled down by Ibrahima Konate.
BUKAYO SAKA – 9
Injury? What injury? His hamstring seemed right as rain as he cruised in behind Andy Robertson, cutting it back through the full-back’s legs and firing into the roof of the net.
Was understandably taken off in the second half with a need to protect him going into a hectic period of the season.
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KAI HAVERTZ – 7
Given freedom to roam and drop deep. Missed a sitter in the box after Martinelli’s penalty shout but lacked the service via crosses to really be effective in the first half.
Remained a physical nuisance after the break but never had that one golden opportunity.
SUBS:
JAKUB KIWIOR (GABRIEL, 54) – 6
Impressive to come in out of the cold to stay firm, but again, his work with the ball at his feet left a lot to be desired.
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY (TIMBER, 76) – 6
Caught out of position for Liverpool’s late leveller but showed signs of real maturity too.
With UFC 308 in the books, the promotion’s attention turns to its yearly New York pay-per-view.
UFC 309 takes place Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden and is headlined by a highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic.
During the UFC 308 broadcast Saturday, the promotion officially announced the full 13-fight lineup with five main card fights and eight prelims. The main card takes place on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
Max Verstappen says the lack of race pace in his Red Bull Formula 1 car was the main factor in his incidents with Lando Norris at the Mexican Grand Prix, which led him to serve 20 seconds’ worth of penalties.
Verstappen ran Norris off the road twice on lap 10 at Turn 4 and Turn 7, repassing the McLaren driver off-track in the meantime and earning a 10-second penalty for each incident.
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These were served in Verstappen’s pitstop, which put him back on track in 15th; although he recovered to sixth, he could make no inroads into the two Mercedes ahead and was being closed down by Kevin Magnussen and Oscar Piastri.
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Verstappen was more bothered by the lack of pace he had in the 71-lap race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, suggesting that this led him to being ‘put in those positions’ for a penalty.
“You know, honestly, 20 seconds is a lot, but I’m not going to cry about it and I’m also not going to share my opinion,” Verstappen explained.
“The biggest problem that I have is that today was a bad day in terms of race pace. That was quite clear again on the mediums and on the hard tyres.
“I just felt that the Turn 4 [penalty] was a bit more of, like, a question mark. Turn 7 is what it is.
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“Honestly, those two things are also not my problem. The problem is that we are too slow, and that’s why I’m being put in those kind of positions. That is my problem.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Reflecting on his race, Verstappen felt that he had very little grip on the hard tyre and suffered further struggles with getting his brakes to bite – thus costing time to the Mercedes duo.
He remained curt when discussing the implications of the racing guidelines, feeling that it was simply hard racing and that it was up to him to drive as he saw fit.
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“I mean, to get back to sixth was alright, but then I couldn’t even fight the Mercedes cars in front. I just had no grip, I was just sliding a lot, I couldn’t brake. So yeah, it was a very tough one.
“We’re trying [to improve], but I mean, also it was more promising. Here again, it was a bit more tough, so it’s a bit odd. But a few things to look at, and hopefully, of course, Brazil, we can be more competitive.
“[Lando and I] didn’t touch. So, just racing hard. But at the end of the day, everyone speaks for themselves [in the drivers’ briefing].
“Of course, can the rules be better? Maybe yes, maybe not. It’s always the same thing. I mean, I just drive how I think I have to drive. Last week that was all right, this week, 20-second penalty. That’s what it is. Life goes on, you know.”
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“[The lead is] still 47 points. Hopefully we can just be a little bit more competitive.”
At the front, Sainz made it three Ferrari wins in the past five races after taking pole position, despite losing the lead to Verstappen on the first lap.
The race was immediately put under the safety car after a collision between Williams’ Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda’s RB led to the Japanese crashing at the first corner and Albon pulling off with damage after Turn Three.
When the race resumed, Sainz took just a lap before he passed Verstappen into Turn One, after which Norris closed in, leading to all the drama between the title contenders.
That allowed Leclerc through into second place and initially he tracked Sainz closely, and was within a second by lap 14.
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But he dropped back a second the following lap, whereupon Sainz came on the radio to make an unspecified complaint about Leclerc, using bad language.
Leclerc stayed within two seconds of Sainz for a further three laps, before starting to drop back rapidly, slipping to nearly eight seconds behind before they made their single pit stops.
No further communications were broadcast and there were no replays of whatever might have happened, so it remains to be seen whether the drivers will discuss it after the race.
From that moment on, Sainz was untroubled out front, and Leclerc was equally comfortable in second for a long time.
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But after the pit stops, Norris began to eat into Leclerc’s lead. The Ferrari was 4.7 seconds in front initially but Norris cut it back by 0.2secs or so a lap until he was on Leclerc’s tail with 10 laps to go.
Coming around the final corner on lap 62, Leclerc ran wide, onto the dusty outside of the track, and then off the circuit, and Norris swept by into second place.
Behind the top three, the Mercedes drivers were locked in combat throughout the race. Russell overtook Hamilton on lap 14 and stayed ahead until the pit stops, but the seven-time champion came back at Russell in the second stint and was on his tail with 20 laps to go.
They battled closely for many laps and eventually Hamilton found a way by into the first corner with five laps to go.
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Behind them, Verstappen had no pace after his penalty and had a lonely race to sixth place.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen took seventh, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, eighth from 17th on the grid, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Fernando Alonso, celebrating his 400th grand prix, retired early on with overheating brakes.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez had a race to forget. He was penalised for a false start, after lining up well forward of his grid slot, and then damaged his car in an incident with RB’s Liam Lawson in Turn Four.
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He finished last after Red Bull stopped him for fresh tyres late on for a failed attempt to take fastest lap.
Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are interested in signing Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool enquire about Amar Dedic’s availability, Wolves make Giorgi Chakvetadze their primary January target.
Paris St-Germain have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign Liverpool’s 26-year-old England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Liverpool, meanwhile, have enquired about the availability of RB Salzburg‘s 22-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina right-back Amar Dedic, as a potential replacement for Alexander-Arnold. (CaughtOffside), external
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Wolves have made Watford’s Georgia attacking midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze, 25, their primary target in January. (Sun), external
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is preparing the ground work to replace manager Carlo Ancelotti next season with Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso. (Sport – in Spanish), external
Former Italy striker Mario Balotelli, 34, has a medical booked on Monday before signing for Serie A side Genoa. (Fabrizio Romano), external
West Ham are interested in Atalanta and Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman, 27, as manager Julen Lopetegui hopes to boost his attacking options in January. (GiveMeSport), external
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Manchester City are set to offer Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol, 22, an improved contract worth £150,000-a-week to extend his stay at Etihad Stadium by two years until 2030. (Star), external
England and Chelsea attacking midfielder Cole Palmer, 22, remains committed to the Blues despite being linked with a move way, including a return to Manchester City. (Football Insider), external
AC Milan are interested in offering 27-year-old Liverpool and Italy winger Federico Chiesa a route back to Serie A. (CaughtOffside), external
Former Germany defender Mats Hummels, 35, could leave Roma in January despite only joining the Serie A club as a free agent in the summer. (Nicolo Schira), external
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