If there was to be a winner from one of the most absorbing contests of this Premier League season, it was the team over 3,000 miles away in Saudi Arabia.
Much is made of who spends Christmas Day on top in the Premier League and while it can be a good indicator heading into the New Year, both Liverpool and Arsenal know full well it is not a cast-iron rule for impending success.
So while it is Mikel Arteta's men who will be No.1 on December 25, Liverpool will come away from this engrossing affair feeling no worse about their own aspirations ahead of a visit to Burnley on Boxing Day, even if the chance to squirrel away some vital home points once more passed them by after a superb 1-1 draw for the neutral.
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Make no mistake, it will be Pep Guardiola and Manchester City who will be rubbing their hands with most glee after their successful attempts to win the Club World Cup on Friday evening. Neither team have opened up a widening chasm that will daunt City after their exertions in the Middle East.
For Arsenal, their ability to stand up in the face of the overwhelming Anfield din should be considered a major tick in their own box after questions around their mental strength, particularly here where they have often wilted when the going has got tough. The Gunners rode a second-half storm to come away with what could yet be a big point at a venue they are without a win at since 2012.
For Liverpool’s part, they simply have to turn up the pressure on their rivals when they visit Turf Moor on December 26 now. Arsenal will next play at home to West Ham
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