Arsenal Draw with Liverpool After Alexandre Lacazette's Stunning Equaliser

Alexandre Lacazette secured a 1-1 draw for Arsenal against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, after the Reds had gone ahead through James Milner. 

The first half provided plenty of chances but no goals for either side. Both teams did manage to get the ball in the back of the net, but Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Arsenal's Lacazette saw their efforts disallowed for offside.

The breakthrough came on the hour mark through Milner. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno could only parry a cross from Mane, and the ball fell to Milner to drive home. 

Arsenal grabbed the point they deserved with seven minutes of normal time remaining. Substitute Alex Iwobi found Lacazette with a pass, and although Alisson came out of his goal to narrow the angle, the striker turned and curled home a superb finish. 

Van Dijk is the Best Defender in England

Virgil van Dijk put in another dominant performance to cement his status as the best defender in England.

The Netherlands international was commanding both on the ground and aerially in the Liverpool defence. He was also a menace in the opposition penalty area, coming close to scoring twice in the first half. He was denied by Leno and then headed a Mohamed Salah corner on to the post just before the break.

Sports journalist Mootaz Chehade believes he's easily the Premier League's best centre-half:

Liverpool's defence has improved markedly since Van Dijk's arrival at Anfield from Southampton in January.

The Reds have conceded just five goals in the Premier League this season, and Van Dijk is a major reason for their marked improvement at the back.

Torreira is the Answer to Arsenal's Midfield Problems

Lucas Torreira put in an impressive showing in the Arsenal midfield alongside Granit Xhaka.

The 22-year-old has adjusted quickly to life in the Premier League following his summer move from Sampdoria, and this was his best display yet.

The Uruguay international is a tenacious tackler who adds bite to the Arsenal midfield, which has been lacking for several years, and he seemed to relish the battle at the Emirates.

He also was not afraid to go for goal, and his well-hit shot forced Alisson into a save in the second half.

James Benge at the Evening Standard praised the youngster for his performance:

Torreira already looks like being a fantastic addition to the Arsenal squad and has a big future ahead of him in north London.

Emery Must Fix Defence for Arsenal to Become Title Contenders

Unai Emery has enjoyed a fine start to life at Arsenal. The Gunners have gone unbeaten in their last 14 games in all competitions.

They put in another strong display against Liverpool and edged the first half, according to Mattias Karen of ESPN FC:

Yet all their good work was undone when Milner put Liverpool ahead. The goal came when Leno spilled a cross, which allowed Milner to strike.

It was less-than-convincing goalkeeping from Leno, who had earlier escaped after flying off his line and getting nowhere near a corner which Van Dijk headed on to the post.

Liverpool were also unfortunate to see Mane's goal ruled out. James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo explained why it was the wrong decision:

There's no question that Arsenal have improved rapidly under Emery. However, they've conceded 14 goals in 11 Premier League games and need to tighten up to turn into title challengers.

What's Next?

Arsenal host Sporting on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League. Liverpool travel to play Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on Tuesday.