Manchester City and Arsenal handed Liverpool the advantage in the Premier League title race as they played out a bitterly disappointing goalless stalemate at Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool are now top of the table and two points clear of Arsenal after they came from behind to beat Brighton at Anfield, their delight increased by their two closest rivals cancelling each other out.
This was a game that made a nonsense of its billing as a potential classic, as Arsenal’s containing tactics snuffed out City while the Gunners had only limited chances of their own in a desperately poor affair.
Earlier at Anfield, Liverpool defeated Brighton to sit pretty at the top of the league with 67 points.
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta described the encounter as “a competitive match as you can imagine. We made another big step today.
“They have the capacity to change formations to get you in deep in many moments. They are very physical but I think we coped with that very well.
“I think we had the best situations. We were really aggressive at times and getting the ball into great areas. The way we competed individually and as a team was phenomenal.
“Individually you have to be at your best. I think it is 2021 since they hadn’t scored a goal here at the Etihad.
“It was a really tough test for us today. We wanted to win but when you cannot win you must not lose.”
