Arne Slot may find it tough to decipher and digest a draw that ultimately tightens Liverpool’s grip at the top. Given how close the Aston Villa substitute Donyell Malen came to snatching a 95th-minute winner, though, perhaps it will be easy enough. Trent Alexander-Arnold rattled in a second-half equaliser to maintain Liverpool’s unbeaten away run in the Premier League but a point was frustrating given the substitute Darwin Núñez earlier missed a glaring chance to earn victory.

How much encouragement will this result give Arsenal, eight points behind the leaders with a game in hand? Diogo Jota also missed a brilliant first-half chance for Liverpool, who seized the lead through Mohamed Salah before goals by Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins put Villa – for whom Marcus Rashford made his first start since joining on loan from Manchester United – in front at the interval.