Liverpool fended off three goals in five minutes from Arsenal to salvage a 3-3 Premier League draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Roberto Firmino's strike looped home off Petr Cech's attempted save to ensure the Reds left north London with a share of the spoils despite having earlier squandered a 2-0 lead.

Alexis Sanchez, Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil found the net in a stunning second-half triple salvo, to put Arsenal 3-2 ahead having trailed to goals from Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah.

Jurgen Klopp's visitors thought they had the game won at 2-0, then quickly feared leaving empty-handed after Ozil's neat finish - only to wind up clawing back for the draw.

Liverpool lost Jordan Henderson to a hamstring injury that clearly tempered their relief at holding on to fourth place in the league table.

Here's how the match unfolded...

Klopp refuses to blame Mignolet

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted Simon Mignolet should have done better with Arsenal’s second goal - but refused to blame his goalkeeper for the Reds dropping two points at the Emirates.

“He misjudged it,” said the German. “A second hand would have helped but that is how it is. You don’t need to make it bigger than it is. It felt like we shouldn’t have conceded but we did.

“Defending is a team thing. Today we make individual mistakes and that is not cool. My job is to think about the performance and that was a winning performance.

“If you want, the draw is our halfway win. We are always a better side when we draw. We have to take the good things and work on the lesser good things.”

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Liverpool fans spot irony in Mignolet blunder

Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to point out the irony of Simon Mignolet’s blunder.

The 29-year-old flapped Granit Xhaka’s long range shot into the back of the net for Arsenal’s equaliser.

Liverpool were leading the game after Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah put the visitors ahead.

But Alexis Sanchez pulled one back for the Gunners one minute later with a terrific diving header.

Three minutes later, and Xhaka let rip from distance with a venomous left-footed volley. Despite the ball heading straight at Mignolet, the Belgian shot-stopper could only flap at the ball and watch it fly into the back of the net.

Naturally, Liverpool fans took to social media to slam the Reds number one.

But some supporters spotted the irony in Mignolet’s blunder...

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Player ratings

Arsenal and Liverpool served up a pre-Christmas treat on Friday night with a six-goal thriller.

The visitors looked to be cruising when Mo Salah added to Philippe Coutinho’s first-half strike early in the second period.

But three goals in a remarkable five-minute spell turned the game on its head.

Alexis Sanchez halved Arsenal ‘s deficit with a header before Granit Xhaka’s long-range effort was parried into the net by Simon Mignolet.

And Mesut Ozil completed a fine team move to put the home side in front.

But Liverpool were not dead and buried as Petr Cech failed to keep out Roberto Firmino’s effort.

Here, we rate the players on both sides...

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Five talking points

Roberto Firmino earned Liverpool a point to keep them fourth after Arsenal and Jurgen Klopp’s men went goal crazy again at the Emirates.

The top-four rivals shared the spoils after a roller-coaster six-goal thrillier, one short of the seven they managed last year in Liverpool’s 4-3 win.

Philippe Coutinho first-half strike and Mohamed Salah’s deflected 52n minute effort put Liverpool in command at the Emirates.

But Arsenal hit back a minute late through Alexis Sanchez and follow-up goals from Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil turned the match on its head in a mad-cap three goal in five minutes spell.

But Firmino had the final say when he squeezed a 71 minute equaliser past Petr Cech.

Here are five talking points...

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GOAL! Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool (Firmino)

Liverpool are level once more!

If questions had to be asked of Mignolet, they now have to be asked of Cech.

Firmino strikes from the edge of the area and Cech doesn’t get enough on it. It bounces and spins over the line.

What a game.

3-3!

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GOAL! Arsenal 3-2 Liverpool (Ozil)

Arsenal are in front! Unbelievable!

I’ve never seen anything like this.

Wonderful football from the Gunners, Ozil plays it into Lacazette, he holds it up brilliantly and backheels back through to Ozil to finish past Mignolet.

Sorry - there has to be questions asked of the goalkeeper again there.

It’s 3-2!

GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool (Xhaka)

What is happening?!

Absolutely woeful from Mignolet.

Xhaka lets fly from 25 yards and the Belgian flaps at it.

It bounces off his hand and into the back of the net and, somehow, Arsenal are level!

2-2!

GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool (Sanchez)

Sanchez pulls one back immediately!

Terrible defending from Gomez who is a bystander as Sanchez ghosts in at the back post and heads past the goalkeeper.

Arsenal have hope!

1-2.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool (Salah)

Salah doubles Liverpool’s advantage!

The Egyptian has his 21st goal of the season and it’s not even Christmas.

He drives at Mustafi, tries to bend it round him, it takes a deflection and nestles in the bottom corner.

0-2!

Peeeeeep!

That’s half-time - 1-0 to Liverpool at the break.

Arsenal have not been at the races and are lucky to be just a goal behind.

Salah had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 after Koscielny’s error left him one-on-one with Cech, but the keeper saved and Mane missed the rebound.

Coutinho’s opener the difference at half-time.

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GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool (Coutinho)

Coutinho opens the scoring!

Fully deserved opener from the Reds.

Firmino had gone close just a couple of minutes before, forcing a decent save from Cech, but Coutinho makes no mistake.

He heads Salah’s chip over the on-rushing Cech and into the back of the net.

1-0!

Henderson limps off

Jurgen Klopp has been dealt an injury blow ahead of Liverpool’s festive fixtures after Jordan Henderson limped out of Friday night’s clash against Arsenal.

The Reds skipper was forced off in the 11th minute after clutching his hamstring, with James Milner replacing him in the engine room.

Henderson will be assessed by the club’s medical staff but faces a race against time to be fit for the home game against Swansea on Boxing Day.

The 27-year-old was a surprise omission from Klopp’s side that faced Sevilla earlier this month.

However, he returned to the starting XI for Sunday’s thumping 4-0 win at Bournemouth.

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Liverpool edging it

Fifteen minutes gone and you’d have to say the visitors are edging it.

Coutinho has a sight of goal but fires wide, before Robertson almost centres for the Brazilian to score.

But Henderson has gone off injured for the Reds.

Goalless.

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Peeeeeep!

Liverpool get us underway.

The visitors in their florescent orange strip, Arsenal in red.

Here we go!

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Has this fixture lost it's magic?

Arsene Wenger has admitted Arsenal’s latest showdown with Liverpool will lack the magic of previous epic battles.

Two of the giants of English football have been involved in some unforgettable clashes from when Arsenal won the title at Anfield in 1989 in the most famous meeting of all.

Arsenal’s Invicibles beat Liverpool in a Good Friday shoot-out in 2004 after coming back from 2-1 down to win 4-2 while Liverpool knocked Arsenal out of a Champions League quarter final and thrashed them 4-0 back in August.

But these days Wenger conceded tonight’s showdown will sadly be like a few other games with both teams pushing for a place in the top four rather than going for the title.

Gunners boss Wenger said: “I am aware of the history, yes. But this game is not about winning the League, it’s about being our next Premier League game to come back in a strong position in the top four. That’s what it’s about.”

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Team news!

Here’s how the two sides line up...

Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Wilshere, Iwobi, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette

Liverpool: Mignolet, Gomez, Klavan, Lovren, Robertson, Henderson, Can, Coutinho, Mane, Salah, Firmino

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Welcome, everyone...

Jurgen Klopp is pleased with Liverpool’s recent defensive record but has stressed his players will need to be “spot on” at Arsenal on Friday.

While the Merseyside outfit have frequently dazzled with their attacking this season, their defence has been criticised at times.

Since losing 4-1 to Tottenham at Wembley in October, though, they have conceded only four goals in nine Premier League games.

Reds boss Klopp has no doubt those “numbers are important” but has emphasised Arsenal pose a considerable threat.

The German - whose side are fourth in the table, a place and a point better off than Arsenal - said ahead of Friday’s clash: “We are a team who are very offensive-orientated, but that doesn’t mean that you have to give any space away.

“The boys did well in different systems, which I really like a lot because that is the biggest improvement, but only because they now do the jobs in the moment, much more often.

“There are always things to work on, that’s how football is, but of course the numbers are important - only four (conceded) in the last nine is good.

“But it’s in the past. We have to be ready for a different challenge on Friday. It’s Arsenal and they have quite a talented group there! We need to be spot on in this specific part of the game.”

Liverpool failed in their pursuit of Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk over the summer, and there has been plenty of talk about the possibility of the Dutchman moving in the January transfer window.

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Klopp was asked ahead of the Arsenal game if his side’s defensive record of late had had an effect on what he might be thinking in terms of January business.

And he said: “Everything we are doing has influence on our plans. That’s all I can say about that.

“So, yes, it has influence. But I don’t know exactly in which way. So you’ll have to wait a little bit.

“When we win a game and when we defend well, then I’m happy about it. If we defend not that good as a team, then I’m not happy about it, but I don’t think then the solution is a new player always.

“For example, Alberto Moreno did fantastic this season, and then we played at Sevilla and he did not well. People didn’t hesitate to say: ‘That’s why we need a new left-back’. And I think: ‘Wow’.

“So thank God, I, or we, here make the decisions and nobody else.

“We are not relaxed, but we have a view on everything and it needs to fit together and everything needs to work out in the end, and you need to have solutions for different situations and systems and all that stuff.

“So far, it’s okay. It could have been better, but it could have been much worse. Now, we prepare for Arsenal and we have to be defensively really, really strong in that game, otherwise we don’t have a chance.”