By CNN
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Arsenal kept its title hopes alive with a vital 3-1 win against Liverpool in the English Premier League on Sunday.
It was a game the Gunners simply couldn’t afford to lose and, after an error-strewn, pulsating encounter in North London, it was the Arsenal players celebrating wildly on the pitch.
“It was an extraordinary game, I think it was an incredible performance from the players and our people, the atmosphere that we generated in the stadium is the best I’ve seen this season,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters after the game.
Roared on by an excited Emirates Stadium, the hosts took the lead after just 14 minutes when winger Bukayo Saka fired in a rebound.
It was a goal that helped settle any nerves Arsenal had before the game and Arteta’s side began dominating the first half.
However, for all of its hard work, the sides went into the break level after Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães turned the ball into his own net, the result of an embarrassing defensive mixup for the home team.
Liverpool then came out in the second half with momentum and started to look more threatening. The crowd, so boisterous in the first half, suddenly sounded subdued as Jürgen Klopp’s side searched for the lead.
But instead of caving under the pressure, Arsenal stood up to the challenge and eventually retook the lead after a calamitous error between Reds goalkeeper Alisson and captain Virgil van Dijk.
The pair got in each other’s way when attempting to clear the ball, allowing Gabriel Martinelli to tap into an open net in the 67th minute.
Alisson and Van Dijk then contributed to another Arsenal goal in the final minutes, after the defender inadvertently deflected Leandro Trossard’s shot between the goalkeeper’s legs.
Wild celebrations
The Emirates erupted as Trossard’s shot squirmed into the net, with Arteta leading the party from the touchline.
The celebrations on the pitch after the game were criticized by some experts, with former Manchester United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville saying it showed a little bit of “immaturity,” given Arsenal is still behind Liverpool in the league table.
Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was also less than impressed after watching Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard playfully taking pictures of the club’s photographer.
“Just get down the tunnel. You’ve won a game, it’s three points. You’ve been brilliant, you’re back in the title race, just get down the tunnel, I’m serious, honestly,” Carragher said while working as a pundit on Sky Sports’ coverage.
Arsenal, though, won’t mind the criticism given the team is now back in the hunt for its first league title since 2004.
“These are the moments we live for in football and I’m just so happy we could win the match, it was massive from start to the end, and to get three points, with that energy from the crowd, was just unbelievable,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said after the game.
While the Gunners really needed to win, the result is also good news for Manchester City, which has also crept back into the title race.
Pep Guardiola’s side is now just five points behind Liverpool, having played two games less.
But Arteta was solely focused on his team’s ambitions after the game, telling reporters his side had learned lessons after failing to win the league last season.
“We are there, that’s for sure and we want to continue to be there. I think we’ve been really consistent the whole of the season,” he said.
