BREAKING NEWS: Liverpool star makes title claim as footage of disallowed goal emerges

Arsenal ended the weekend five points off the summit of the Premier League after drawing at home to Liverpool, but the return of two senior stars was a welcome sight.
Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber both came back in as Arne Slot's title contenders headed south, with Saka opening the scoring early on. Mikel Merino was also on target, scoring his first goal since signing from Real Sociedad, but Liverpool twice drew themselves level.

Some injury worries still remain. Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori were among those missing from the start on Sunday, while Gabriel was forced off during the second half.

Despite this, Arsenal might still have snatched victory, only for a late Kai Havertz goal to be disallowed. That's one of the topics of discussion as Mirror Football brings you the latest from around North London.

Van Dijk makes title claim
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes it's far too early to know how important Sunday's point will be when it comes to the title race. Mohamed Salah secured a point for Arne Slot's side late on, while it was Van Dijk himself who scored Liverpool's first equaliser in the 2-2 draw.

“I don’t know how important that point will be - we are still in October," the Dutch international said. "People spoke about that if you lose (at Arsenal), you will lose the league, and they have absolutely no clue. The season is so, so long, there are so many twists and turns that could happen and will happen, but we focus only on the games ahead.

“The team that sets a very good foundation before December, and then goes through December in the best way possible without any injuries and good results, has a good chance to be top of the league. It was a tough one for both sides against Arsenal. We got a point, a well-deserved point in the end. Now we go back and focus on Brighton because that will be a tough game on Wednesday as well.”

VAR claim debunked
Suggestions a VAR official was looking at their Fantasy Premier League team during Arsenal vs Liverpool have been shut down. The claims emerged on social media during the match in North London, but it appears to have been a case of a different app looking similar at a glance.

Did Arsenal deserve more than a point against Liverpool? Have your say in the comments section

According to ESPN, the Premier League Match Manager app was the one which some mistook for FPL. The same outlet pointed out that officials in the VAR room are not permitted to use their personal devices.

The video assistant referee was called into action on a number of occasions during the game. One of those concerned Merino's goal for Arsenal, which was ultimately awarded after a lengthy check for a tight offside call.

Havertz incident explained
Fresh footage of the contentious late incident in Arsenal's draw with Liverpool has surfaced. Referee Anthony Taylor had blown the whistle before Kai Haverz put the ball in the back of the visitors' net, ensuring the game ended all-square.

According to football.london, the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up as Jakub Kiwior challenged for the ball with Dominik Szoboszlai. Had Taylor waved play on, there might also have been a handball appeal against Havertz before he beat Reds keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

"It's more of a soft foul if anything, to be fair he's just penalised the Arsenal player," former Premier League referee Mike Dean said on Sky Sports. "It's probably a 50-50 call, for me. He's had a good game the referee, so I can't criticise him for that to be honest with you."


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