24 December 2023 , 08:45
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There wasn't really anything in it, but that hasn't stopped Mikel Arteta before.
Early on in Saturday evening's meeting between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield, Kostas Tsimikas held out an arm and accidentally caught Bukayo Saka in the face. The contact was nowhere near as bad as Tsimikas' would be with the ground around half an hour later when Saka's shove saw him break his collarbone, but it was still there and it happened right in front of Arteta. But the Gunners boss remained unmoved.
Perhaps Arteta's mind was cast back to this fixture just over two years ago, when Sadio Mane caught Takehiro Tomiyasu in a similarly innocuous moment, causing the Arsenal boss to launch into a furious tirade at everyone, including Jurgen Klopp, which only succeeded in inflaming Anfield and seeing the atmosphere turn against the former Everton midfielder. It was 0-0 at the time, and a revved up Liverpool won 4-0.
A sign that he is a calmer, wiser man these days? Let's not go overboard just yet, he's still picked up four bookings in the Premier League this season, but it was certainly a sign that he's learned from past mistakes.
Anfield looms so large in the psyches of many a football figure, you only have to hear about the way Gary Neville talks about playing there or past comments from the likes of Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola to know that, and Jurgen Klopp's obvious attempts at raising the roof before the game would only have increased that sense in Arteta.
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Arteta cut a calmer figure on the touchline at Anfield (AP)Yet here he was keeping his cool, determined not to do anything to jeopardise his side's chances, especially not after they had taken such an early lead through Gabriel's goal four minutes before Tsimikas caught Saka.
Arteta looked as focused as his team did, with Arsenal excellent in the opening stages and knocking Liverpool out of any stride they attempted to get into, something the Reds eventually managed to find despite being denied an obvious penalty.
Arteta ended up looking pleased with his point from the 1-1 draw, and he will feel that both he and Arsenal have made a pretty significant point to title race onlookers as well. They looked focused, determined and a serious football side.
Arsenal and their manager look like they've grown up, and that might end up being the most significant aspect of this season.