Arsenal v Liverpool player ratings: Rice 7, Havertz 5; Diaz 8, Gakpo 7

Reds advance to the FA Cup fourth round after two late goals secure a 2-0 win at the Emirates

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  Aaron Ramsdale 6/10

  ARSENAL RATINGS: Displayed superb vision to play Nelson through on goal from his penalty area. Made a good save to deny Diaz in the 76th minute. Getty Images

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  Ben White 6/10

  Stopped Diaz from getting on the end of a Nunez cross with an important interception. Forced Alisson into a brilliant save from the edge of the penalty area in the 37th minute. AP

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  Gabriel Magalhaes 6/10

  Aggressive defensive performance from Gabriel. Just like Saliba, he was solid for much of the game. Reuters

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  William Saliba 6/10

  Calm in possession, and impressive with his passing out from the back. Made a perfectly timed tackle to stop Nunez in the 55th minute. PA

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  Jakub Kiwior 4/10

  Enjoyed a solid first-half defensive performance, but deflected the ball past Ramsdale and into his own goal to put Liverpool in front late in the game. Reuters

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  Declan Rice 7/10

  Did well to steal the ball off the foot of Mac Allister and kickstarted a counterattack that almost led to a goal. Tracked back well to stop a Diaz run in the 50th minute. Getty Images

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  Jorginho 6/10

  Dovetailed well with Rice at the base of the Gunners’ midfield and helped kickstart attacks from deep. AFP

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  Martin Odegaard 6/10

  Lovely pass in-field to set up Nelson in the seventh minute. Struck the crossbar with a fierce effort from close range in the tenth minute. Getty Images

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  Reiss Nelson- 6/10

  Had a good chance to open the scoring early in the game but could only find the side netting after getting past Alisson. Had another chance to score in the seventh minute, but he was denied by an Alexander-Arnold block. AFPShow less

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  Bukayo Saka 6/10

  Found at the edge of the penalty area with a cutback from Nelson, but his effort was too weak to trouble Alisson. Failed to keep another shot on target in the 57th minute. Got the connection all wrong when he had the chance to play Odegaard in for a simple tap-in. PAShow less

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  Kai Havertz 5/10

  Tested Allison with a curled effort in the eighth minute. Took too long on the ball when he had another chance with half an hour of the game gone. Should have put the Gunners’ ahead in the first half. EPAShow less

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  Gabriel Martinelli 6/10

  SUBS: (Nelson, 62') Looked lively after coming on and caused plenty of problems for Alexander-Arnold on the right. AFP

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  Eddie Nketiah N/A

  (Jorginho, 82') A willing runner after coming on but didn't get a chance to test Alisson in the Liverpool goal. Reuters

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  Emile Smith Rowe N/A

  (Kiwior, 88') Came on too late to make an impact. Reuters

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  Leandro Trossard N/A

  (Havertz, 88') Came on too late to make an impact. Reuters

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  Alisson 7/10

  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Forced into a good save by Havertz in the eighth minute. Did well to push Havertz's deflected cross away from goal. AP

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold 7/10

  Made a block to deny Nelson from point-blank range. Went close with an effort that came off the crossbar on the stroke of halftime. Struggled after Martinelli came on and was wisely moved to midfield by Klopp. Assisted Kiwior’s own goal with an inviting corner kick. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Joe Gomez 7/10

  Lost the ball in a dangerous position and almost gifted Arsenal a goal early in the game. Recovered well to block Saka’s shot just after the restart. AFP

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  Ibrahima Konate 7/10

  Made a vital block to deny Nelson a certain goal in the 10th minute. Made two important interceptions in two minutes to bail out Alexander-Arnold after Martinelli had got past him. Reuters

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  Jarell Quansah 6/10

  Got beaten in the air too easily by Havertz for a header that went close. Important clearance to intercept Odegaard's through ball to Saka late in the game. AP

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  Alexis Mac Allister 5/10

  Endured a slow start to the game. Saw the ball stolen from his feet several times but improved in the second half. Getty Images

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  Harvey Elliot 6/10

  Hardworking display in the middle of the pitch but he was mostly dominated by Rice. Forced Ramsdale into a routine save with a weak effort on the hour mark. AFP

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  Curtis Jones 6/10

  Effective but not at his best at the Emirates. Displayed his ability in tight spaces on a number of occasions. AFP

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  Cody Gakpo 7/10

  Liverpool's best midfielder in the first half. Made use of his pace to carry the ball forward on several occasions and always seemed to pick the right pass. AFP

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  Luis Diaz 8/10

  Forced Ramsdale into a good save in the 76th minute before doubling Liverpool's advantage with virtually the last touch of the game to secure the win. AP

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  Darwin Nunez 7/10

  Got on the end of a corner kick in the 22nd minute but failed to keep his header on target. Got everything right except his finish when he tried to curl in his effort in the 53rd minute. Had a chance to play Diaz through on goal but his pass was just behind his teammate. ReutersShow less

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  Ryan Gravenberch 7/10

  SUBS: (Mac Allister, 59') Added energy to the Red’s midfield and helped improve play in the second half. Brought down Odegaard to give away a freekick in a dangerous position in the 89th minute. PA

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  Diogo Jota 8/10

  (Gakpo, 59') Got close to extending his impressive goalscoring record against the Gunners when his header came off the bar in the 77th minute. Assisted Diaz’s goal with a pass out wide in the last minute. AFPShow less

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  Conor Bradley N/A

  (Elliot, 75') Looked more solid when tasked with defending against Martinelli and helped limit his impact. Important header to stop Odegaard from getting on the of White’s cross in the 90th minute. AFPShow less

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  Bobby Clark N/A

  (Jones, 75') Took one for the team by making a tactical foul and picking up a late yellow card to stop an Arsenal counterattack. Didnt allow the Gunners midfielders to enjoy plenty of time on the ball after coming on. AFPShow less

Jurgen Klopp has praised his players' "character" after Liverpool held off Arsenal to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Liverpool had to survive sustained pressure from Arsenal, who had enough chances to kill the tie by half-time before two goals in the closing stages gave them a hard-fought success.

Arsenal's Jakub Kiwior headed Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick into his own net in the 80th minute and Luis Diaz wrapped up the victory deep into stoppage-time.

In the absence of the captain Virgil van Dijk, out with illness, as well as Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo on international duty, Liverpool showed they have the spirit required to win silverware this season.

"In the end we came through. I'm really happy we could win this game. Arsenal could have won it without a doubt. We finished it off and it spoke for the character of the boys," Liverpool manager Klopp said.

"I'm super proud. It was a super difficult draw. Maybe the most difficult we could have got. It wasn't an easy game to enjoy in the first half. We changed a bit at half-time. We were really in the game in the second half. We scored the goals and fought for 95 minutes."

With Premier League leaders Liverpool chasing four trophies and facing a League Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham in midweek, Klopp was relieved to avoid a draining FA Cup replay.

Liverpool are two points ahead of second-placed Aston Villa and five above fourth-placed Arsenal as they chase a first title since 2020. Champions Manchester City lurk in third, also five points behind but with a game in hand.

By avoiding an Arsenal rematch, Liverpool will have a revitalising break after the Fulham game until January 21 when they go to Bournemouth in the Premier League.

"We desperately wanted to avoid a draw. Now I don't have to make any decisions which is good," Klopp said. "Wednesday is the next game and then a few days off. We have to make steps if you want to be where we are. We will have a winter break now."

Jurgen Klopp was delighted with his team's performance against Arsenal. AP

Arsenal have now won just one of their last six games in all competitions, losing three in a row to leave their once-promising season in limbo; the Gunners are out of the FA Cup and League Cup and are no longer in pole position in the Premier League.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted they had only themselves to blame after squandering a host of chances to take the lead.

"The performance was there and the amount of chances too. We just have to win the game, but we lost it and we are not capitalising," he said.

Mikel Arteta has called on Arsenal to 'capitalise' on their chances. AFP

"When you are better than the best team in Europe and you generate that amount of chances, I have not seen a team do it against them. But it is not enough. The reality is, it is not enough."

Arteta insisted he would not panic despite Arsenal's untimely slump.

"When my team plays with this confidence what can I do? I am still behind them 100 per cent," he said. "It is what it is and we have to continue to play the same way and be more efficient."

Check out the photo gallery above for the player ratings from the Emirates Stadium. To move on to the next slide, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.