Roberto Firmino's late header stunned Arsenal as Liverpool stormed back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put the Gunners in command, but Mohamed Salah reduced the deficit late in the first half.

Salah missed a penalty early in the second half, but Firmino came off the bench to rock Arsenal with an equaliser in the 87th minute of a thriller on Merseyside.

Aaron Ramsdale then produced two brilliant saves in injury time as the Gunners held on for a draw that leaves them six points clear of defending champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

10 - No player has scored more non-penalty goals against Arsenal in Premier League history than Roberto Firmino (10). Inevitable. pic.twitter.com/cRj4QoJDrJ

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 9, 2023

Arsenal capitalised on the Reds' defensive vulnerability to open the scoring in the eighth minute, Bukayo Saka making an early impact on his return from illness.

The winger burst forward before finding Martin Odegaard, who could not pick out Saka with a return pass but Virgil van Dijk stuck out a leg to divert the ball to Martinelli and he poked beyond Alisson with his right foot.

Andy Robertson drilled wide when he should have equalised and with Trent Alexander-Arnold looking lost in a midfield role while the Reds were in possession, Martinelli got away down the left before delivering a pinpoint cross for Jesus to head Arsenal into a two-goal lead 28 minutes in.

Salah missed a good chance to halve the deficit before he gave Liverpool a lifeline three minutes before the break, finishing from close range at the back post after Jordan Henderson turned Diogo Jota's pass into the forward's path.

There was drama after the half-time whistle when a referee's assistant appeared to catch Robertson with an elbow, and Arsenal breathed a sigh of relief when Salah rolled a penalty wide of the left post after Rob Holding upended Jota eight minutes into the second half.

Ramsdale then thwarted Salah with a sharp reflex save, and the alert Arsenal goalkeeper came out to deny Darwin Nunez with the Reds well on top.

Firmino levelled late on, though, nodding in after Alexander-Arnold produced some trickery followed by a superb cross, and Liverpool will wonder how they were unable to snatch all three points in the closing stages.

Ramsdale brilliantly saved an effort from Salah before preventing Ibrahima Konate from bundling home in a pulsating finale.

19 - Liverpool had 19 shots inside the box against Arsenal, the most such efforts that the Gunners have faced in a Premier League match since this data is available (2003-04 onwards). Chaos. pic.twitter.com/MPbbKXfNb1

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 9, 2023

What does it mean? Dropped points open the door for City

Arsenal looked set to secure their first Premier League win at Anfield since September 2012, but they were unable to hold on for an eighth top-flight victory in a row as the Reds roared back.

With City having a game in hand and playing the Gunners at home later this month, it appears the title race will go down to the wire.

Liverpool ought to have made it seven consecutive Premier League home victories against the London club and they remain eighth in the table, having failed to win in five games in all competitions.

Firmino not finished yet

Brazil striker Firmino will leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season and the fans' favourite is clearly determined to go out with a bang.

The equaliser was his 10th non-penalty goal against Arsenal, with no player scoring more such goals against the Gunners in Premier League history.

Ramsdale to the rescue

While Arsenal will return south frustrated by failing to go eight points clear, it could have been worse had Ramsdale not come to the rescue.

He made a magnificent stop from Salah to keep Arsenal on level terms and then raced across to make another save when Konate tried to chest in from close range right at the end.

Key Opta facts

– Arsenal are winless in their last 10 visits to Anfield in the Premier League, drawing three and losing seven times, while conceding at least twice in each match.
– Liverpool have only lost one of their last 37 Premier League games at Anfield (W27 D9), with that defeat coming against Leeds United in October.
– There have been 184 goals in Premier League games between Liverpool and Arsenal, making it the highest scoring fixture in the competition’s history.
– Arsenal's Martinelli scored his 25th goal in the Premier League; he is one of two South Americans, along with team-mate Gabriel Jesus, to score 25-plus goals in the competition before turning 22.
– Salah has scored nine goals against Arsenal in the Premier League, only scoring more in the competition against Manchester United (10).
– Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has registered six assists against Arsenal in the Premier League, with only Steven Gerrard (7) setting up more goals against them in the competition.
– After failing to score just two of his first 20 Premier League penalties, Salah has since missed his last two. The last two penalties in the Premier League to miss the entire goal frame have been taken by the Egyptian.

What's next?

The Gunners make the short trip to West Ham for a London derby next Sunday, while Liverpool head to relegation-threatened Leeds United a week on Monday.