It is Manchester United who hold the lead in the FA Barclaycard Premiership and, given North West sentiments, that will temper Liverpool’s satisfaction over a result that normally would be to their unambiguous liking. Still, the visiting team should insist doggedly on extracting satisfaction from their recovery against a superior side.

Liverpool, leaden for several weeks, worked a quicksilver goal for John Arne Riise to rescue a cause that looked doomed. They will tend the memory of that moment and hope that it proves an omen of more profitable months to come. In the closing passage, Liverpool were the stronger force, as if they had begun to recover faith in their own prowess.

For most of the afternoon, woe was working its way deep into their hearts. Arsenal had not been vibrant, but there was a broader scope to their performance and when Fredrik Ljungberg recorded his seventh goal in nine appearances, it seemed as if a deadlock had been broken that would never be re-established. Although the Liverpool equaliser sprang from a fleeting return of their masterful counter-attacking gift, Arsenal must not pardon themselves too readily.

They did not lose on this occasion, but the team may have had a collective flashback to last season’s FA Cup Final, when they overwhelmed Liverpool but could not retain or increase a welldeserved advantage.

Arsenal might be tempted to blame it all on the absence of Lauren, who has gone to the African Nations Cup in Mali, because the goal came on the flank that he normally protects, but they should not be so glib in their reflections.

The victory, with ten men, at Anfield last month reshaped the public impression of them, but there was a relapse here and a recurrence, as well, of the suspicion that some wavering of concentration will too often prevent them from achieving a hard-earned win. In almost every other respect, they carried out their duties painstakingly.

The crowd sang unkind ditties and booed with a zeal that simply betrayed their dread that Nicolas Anelka, on his return to Highbury, would hurt them horribly. Arsenal’s strength in defence, accompanied by positioning that left scant space for an attacker to use his speed, ensured that there was no prospect of that happening. At the other end, Thierry Henry, the natural successor to Anelka in Arsène Wenger’s team, was thwarted in more anxious fashion.

The match could easily have belonged to a man who does not have the common decency to be fast, young or even French. Kanu, now departed for the African Nations Cup, could find that his place in the pecking order is appropriated by Dennis Bergkamp. Introduced as a substitute, he brought a sensitive awareness to the attack that was too much for the stalwarts of the Liverpool back four. After 62 minutes he collected the ball, twirled and passed on the left, leaving Jamie Carragher stranded and Robert Pires free to steer the cross that Ljungberg slipped home from close range. After Bergkamp’s artistry, it would have been crass of Arsenal not to score then. The side should have wriggled out of Liverpool’s clutches sooner.

In the 21st minute Kanu had put Ljungberg clear, but he trailed wide of Jerzy Dudek, the goalkeeper, and the eventual shot was dragged beyond the far post. Before the interval, a cross from Henry had clipped the bar and the excellent Pires had charged down a clearance to give himself room for an unproductive drive.

Even with Michael Owen restored to health, Liverpool had no real misses to regret before Danny Murphy, from close range, headed Riise’s cross over after 61 minutes. Considering the alacrity with which Ljungberg then scored, the visiting team might have dreaded that all their effort had only gone into an elaboration on their long tale of woe. Despite this commendable fightback, they still have just one win in eight Premiership matches.

Nonetheless, they could have started to remind themselves of the talent that does exist in their ranks. The season has taken its toll of Steven Gerrard, but the ability and spirit that smoulder within him cannot become extinct. In the 68th minute the play had got itself into a muddle in the Liverpool half, so adding to the element of shock when the midfield player carved a pass on to the left wing.

Riise’s advanced position was another surprise, certainly to Oleg Luzhny, right back for the day, who was caught unawares. There was still a long way to run and a tricky task to be accomplished, but the Norwegian’s nerve was as steady as the contact that stroked his finish just inside the near post of Stuart Taylor.

Arsenal had far richer resources in attack, but one could not begrudge Liverpool a point, even if Bergkamp can be blamed for trying to execute some abstruse scheme and miscuing a volley that ought merely to have been struck strongly. For all that, imagination, with all its risks, is to be cherished.

Liverpool do not have enough panache and it was strange that their goal should come from the flanks. For the most part, it was obvious why they toyed with the notion of bidding for Trevor Sinclair, the West Ham United winger. Liverpool arrested their slide, but did not show how they can climb back to the top of the Premiership table.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): S Taylor 6 — O Luzhny 4 (sub: L Dixon, 85min), M Keown 7, S Campbell 7, M Upson 5 — F Ljungberg 6, G Grimandi 5, P Vieira 6, R Pires 7 (sub: S Wiltord, 79) — Kanu 6 (sub: D Bergkamp, 56 7), T Henry 6. Substitutes not used: Edu, R Wright. Booked: Vieira.

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): J Dudek 6 — J Carragher 4, S Henchoz 6, S Hyypia 5, J A Riise 6 — D Murphy 4 (sub: E Heskey, 66 5), S Gerrard 6, D Hamann 6, P Berger 5 — M Owen 4, N Anelka 4 (sub: G McAllister, 85). Substitutes not used: C Kirkland, S Wright, J Litmanen. Booked: Hamann.

Referee: S Dunn 7.