Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The visitors took the lead when Gabriel rose to meet Martin Odegaard’s free kick within just four minutes into Saturday’s top-of-the-table showdown.
But Mohamed Salah levelled for Jurgen Klopp’s side shortly before the half-hour mark with a sublime strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross-field ball.
A solitary point still separates the teams but the Gunners will see in Christmas Day from pole position for the second time in as many top-flight seasons.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
A blessing in disguise for Reds?
Topping the table on Christmas Day isn’t a guarantee of eventual success.
Between them, both these clubs hold the dubious distinction of failing to see their Premier League title challenges through on the previous six occasions.
So perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that Liverpool missed out on ushering in December 25 from pole position, as Arsenal will now do in successive years.
Sitting pretty did Mikel Arteta’s side no favours just 12 months ago as they surrendered a seemingly commanding lead to Manchester City’s juggernaut.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side failed to live up to his rallying cry for the Anfield faithful to be ‘on their toes’ ahead of their meeting with the north Londoners.
A languid start saw the Reds fall behind inside four minutes and struggle to fight their way into this contest until Mohamed Salah’s 29th-minute leveller.
Their belated response still failed to deliver a statement victory as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s miss after a five-on-one counterattack typified that issue.
Given the omens associated with a festive top spot, maybe it was for the best.
Yet more injury woes for Klopp
Injury woes are fast becoming the greatest threat to Liverpool’s season.
An already stacked treatment room of six first-team players almost certainly gained one if not two fresh casualties in the stalemate with the Gunners.
Kostas Tsimikas’ campaign appears all but over after suffering a suspected broken collarbone late in the first half after being charged by Bukayo Saka.
The Greek full-back felt not only the impact of his opposite number in that touchline move but also that of being put on a collision course with Klopp.
Little wonder, then, that Joe Gomez was soon introduced as a replacement for Tsimikas, himself standing in during Andy Robertson’s recent absence.
While Gomez made his case to be a credible alternative, it still wasn’t long before the hosts were left counting the cost of another Saka involvement.
The Arsenal playmaker was also at the heart of Luis Diaz coming off worse from a 50-50 midway through the second half and also having to be replaced.
Reluctant though Klopp is to highlight his mounting injuries, the German is likely to reiterate his call for enhanced player welfare in the coming weeks.
Another perfect 10 for Salah
Once more, Liverpool were indebted to Salah’s trademark brilliance.
The Egyptian produced a sumptuous leveller when he latched onto Alexander-Arnold’s equally impressive ball over the top from 70 yards out.
Doing what he often does best, Salah cut inside an already tormented Olekandr Zinchenko before unleashing a powerful strike past David Raya.
Granted, some heavy lifting would be required to elevate it to the same level as his Pukas Award-winning rocket in a Merseyside derby just six years ago.
Salah, however, make such moments look simple to the untrained eye as he added another feat in the famous red shirt through that first-half equaliser.
A penchant for plundering against the Premier League’s great and good saw Arsenal joining Manchester City and Manchester United in one key statistic.
This marked his 10th strike against Arteta’s title hopefuls; elevating him to a feat which remained otherwise unsurpassed by the top flight’s great and good.
It also elevated Salah into the Premier League’s top 10 all-time goal scorers with a 151st strike edging him ahead of Michael Owen in that list.