Salah rescues Liverpool

Mohamed Salah’s late equaliser earned Liverpool a 2-2 draw with rivals Arsenal in an entertaining Premier League encounter.

Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead in the ninth minute with a fierce strike, before Virgil van Dijk equalised nine minutes later, nodding home a Luis Diaz flick-on from a corner.

Mikel Merino scored his first Arsenal goal just before half-time, meeting Declan Rice’s free-kick with a bullet header that was upheld after a lengthy VAR review.

The Reds improved after the break and Salah tapped home in the 81st minute to earn a draw that puts them second with 22 points from nine games, one point behind Manchester City. Arsenal move into third with 18 points.

Goals by Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer earned Chelsea a 2-1 home win over Newcastle United in the latest sign of progress for the Blues under coach Enzo Maresca. Jackson rounded off a sweeping counterattack to give Chelsea the lead with his sixth goal of the season in the 18th minute, converting a perfect cross by Pedro Neto who had been set free down the left wing by a pinpoint pass from Palmer.

The home fans at Stamford Bridge roared their approval as the Londoners dominated Newcastle with their fast passing game, a contrast to the frustrations of much of the past two years when Chelsea’s expensively assembled squads struggled for form.