Roy Keane claims Arsenal looked 'FRIGHTENED' in Liverpool draw

Roy Keane has claimed Arsenal were 'frightened' in their drab draw with Liverpool as the Gunners blew the chance to go eight points clear at the top of the table.

Keane said Mikel Arteta's side 'lacked belief' to go on and beat a Reds side missing several key players as the champions left the Emirates with a 0-0 draw.

Manchester City and Aston Villa both dropped points on Wednesday but Arteta's men were unable to seize the opportunity, although they are now six clear of their closest challengers.

'If you're in the Arsenal dressing room after game, you'd say it was not great but you take the point and move on,' Keane said on Sky Sports.

'It's still a nice lead for them to have but the performance was a bit tentative and that will be a worry for the manager because obviously there's going to be bigger games coming up, and before you get to the end of the season it's going to be more nerve-wracking.

'They looked a bit frightened tonight to grab that opportunity but you take the point and the clean sheet of course.'

Keane also warned Arsenal had missed a huge chance to lay down a marker and 'send a message' to the rest of their rivals against Arne Slot's struggling side.

'We've given Arsenal all the praise before the game - the table doesn't lie, the amount of games they've won and brilliant defensively - but they looked like they lacked a bit of belief tonight,' he said.

'That is bizarre when you're looking at a team that are flying, top of the table, Liverpool are missing some important players - you're thinking go on, flex your muscles and send a message to the other teams that you are going to the next level and get a bigger lead at the top. But they lacked belief.

'Rice was a bit sloppy in the second half, Lewis-Skelly came on and didn't even look ready to come on the pitch. If Liverpool had a bit more about them, then it could have been a lot worse for Arsenal.'

Arsenal's attentions turn to cup competitions as they travel to Championship side Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round on Sunday before a visit to Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

The Gunners' next Premier League outing is away at Nottingham Forest on January 17.