Liverpool 3-3 Arsenal: Arsene Wenger left disappointed by bad late decisions and simple equaliser

Arsene Wenger praised the commitment of his side but was left frustrated by late errors as Arsenal failed to maintain their two-point lead at the top of the Premier League by conceding a last-gasp equaliser in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Liverpool. Roberto Firmino gave the hosts an early lead on Merseyside, but his opener was cancelled out by an instant reply from Aaron Ramsey.

Firmino restored the advantage just minutes later with a superb curled finish from outside the penalty area, but once again the Gunners swiftly responded as Olivier Giroud prodded Mesut Ozil's corner beyond Simon Mignolet at the near post.

Giroud gave Arsenal the lead for the first time on the night 10 minutes into the second half when he executed a sublime turn to evade the attentions of Kolo Toure before lashing home, but that was not enough to secure all three points as Christian Benteke's flick-on from a long ball allowed fellow substitute Joe Allen to volley an equaliser past Petr Cech with just seconds remaining before stoppage time.

"Well, overall it was a game played at a very high pace and total commitment from two teams," Wenger told BT Sport after the full-time whistle. "We made a difficult start, they were on top in the first 20 minutes and I believe after that we came well back into the game.

"Of course in the end we look the most disappointed because we are 3-2 up but I feel as well at 3-2 we are guilty of two or three bad decisions in the final third where we tried to play not together enough and in the end we got caught on the long ball. It's unfortunate, but overall you cannot fault both teams for giving absolutely everything.

"I had no doubt about that (the character of his side) before the game. Of course it's always frustrating when it's 89 minutes and you get caught on such a simple ball. I think that's where we have to look at ourselves as that should not happen."

In addition to his brace that brought his tally for the season to 18, much-maligned striker Giroud was also guilty of one of the misses of the 2015/16 campaign so far when he failed to convert Theo Walcott's enticing cross from just a couple of yards out.

The French international did not let that or a painful clash of heads with Mamadou Sakho affect him for the rest of the 90 minutes, however, instead producing an impressive display that was highlighted by that turn shortly before his second goal that brought instant comparisons with Dennis Bergkamp.

Addressing his compatriot's performance, Wenger added: "He played well. I think he was involved in one or two situations at 3-2 where we could have done more but overall he played well. He had a battle up front and he was up for it."