Arbeloa cut a satisfied figure on the touchline as he watched his side produce a resilient display to earn a point against his former club – their first point of the season after opening with three straight defeats against Chelsea, Sunderland, and Crystal Palace. Having struggled in those opening weeks of the campaign, the Cottagers displayed a renewed sense of defensive organisation to frustrate Andoni Iraola’s men.
Speaking after the stalemate, Arbeloa expressed his pride in the tactical discipline shown by his players. ‘I’m happy because of the point but also for the performance of my players, in this stadium against a very big team – we’re happy,’ Arbeloa told BBC Match of the Day. ‘After the Crystal Palace game, my players realised where the problem is and we fixed it. Today we were more balanced and played really, really well and we controlled the counter-attacks of Liverpool.’