The defender's 97th-minute header rescued a point for the Reds against Arsenal but their manager must still prove his worth in the weeks to come
While Anfield rocked and Martin Skrtel wheeled away in celebration, Brendan Rodgers seemed like the calmest man on Merseyside as he repeated his apparent new goal celebration with a serene salute to the sky.
Perhaps it was his way of reflecting the "more autocratic" style of management he says he has employed this season, but Rodgers must have been overwhelmed by a sense of relief.
He knows that, despite an encouraging performance, he would have been facing more questions over his future had his 10-man Liverpool side not snatched a well-deserved point in injury time having dominated most of the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
The results leaves the Reds 10th in the Premier League table with just 22 points, but the manner of the performance will ease some of the mounting pressure on last season's manager of the year.
It has been a terrible season for the Liverpool boss, having seen his side misfire despite spending over €150m on new players in the summer. Last season's title challenge is now long forgotten, with the club out of the Champions League and stuck in middle of the league table.
After the 3-0 defeat at arch rivals Manchester United last weekend, Rodgers could not afford to lose another game against a top side.
It was a long way off the 5-1 victory over the Gunners here last term but Liverpool exposed Arsenal's fragility, with the visitors constantly giving the ball away under the slightest pressure.
Liverpool registered 27 attempts on goal and dominated the ball throughout, with Arsenal's 36.5 per cent possession their least in the Premier League since such statistics became available in August 2003.
Liverpool are desperate for a leading striker to finish chances and act as the focal point of attack and badly missed Daniel Sturridge again here, but they at least showed signs of progress.
"I thought our performance was outstanding – our intensity and pressing. The character and quality of the team was very good," said Rodgers.
"The speed of the team and the movement is starting to return. The key is we're moving in the right direction and have only lost one in eight now.
"If we can put a run of wins together we can move up the table quickly.
"I can see our idea of pressure and intensity starting to return. We need to make better decisions defensively. We give away a lot of poor goals."
The Northern Irishman may have overplayed his hand, but he is right about the intensity of his team's play and it was a performance that will calm some of the dissenting voices, whether in the boardroom or the Kop.
Philippe Coutinho summed up the positives of Liverpool's play in the first half so it was no surprise that the Brazilian broke the deadlock with a quick shift of his feet and low finish off the post from the edge of the penalty area.
Arsenal could – perhaps should – have found the game beyond them by that stage but as Arsene Wenger stood on the touchline with his hands in his jacket pockets, the Gunners boss appeared to be holding his get out of jail card on a cold afternoon on Merseyside.
Mathieu Debuchy headed the visitors level from close range just before the break before Olivier Giroud finished a sweeping move after the restart to give his side an unlikely lead.
Once Liverpool substitute Fabio Borini was sent off for a second booking, Arsenal should have seen the game out to boost their own hopes of a top-four finish.
But Skrtel had the final say. Bandaged after receiving a head injury in a clash with Giroud, he showed more desire and awareness than the Arsenal defenders who were caught standing still.
Arsenal have a habit of throwing away leads late on having done it against Anderlecht, Manchester City and Swansea before today's game. But Liverpool had to take advantage of the Gunners' frailties, and they did.
Now they must build some momentum to ensure Rodgers carries on saluting in style rather than waving goodbye.
By Greg Stobart at Anfield
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