THE occasion may have fallen decidedly flat but Kenny Dalglish is confident Liverpool’s opening day stalemate will prove to be a launchpad for the season ahead.

The Reds travel to the Emirates Stadium today looking to take out their frustration on a depleted Arsenal side after spurning two points against Sunderland last weekend.

After a dominant first half display, Dalglish admits Liverpool lost their way at Anfield.

However, with a quartet of new signings in the starting line up, along with Lucas Leiva and Luis Suarez just days after their return from the Copa America, the manager insists there were mitigating circumstances.

And with debut nerves gone and rustiness eased by another week’s training at Melwood, Dalglish expects better at the Emirates.

“Last Saturday was an emotive day for a lot of people,” Dalglish said. “Four of the new boys were making their debuts, one 24 hours after he had come in and another against his only other professional club.

“It was a difficult game for the lads who have just been signed. It was a big occasion.

“It’s a huge ask and if you haven’t been there and been through it then you don’t know what it is like.

“On top of that Luis (Suarez) had only had a week’s training and Lucas had only had 10 days.

“They’re relatively young players so when you look back and reflect I think we did better than I thought we did in the immediate aftermath of the game. We had a lot of positives to take out of it.”

Liverpool may have run out of ideas in the closing stages against the Black Cats but Dalglish insists fitness isn’t an issue.