Liverpool were unable to find a way through a well-organised Fulham side at Anfield, with Victor Munoz's header off the bar in the first half proving as close as either side came to breaking the deadlock in the opening 45 minutes.
Alexander Isak forced Bernd Leno into a save after the break, but a tired-looking Liverpool, playing just 65 hours after their midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, could not find the breakthrough, leaving Andoni Iraola still without a home Premier League win since taking charge.
Iraola pointed squarely to fatigue and a lack of cutting edge as the main reasons behind the stalemate.
"I think there is a lack of freshness, definitely - we cannot hide it. I think it's the worst turnaround in terms of 60-something hours between the games, after a very big game the other day," Iraola said.
"It's these kind of games that you need to win sometimes with a set-play, sometimes with the shot from the edge, sometimes from a moment of brilliance from the offensive players, and we haven't had that today."
The Liverpool boss felt his side had improved defensively after a sluggish start.
"I think today, especially first half, we were arriving late to the presses. I think we improved this part a lot in the second half," he said. "I think we haven't also conceded clear chances. From there, I think that we've defended quite well."
Arbeloa, whose side ended a run of three straight defeats to open the campaign, was delighted with his players' approach at a difficult venue.
"It's not just the point, it's the way that we play here in this stadium against this team," Arbeloa said. "It's not easy to play here like we did, because I saw the game against Atletico Madrid, against Nottingham Forest, against other teams, and they didn't play like we did today. We played with the character that we want to play, with the ambition, with the personality."
The Fulham boss said his side had specifically addressed their balance in transition following a defeat to Crystal Palace.
"After the game against Palace, we realised how important it is to control the transition, to be more balanced when you are attacking, and we fixed this today," he said, before defending his decision to introduce attacking substitutes rather than see out the draw.
"I want to win the game, and all the players that came into the game from the bench, they did really, really well, and we had some chances there that maybe we could score some goals. But it was a draw, and maybe I think that's fair for both teams."