Arsenal v Liverpool - as it happened!
Anyway, much has gone on since Arsenal drew with Liverpool 1-1 on a balmy sunny day at Anfield last August: Javier Mascherano has taken his hairy legs to Barcelona, Crazy Jens is back at the Emirates, Roy Hodgson was a Liverpool manager for 48 seconds, someone was shot dead for eating popcorn too loudly, Jack Wilshere proved that Englishmen can pass, Kenny Dalglish set a new Dubai to Liverpool world record, Colonel Gaddafi proved once and for all that he is definitely more cranky than Sir Alex Ferguson, Fernando Torres made himself about as popular on Merseyside as the Tories, and as for them ... let's not go there.
But for all that, I reckon the score will be exactly as it was on the opening day: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
Teams
Arsenal: Szczesny, Eboue, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Diaby,
Wilshere, Walcott, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie.
Subs: Lehmann, Song, Squillaci, Arshavin, Gibbs, Chamakh, Bendtner.
Liverpool: Reina, Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Kuyt,
Spearing, Lucas, Meireles, Suarez, Carroll.
Subs: Gulacsi, Cole, Kyrgiakos, Maxi, Ngog, Shelvey, Robinson.
Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
This could be a very narrow match. Arsenal will likely line-up in a 4-3-2-1 formation with Walcott and Nasri as the wide men drifting inside to support Van Persie. Meireles and Kuyt won't give Liverpool much width either hence my prediction of a tight 1-1 draw. Liverpool are unchanged from the match against Manchester City in a likely 4-4-2 formation with Suarez just behind Carroll. They have the 18-year-old John Flanagan at right-back again. He did very well on his debut last Monday but he'll need every high-pitched squeel of advice from Jamie Carragher as he comes up against Arsenal's best player this season, Samir Nasri.
3.28pm: If Liverpool do win it will be bittersweet for many fans, as they'll effectively be doing that funny brushing thing they do in curling to allow Manchester United a smooth run through to a record 19th title.
3.29pm: An early email: "As much as I would enjoy seeing Arsenal really pushing United to the very end, I just don't think they've got the bottle," writes Rob Cobourne. "Liverpool are in fairly good form and I think Arsenal will crack under the pressure today before winning a couple at the end of the season when it's too late. Suarez to star in a 2-1 Liverpool victory... bye bye record league titles!"
3.33pm: Musical hilarity section: When did Liam Gallagher become the new Austin Powers?
3.38pm: John Bishop's got ridiculously LA teeth. He's from Runcorn. Nobody in Runcorn has teeth that white.
3.43pm: "Great to see you MBMing a Liverpool game Gregg! Thought that MBMs might have to declare their allegiance and be allowed to officiate neutral games only, as happens with refs (in England, up here in Scotland refs are free to be secret Masons, Knights of St.Columba etc and so on)," writes Ryan Dunne. "As for Liam Gallagher: surely being like Austin Powers is a step up from being in a band that aimed to be The Beatles and ended up as Status Quo?" Erm. Surely you're not suggesting I might have some kind of preference for one team over another today Ryan. What an earth could make you think that?
3.50pm: Here's Gary Naylor ... "Liverpool don't miss Steven Gerrard do they? When King Kenny played, he was a huge individual talent who, through his positioning, movement and vision, made everyone around him play better. When his successor as captain plays, he is a huge individual talent who, through his positioning, movement and vision, makes everyone around him play worse." Against Manchester United Gerrard brought the best out of the players around him Gary, largely because he was carrying an injury and held his position in a holding role. So, I kind of agree with you. Perhaps next season he may be more disciplined as age and injury start to rob him of his mobility.
3.52pm: Djourou has recovered very quickly from his dislocated shoulder. I imagine Carroll will test his fitness out to the fullest today. An unfit Djourou is still less dodgy than Squillaci, I suppose. Although that's not saying much ...
3.56pm: Hmmm. For those who are wondering, I'm afraid the auto-update button isn't working so you'll have to hit F5 or really stretch yourself and use your mouse to hover over refresh and click it. I can assure you I have it switched on but technical gremlins have effed it up.
3.59pm: "This title race needs a back pass from Carragher I think," offers Jake Watson building up to something. "It's a shame Gerrard isn't playing today as he did a wonderful job of stopping Man United winning the title last season."
4.01pm: There'll be a minute's silence for Danny Fitszman, the former Arsenal board member and visionary, who died this week, and for the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in the FA Cup semi-final in 1989.
4.02pm: Impeccably observed. It's time for kick-off.
1 min: We're off. Liverpool win an early free-kick after a late tackle by Samir Nasri.
2 min: "Stan Kroenke. All that money and he can't afford a decent wig. How unfortunate." Oh you cruel man Luke Stevenson. Arsenal set the early tempo, with Fábregas and Wilshere combining in midfield to set Walcott off down the right, but Aurelio makes a decent tackle. He's fit today, so goes the rumour. He's never really fit though. Aurelio that is.
3 min: Arsenal win a free-kick on the left. Nasri whips a brilliant ball in towards the penalty spot, where Diaby leaps highest and sends the ball scooting a foot past Reina's right-hand post. It was a perfectly-weighted ball from Nasri.
5 min: Jay Spearing (he's an odd looking lad isn't he? Like David Thompson and an egg had relations) appeals for a penalty after Suárez crosses towards Andy Carroll and the midfielder latches on to the knockdown, but it looks like he trips over Carroll if anything. Suárez then wins a free-kick and sends it tamely into the arms of Szczesny from 25 yards.
7 min: It's been a racy start this. Both teams moving the ball quickly on the floor.
8 min: Corner for Liverpool.
9 min: Carroll gets his head to the corner but sends it high over the bar. On a second look at the Spearing penalty claim it looks like he had a good shout. Djourou's tackle was clumsy, his knee knocking Spearing into, and then over, Carroll. "How good is Andy Carroll," asks Summer Hayles. That's a big one for an MBM Summer.
10 min: Reina spills a Walcott drive from 25 yards. At first look it looks like Reina has made a pig's ear of it. At a second look the ball swerves dramatically in mid-air and means Reina can only palm it away. Flanagan clears the danger.
13 min: Arsenal are pressing Liverpool much more aggressively now. Reina is forced to clear long, with no options in midfield.
14 min: How good is Andy Carroll then. To answer Summer, in my opinion, Carroll is like a really powerful engine that's full of dirt. Polished up a bit he could be very, very good. But, it's still very early days in his career.
16 min: Arsenal hit the bar! Reina looks shaky again as he comes to punch clear a Van Persie corner, but the pace of the delivery catches him out and Koscielny gets to the ball before him and sends a powerful header thumping against the bar.
18 min: Arsenal are turning the screw. Van Persie whips in another fantastic free-kick towards Koscielny after Aurelio gave away a free-kick on the right, but this time Skrtel leaps highest and clears the danger.
19 min: "The boy Spearing, he looks a bit like he's had Jim Fix It for him to play for Liverpool for the day. Odd lookin' fella," offers Steve Waterhouse. Walcott drifts over to the left and bursts past Carragher and plays a very dangerous ball in towards Van Persie, but Reina is electric off his line and gathers comfortably.
21 min: Not very surprising news dept: Aurelio's hamstring goes for the 457th time in his career and the 17-year-old left-back Jack Robinson replaces him. Jens Lehmann is five years older than Flanagan and Robinson combined!
23 min: "Looks like Reina is failing his audition for the Arsenal goalkeeping spot," writes Mark Judd. Well, he's just done very well to get to a Fabregas cross there Mark, after the Arsenal captain beats Robinson down the right and zips a ball across the six-yard box which Reina pounces on all confidence and proud-looking and the like. Wenger will tick a box there.
26 min: Walcott bundles past Robinson and tries to beat Lucas but is forced back to Eboué. He tries to outpace Spearing, but the funny-looking little fella' somehow outmuscles the leggy Arsenal defender and wins back possession for Liverpool.
28 min: Fábregas should have hit the target for Arsenal. The captain has time to weigh up his shot at goal after some good work from Van Persie to set him up, but he drags his shot wide with his left foot. Cue groans from Arsenal fans.
30 min: Flanagan is booked for going through the back of Nasri. It was one of those late over-exuberant tackles which he won't be doing by the time he can grow a dodgy beard.
31 min: Walcott shows Robinson a clean pair of heels and wins a corner. Van Persie whips it in dangerously but Reina is dominant on this occasion and plucks the ball from the air with authority.
32 min: Skrtel joins Flanagan in the book after mistiming a tackle on Eboué on the right-hand side of the pitch just outside the penalty area. He's perhaps a little unfortunate to be booked but he did slide in full pelt and miss the ball by an inch or two. Unlike his other fantastic deliveries, Van Persie Sunday-league's this one out of play, though.
35 min: Arsenal are dominating possession now. Liverpool need to get a little more work out of Lucas and Meireles in midfield. Spearing is the only one busting a gut. Kuyt, well you know what he never lacks a huff or puff when he plays ...
36 min: Walcott stretches Liverpool's defence down the right, testing Robinson's pace to the max. The youngster does very well and holds him up on this occasion. Arsenal come straight back at Liverpool, who look a bit tired and shaky in possession now.
39 min: "I saw Steven Berkoff in his one man show last night - Jay Spearing looks like him. And he's 73," says Gary Naylor. Very cultured, Gary.
41 min: Suárez does his Liverpool team-mates no favours at all, giving the ball away woefully when he really needed to hold on to it and wait for support to arrive. Just to recap, a moment ago Reina almost looked like the King of the Divs after trying to see the ball out to the byline with Van Persie breathing down his neck like a dog on heat, thinking he'd done his job he stepped to the right only to look back and see Van Persie keep the ball in play before, luckily for the Liverpool goalkeeper, falling over off balance. He'd have had a clean run on an open goal had he stayed on his feet.
43 min: Liverpool have their best spell of possession for a while, stringing at least eight or nine passes together before Suárez is fouled 30 yards from goal on the right by Koscielny for a free-kick in a dangerous position. Meireles drifts it in but Szczesny punches clear with rare authority for an Arsenal keeper.
45+1 min: Fábregas rolls a clever ball into Eboué's feet 20 yards from goal on the right, the full-back turns sharply and beats Spearing for pace before shooting across Reina in a good position, but his shot rolls wide and out for a corner after taking a nick off Skrtel's outstretched leg.
Half-time
That was an entertaining half, considering there were no goals. Arsenal will feel like they perhaps did enough to be a goal up but they didn't create any clear-cut chances. Wenger will no doubt tell his players to get the ball out to Walcott and Nasri at every opportunity and test the young full-backs in the second half. Your emails to follow ...
Half-time emails:
"Stop picking on Spearing," harrumphs Chris Cheetham. "He's better looking than Peter Beardsley!" Yeah, that's like saying Sprite's nicer than Seven-Up. No-one can tell the difference really.
"Three quarters of our defence are Mickey Mousers," whoops APT Rodrigo. Robinson's from Warrington Mr Rodrigo.
"Listening to the radio, reading MBM and sipping a latte while riding my fixie may not have helped with my last message - ignore it if you can - or repeat it. I've lost the momentum to type what I meant - and by the time I finish typing this the second half will have started." Fenton Chambers sounds like the new Nathan Barley.
Peep!: The second-half's underway. Diaby clatters Skrtel immediately.
47 min: Arsenal quickly assume control of possession again. Wilshere works the ball out to Walcott, but Robinson makes a committed and accurate tackle and Liverpool break.
48 min: Suárez is given acres of space to run at the Arsenal defence and turns inside on to his left foot before driving the ball a yard wide from 18 yards. Lucas wasn't hurried in possession and did well to wait for the right moment to play Suárez through then.
50 min: Carroll looks like his number is up. He stretched to try to poke the ball ahead of Szczesny, only to see his knee buckle underneath him. He immediately waves to the bench in distress.
52 min: Carroll hobbles off to the sidelines, so perhaps he's not as badly injured as it first looked. We'll see whether he is substituted in a moment ...
54 min: The big man's back on. That's a surprise, he looked like he was effed when he went down. Suárez wins a corner for Liverpool, while Eboué goes down for Arsenal after Skrtel clumsily treads on the defender's heel.
56 min: Meireles fizzes a shot wide from 30 yards after Arsenal's defence give him the international signal of "go on then, hit it". Jamie Carragher clashes heads with Flanagan. It doesn't look good for Carragher.
58 min: Apologies for the earlier confusion. Poor Carragher is on oxygen now and in a head brace. This is dreadful stuff for him. Here's an email: "What's the average age of the two teams at the Emirates? Liverpool must almost have a younger team than the famously youthful Arsenal ..." While there's the delay I'll do my best to work it out ...
62 min: Carragher is replaced by Kyrgiakos. Apparently Carragher was conscious as he left the field so hopefully it's not as serious as it looked. Walcott beats Robinson and plays a cross into the six-yard box, but it's too close to Reina. When will he learn to cross more consistently? Or will he ever learn to cross more consistently?
65 min: Lucas cuts out Diaby's pass into the box as Arsenal look to turn their dominant pressure into a goal. This is going to be a busy 25 minutes for Liverpool.
66 min: Spearing, who I am going to stop riffing on now as I feel like a bully, gets a toe to the ball as Van Persie tries to jink past him on the right wing. It looks like it should be an Arsenal corner but it must have taken a nick off the Dutchman as Liverpool get a goal-kick ... and some respite.
68 min: Your questions answered section: "So earlier this week, myself and a friend got into a heated discussion about whether or not hitting the woodwork counts as a shot on target," begins Mark Quane. "He was quite adamant that it did. But Sky have just put up the stats that Arsenal have only hit one shot on target, the Walcott shot. So Koscielny hitting the bar didn't count... is that right?" Yup, that's right and it's a no-brainer isn't it? That's why it's annoying when commentators say a striker was "denied by the post". The post can't move so how could it "deny" any striker?
70 min: Carroll goes off and Shelvey comes on which lowers Liverpool's average age yet more. It must be about 23 now I'd say. Probably a precaution.
71 min: Arshavin replaces Walcott, who has not done enough against Robinson in my humble one. And Wilshere, who has done OK, is replaced by Bendtner as Arsenal go for it. Before the changes Fábregas threaded a delicious ball through to Van Persie, but the Dutchman's attempted lob over the onrushing Reina on the edge of the box is deflected out for a corner.
74 min: Lucas breaks up play again. He's had an impressive second half. He sets Suárez free, who spreads play to Flanagan, but his ball to Shelvey on the overlap is overhit and Shelvey makes a dreadful attempt at a tackle, raking his studs down the back of Koscielny's calves. He's rightly booked.
76 min The pace has lifted dramatically. Suárez pounces on a sloppy pass played out of the Arsenal defence and thumps a shot low with his left foot into Szczesny's midriff. The ball spills clear and Koscielny hoofs it to Fábregas in midfield. He turns and plays a quick outside-of-the-foot ball to Van Persie, which Skrtel deflects out for a corner. As per usual, the corner comes to nought.
79 min: Sachin Nakrani, who is one of our men at the match today, has got news from the Emirates that Jamie Carragher is OK. So relief for Liverpool as they might well have had a defence made up of yet-to-be-conceived-children in their next outing.
81 min: Song is on for Arsenal. I think the man to make way was Diaby, but I can't be sure. Sorry, I was looking through my Inbox. Liverpool are gamely trying to keep hold of possession now, but Suárez plays a dreadful pass and Arsenal will ratchet up the pressure again.
82 min: Yup, it was Song for Diaby. Van Persie goes close with a glancing header after Clichy played an early ball into the box (a rarity for Arsenal, I know). "Denied by the post" is as annoying as a keeper being "rescued by the woodwork". Apart from anything else, aren't most posts made of metal?" offers a miffed Justin Kavanagh.
84 min: Reina rescues Liverpool. Fábregas slips the ball into Van Persie on the left-hand side of the penalty area. The Dutchman shapes to angle the ball into the bottom right-hand corner, but Reina stays as tall as he can for as long as he can and flings out his left hand to save brilliantly for Liverpool. Was that Arsenal's big chance? Probably not, there's gonna' be about three hours' injury time ...
87 min: Suárez has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous at spells in this match. The Uruguayan cuts inside his marker and has a similar chance to the one he scored from the narrowest of angles at Sunderland, only to slice it like a last-round Rory McIlroy drive into a different post code. Shelvey and Meireles were unmarked inside him too. I suppose he's that arrogant, though. That's what makes him what he is.
89 min: Liverpool are running themselves into the ground to hold Arsenal at bay. There's eight minutes injury time too! Eight! Bloody hell!
90 min: "Arsenal doing what Arsenal do, buckling under pressure and expectation. Their only my second team and they're frustrating me to my wit's end. When will Wenger learn that youth is all well and good but you need experience and leadership to back it up, and try all he might Fábregas isn't a leader in any way." That grumbling missive comes courtesy of Luke Stevenson .
90+1 min min: Arsenal need to show that they do have a pair in the next seven minutes. As stoic as Liverpool's defence have been, if the Gunners hold any hopes of winning the title they have to score. United would find a way through. Can Arsenal?
90+2min: There's a half-hearted penalty claim from Arsenal's fans as someone falls over in the box for tripping over Kyrgiakos's ponytail or something. The referee didn't even entertain the possibility of a penalty.
90+4 min: Arshavin wins a free-kick off Robinson. Van Persie whips it in but Reina plucks it from the air and sends Kuyt off down the right wing ...
90+5 min But the Liverpool players who are forwards look at one another as if to say "What are we doing up here?" and give away possession.
90+ 5 min: Spearing brings down Fábregas.
90+8 min Goal! Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool (Van Persie): The Dutchman keeps his head and sends Reina the wrong way, slipping the ball to the left as Reina jumps to his right. Arsenal are still in the title race! Spearing clipped Fábregas's heels. It was a penalty, but if Liverpool lose after such a gusty performance it will seem harsh.
90+9min: Liverpool get a free-kick just on the edge of Arsenal's box. This will be the last kick of the game.
90+10 min: Suarez hits the free-kick into the wall and Eboué shoves Lucas over. Dreadful defending. Kuyt to take the penalty.
90+12 min Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Kuyt): Kuyt torpedoes Arsenal's title hopes by sending Szczesny the wrong way with the final kick of the game. What a finish to the match!
Full-time Has there ever been a later pair of penalties in a football match? Having spent two years rebuilding his reputation in the eyes of Arsenal supporters, Eboué will do well to win them over again after that diabolical piece of defending. He had only to pressure Lucas out towards the wing and hold him there, but instead he had a meltdown and shoved the Brazilian to the deck. That's probably sealed United's record 19th league title too. I can't see Ferguson's team having too much trouble in the run-in. Thanks for all your emails. Sorry I couldn't publish them all.
source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/
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