Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool

Home » Match Reports » Arsenal / Liverpool

| England News

Wednesday Apr 02 2008 07:45

Liverpool frustrated Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to secure a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.Robin van Persie partnered Emmanuel Adebayor in the home attack, while Fernando Torres was the dangerman for the visitors, who had Javier Mascherano back in their midfield.

The opening minutes of the game saw no clear chances at either end, with the first opening arriving after 21 minutes of play.Mathieu Flamini's superbly weighted pass played in van Persie, but his first-time left-foot volley drifted over the top from 15 yards out.

A couple of minutes later the Gunners made the breakthrough as van Persie's inswinging corner from the right was headed home from close range by the unmarked Adebayor.

However, the lead lasted just three minutes as Steven Gerrard got away on the left side of the area and his deflected cross was bundled in from close in by Dirk Kuyt.

The rest of the first half was as drab as the opening 20 minutes, with the only effort on goal coming from Ryan Babel, whose low 20-yarder from the left side of the area was gathered by Manuel Almunia.

The Gunners were forced to replace van Persie at half-time due to a thigh problem, with Theo Walcott coming on for the Dutchman.

Liverpool soon threatened as Gerrard's free-kick dropped to Kuyt at the far post and Almunia had to make a smart save low down, with Sami Hyypia waiting to pounce.

The home side then began to dictate play and ten minutes into the second half Walcott drifted inside off the left wing and drilled a 30-yarder inches wide of the far post with Jose Reina at full stretch.

Soon after the hour mark Adebayor and Walcott combined superbly to open up the Reds defence, but Emmanuel Eboue failed to convert from close range.

Almost immediately Alex Hleb tricked his way through and was hauled back by Kuyt, but referee Mr Vink strangely chose to award a corner as opposed to a penalty.

Twenty minutes from time Adebayor cut the ball back from the left and Cesc Fabregas' effort was rolling in before team-mate Nicklas Bendtner blocked the ball on the line and was flagged offside in the process.

That proved to be the final clear chance of the game, as the Reds shut up shop and Arsenal ran out of ideas to leave the tie delicately poised for the return leg at Anfield next week.

Live Commentary

90
Full-Time: ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL.

90
Bendtner gets away down the right and his ball to the near post is blocked by Carragher and that's time up.

90
Adebayor crosses the ball in from the left, but under pressure Fabregas can only head straight at Reina.

90
Three minutes of added time to be played.

90
Benayoun tries to play in Voronin, but he miscontrols the pass.

89
The final minute of the 90 is being played.

87
Time is ticking away for the Gunners now, they look a bit tired and dejected.

86
Torres is booed off the pitch and Andriy Voronin takes his place.

84
Hleb drifts a ball in from the left, Reina gathers under no pressure.

82
Toure fires a long ball forward, but it goes straight through to the waiting Reina.

81
The Reds look like getting a good result, but their style of play is as interesting as watching paint dry.

80
Liverpool show their ambition by breaking to the halfway line before stopping with just Torres in the Arsenal half.

78
Twelve minutes to play and Arsenal will be gutted if the game ends level.

77
Alonso jogs off and Lucas Leiva enters the fray.

74
Carragher lifts a long punt forward and Almunia gathers from Kuyt's knockdown.

72
Liverpool are hanging on by a thread at the moment, but the score is still 1-1.

70
Adebayor cuts the ball back from the left and Fabregas' effort is going in before team-mate Bendtner blocks the ball on the line and is flagged offside.

69
Fabregas fires wide from 25 yards after neat set-up play by Bendtner.

67
Eboue makes way for Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner.

66
Alexander Hleb dribbles through the Reds defence and is hauled back in the area by Kuyt, but the referee bizarrely gives a corner, what a let-off.

66
Adebayor and Walcott combine superbly to open up the defence, but Eboue cannot convert from close range.

65
Twenty-five minutes and the visiting fans are the ones singing at the moment.

64
Torres wins a free-kick on the edge of the Gunners area after crumpling under the challenge of Clichy.

62
Adebayor finds a bit of space, but slips at the vital moment.

61
A long Fabregas pass almost finds Adebayor, but Reina is out smartly to collect the ball.

59
The home fans have started to make a bit more noise now.

58
The anonymous Babel is replaced by Yossi Benayoun.

57
Senderos heads wide from Clichy's ball in from the left.

56
Arsenal have picked up the pace now, with Walcott to the fore.

55
Walcott drifts inside off the left wing and drills a 30-yarder inches wide of the far post with Reina at full stretch.

55
Torres makes space on the right side of the Arsenal defence, but his low cross is gathered by Almunia.

53
Fabregas' free-kick in from the left is just too close to Reina, with Adebayor closing in.

52
Adebayor is crowded out on the edge of the visitors' area, they had plenty of men back to cover, as usual.

50
Arsenal have failed to make a fast start to the second half, that suits Liverpool again.

48
Gerrard's free-kick drops to Kuyt at the far post and Almunia has to make a smart save low down, with Hyypia waiting to pounce.

47
Philippe Senderos crashes into Torres after a smart turn from the Spain ace.

46
Theo Walcott has replaced van Persie for the home side, with the Dutchman suffering with a thigh problem.

46
Arsenal get the second half underway.

45
Half-Time: ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL.

45
Into stoppage time, there will be just one added minute.

43
Adebayor has a shot blocked as the Gunners up the pace just before the break.

42
Babel manages to pass the ball all the way across the face of his own area and out for a throw-in, superb.

40
Clichy's ball in from the left drifts across the area and just out of the reach of Adebayor and Emmanuel Eboue.

39
Kuyt is down injured after a strong challenge by Flamini.

37
Half-time's not too far away and it's Liverpool who will be the happier of the two teams at the moment.

35
Gerrard's free-kick finds Torres at the back post and his ball across goal is cleared away for a corner, which Almunia claims with ease.

34
Intricate midfield play ends with van Persie's pass drifting through to the waiting Reina.

33
Ryan Babel finally shows us that he is on the pitch as his low 20-yarder from the left side of the area is gathered by Almunia.

32
It's gone back to being cagey stuff after the brief excitement of the two goals.

29
The Reds goal has dampened the atmosphere in the Emirates Stadium.

27
Liverpool strike back quickly, but they had done nothing of note up to that point.

26
ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL, Gerrard gets away down the left and his deflected cross is bundled home from close in by Dirk KUYT.

24
A rare lapse from the Liverpool defence, but a deserved reward for Arsenal's improving play.

23
ARSENAL 1-0 LIVERPOOL, Van Persie's right-wing corner is headed home from close range by the unmarked ADEBAYOR.

22
Reina has to push a low 20-yard left-footer from van Persie away for another corner.

21
Twenty-one minutes played and that was the first opening of the game.

21
Flamini's superbly weighted pass plays in van Persie, but his first-time left-foot volley drifts over the top from 15 yards out.

20
Fabregas' near-post corner is cleared away from danger by the Reds backline.

19
Toure skips away from Carragher and wins a corner as Javier Mascherano makes the tackle.

18
Torres goes down under minimal contact from Mathieu Flamini and is told to get up by referee Mr Vink.

16
Xabi Alonso's long pass over the top finds Sami Hyypia, but Cesc Fabregas is perfectly placed to mop up the danger.

15
A long free-kick in to the Gunners area is tipped behind for a corner by Manuel Almunia.

14
The Gunners open up the right flank of the Reds defence, but Gael Clichy's final pass is far too strong.

12
Toure heads away a Jamie Carragher cross from the right as the visitors move forward for once.

10
Adebayor is caught offside, with Liverpool trying their usual European tactics of trying to bore the opposition into submission.

8
Adebayor rampages into the area on the left, but Martin Skrtel makes a solid challenge to avert the danger.

7
Reds keeper Jose Reina is caught out by a long ball, but recovers to block Adebayor's attempted ball into the area.

6
The crowd have quietened down already, it's been cagey stuff so far, with no goalmouth action to speak of.

4
Most of the play has been condensed down the Gunners right, with Kolo Toure pushing forward from right-back.

2
It's the home side who have seen more of the ball so far, with Liverpool playing with just Torres up front.

1
Liverpool get the game underway amid a chorus of noise.

0
Robin van Persie partners Emmanuel Adebayor in the home attack, while Fernando Torres is the dangerman for the visitors.

0
Arsenal face Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium.

Statistics

Arsenal

Shots on target	5
Shots off target	6
Shots off bar/post	0
Fouls	8
Offsides	3
Corners	6

Liverpool

Shots on target	4
Shots off target	0
Shots off bar/post	0
Fouls	12
Offsides	1
Corners	3

See Live Commentary