- Date:2008-12-21
- Kick-off:16:00
- Venue:Emirates Stadium
- Attendance:60094
- Referee:Webb, H
Live Commentary
90mins
Full Time: ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL. Howard Webb calls an end to the contest and boos echo around the Emirates.
90mins
Nabil El Zhar makes a clumsy challenge on Pereira Neves Denilson and Arsenal have a late free-kick.
90mins
Steven Gerrard produces a brilliant tackle to deny Robin van Persie.
90mins
Emmanuel Eboue comes on for Samir Nasri.
90mins
There's three minutes of added time.
89mins
Both teams are looking tired now but Liverpool have a great chance only for Nabil El Zhar to put the ball wide.
88mins
Lucas Leiva is replaced by David N'Gog.
86mins
Daniel Agger shoots from long range and he is only inches wide.
84mins
Manuel Almunia makes a save with his feet from Dirk Kuyt.
83mins
Robin van Persie's corner evades everyone and Liverpool have a goal-kick.
81mins
Robbie Keane is off to a chorus of boos and is replaced by Nabil El Zhar.
81mins
Lucas Leiva is finally booked after yet another foul.
80mins
Robin van Persie shoots high and wide after good play from Samir Nasri.
79mins
Ryan Babel tries to send a cross over but loses his footing and Arsenal get the ball away.
77mins
The fourth official is having to ask Arsene Wenger to calm down as the game becomes a succession of free-kicks.
75mins
Steven Gerrard appears to dive after going past William Gallas but isn't booked.
74mins
Lucas Leiva commits another foul but he's still not been booked.
73mins
The crowd are giving Howard Webb and the Liverpool players a lot of stick.
72mins
Jamie Carragher is booked for bringing down Robin van Persie.
71mins
Ryan Babel is on for Albert Riera.
70mins
Bacary Sagna is the latest player to see yellow for diving in on Albert Riera.
68mins
Arsenal are doing better now they're down to 10 men.
66mins
Robin van Persie is booked for bringing down Daniel Agger.
65mins
Arsene Wenger is furious and is having a word with the fourth official, while the Arsenal fans are letting the referee know their feelings.
64mins
Denilson shoots across the face of goal and it goes wide.
63mins
Ten-man Arsenal face an uphill struggle now.
62mins
Emmanuel Adebayor gets a second yellow card for a heavy challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa and he's off.
61mins
Arsenal haven't really got going in the second half and it's very quiet at the Emirates.
59mins
Robbie Keane turns and shoots from Steven Gerrard's free-kick but the offside flag is up.
58mins
The corner is headed over by Daniel Agger and Arsenal have a goal-kick.
57mins
Dirk Kuyt's effort is deflected wide by Gael Clichy and Liverpool have a corner.
56mins
Liverpool are dominating possession at the moment.
54mins
Robbie Keane has a good chance but is put off by Johan Djourou and is only able to scoop his shot goalwards.
53mins
Robbie Keane is caught offside from another long ball.
52mins
Ironic applause from the Arsenal fans as Abou Diaby wins a free-kick.
51mins
Liverpool are playing a lot of long balls forward to Robbie Keane.
50mins
Arsenal fans aren't happy with the way their team has started the second half.
48mins
Manuel Almunia makes a fine save from Lucas Leiva and is able to push the ball away to safety.
47mins
Liverpool ended the first half well and have started the second half the same way.
46mins
The second half gets underway.
46mins
Cesc Fabregas hasn't reappeared for the second half and Abou Diaby is on.
45mins
Half Time: ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL. The referee blows up for half-time as Cesc Fabregas limps off the pitch after a strong challenge by Xabi Alonso.
45mins
Dirk Kuyt shoots from long range and Manuel Almunia has to dive across to pull off a very good save.
45mins
There's two minutes of added time.
45mins
Steven Gerrard should have put Liverpool ahead from Dirk Kuyt's pass after being let go by William Gallas but his effort flies over the bar.
43mins
ARSENAL 1-1 LIVERPOOL. ROBBIE KEANE scores a fantastic equaliser for Liverpool, his half-volley flying past Manuel Almunia.
40mins
Lucas Leiva makes another foul challenge and will have to be careful.
39mins
Steven Gerrard sends a volley high and wide after good build-up play from Liverpool.
38mins
Emmanuel Adebayor goes into the book.
37mins
Steven Gerrard is caught offside, and is almost playing up front with Robbie Keane.
35mins
Robbie Keane chases a long ball over the top but Manuel Almunia is out to make a secure clearance.
34mins
Steven Gerrard gets his shot on target but it's straight at Manuel Almunia who makes a comfortable catch.
33mins
Steven Gerrard has won Liverpool a free-kick, 30 yards out.
31mins
It seems that Rafael Benitez, recovering from surgery, has been on the phone and is giving instructions to Sammy Lee.
30mins
The goal has lifted Arsenal and they're playing with more confidence.
29mins
Robin van Persie's free-kick is well defended by Jamie Carragher.
27mins
Liverpool were caught out by the long pass, and the atmosphere has lifted at the Emirates.
25mins
ARSENAL 1-0 LIVERPOOL. A fine finish from ROBIN VAN PERSIE, his 11th goal of the season, after a 30-yard diagonal pass from Samir Nasri beat Jamie Carragher.
23mins
Replays show the Robbie Keane booking was a poor decision, with the crowd playing a big part.
21mins
Robbie Keane's every touch is being roundly booed by the Arsenal fans.
20mins
Robbie Keane is booked for a wild challenge on Gael Clichy.
19mins
Dirk Kuyt does well to defend the corner and Liverpool break through Steven Gerrard but again Manuel Almunia is able to clear the danger.
18mins
Emmanuel Adebayor wins the first corner of the game after showing some great skill to beat two Liverpool challenges.
16mins
Liverpool try to break but Lucas Leiva plays it too far ahead of his team-mates and Manuel Almunia is able to clear.
15mins
Bacary Sagna's cross is headed downwards by Emmanuel Adebayor and Jose Reina is down smartly to make the save.
14mins
Arsenal come forward again but Gael Clichy's first-time cross is overhit and drifts behind.
13mins
Samir Nasri breaks down the left but the ball comes back off Emmanuel Adebayor for a goal-kick.
12mins
Both sides are keeping the ball well and moving it around patiently.
10mins
Robbie Keane beats the offside trap and delivers the ball to Steven Gerrard whose shot is straight at Manuel Almunia.
9mins
Bacary Sagna's cross goes behind the line before coming back in and Liverpool have a goal-kick.
8mins
Emmanuel Adebayor chases a long ball over the top but Daniel Agger is there first to clear back to Jose Reina.
6mins
Lucas Leiva has already conceded a couple of free-kicks in the early stages.
5mins
Jose Reina makes a comfortable save from an Arsenal free-kick.
4mins
Bacary Sagna thinks he should have a free-kick after a challenge from Steven Gerrard but it's only a throw-in.
2mins
Arsenal are playing a patient game in the opening stages and keeping possession.
1mins
Howard Webb gets the game underway.
0mins
The teams are out to a huge ovation.
0mins
Can Arsenal close the gap on Liverpool, or will the Merseyside club extend their lead over the chasing pack?
Match Preview
Arsenal cannot afford to slip up against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon if they are to keep alive their already slim hopes of winning a first Premier League title in five years.
The Gunners are currently eight points adrift of the first-placed Reds following an inconsistent first half of the season which was typified by last weekend's 1-1 draw with mid-table Middlesbrough.
Arsene Wenger's side have won just one of their last four games in all competitions, but the Frenchman will take some comfort in the fact that his side has an excellent record against the other 'big four' teams this season.
Victories over Manchester United at home and Chelsea away have kept them in touch with the rest of the title hopefuls despite losing to the likes of Manchester City, Stoke City, Fulham and Hull City.
But despite their stellar top-four record, 11-goal top-scorer Emmanuel Adebayor has warned against complacency with their title aspirations effectively on the line.
"If we think because we have beaten Man United at home and Chelsea away we are going to win easily against Liverpool then we have got everything wrong," he warned.
However, the Togo striker did go on to suggest that his team-mates will be gunning for revenge after coming within six minutes of the Champions League semi-finals only to lose in dramatic late fashion to the Reds last season.
Long-term absentees Theo Walcott (shoulder) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) remain on the sidelines, but Kolo Toure and Samir Nasri - who both missed the Boro draw through injury - could return.
Liverpool have hardly had the ideal preparation for their trip to the capital with manager Rafael Benitez bed-ridden following surgery to remove kidney stones.
Assistant manager Sammy Lee has been taking training during the week and doesn't believe the absence of the Spaniard has been a major distraction.
He said: "We have already planned what we are going to do so we will just be sticking to that. The main man may not be here, but we have to keep things going so he can just pick up from where he left off when he comes back."
The Reds have also been forced to deny gathering speculation that misfiring striker Robbie Keane could be offloaded in January after scoring just four goals in 23 appearances since his £20million arrival from Tottenham Hotspur.
Keane is likely to be on the bench again at the Emirates Stadium despite the continued absence through a hamstring injury of Fernando Torres.
Dirk Kuyt started last weekend's 2-2 draw with Hull City as the main striker supported by Steven Gerrard, who scored both goals in a dramatic fightback to earn a point.
But the Reds are hardly in a title-winning form at the moment as they've drawn three of their last four league games and need to turn stalemates into three-point hauls if they are to win their first ever Premier League crown.
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Match Report
Ten-man Arsenal held on to secure a 1-1 draw against Liverpool after Emmanuel Adebayor had been controversially sent off.
The Togo striker picked up a second yellow card when he was accused of elbowing Alvaro Arbeloa after earlier picking up a soft booking.
Robbie Keane cancelled out Robin van Persie's 24th-minute goal just before half-time and the Gunners also suffered the loss of captain Cesc Fabregas through injury.
The game began brightly with Liverpool setting themselves up with Keane as a lone frontman. The midfield and defence was packed and the tactic was to soak up any pressure from the Gunners and then pour forward on the break.
Arsenal for their part began the game looking more confident and determined than they have of late. They closed Liverpool down quickly and used possession well.
The first real effort fell to the visitors in the tenth minute when a long ball forward to Keane was knocked back into the path of Steven Gerrard whose first-time shot from the edge of the area was claimed by Manuel Almunia.
His counterpart, Pepe Reina, was called into action for the first time in the 15th minute to claim Adebayor's goal-bound header after the striker had stooped to meet Bacary Sagna's low cross and redirect the ball towards the left-hand corner of the net.
The Gunners took the lead with a sensational van Persie goal. The Dutchman ran on to a diagonal ball from Samir Nasri that was placed between Liverpool's two centre-backs.
Van Persie controlled the ball on the turn and then, in one fluid movement, burst forward to shoot right-footed beyond Reina's dive.
Liverpool were back on level terms in the 42nd minute when Keane latched on to a long ball forward, outpaced Arsenal's slumbering central defenders before shooting first time beyond Almunia and into the roof of the net.
Gerrard should have scored the visitors' second just over a minute later when he slid in to meet Dirk Kuyt's cross into the area, but he redirected the ball high and wide.
Kuyt himself tried his luck in first-half stoppage time and his shot across goal was parried for a corner by the Gunners keeper.
Arsenal suffered a further setback just before the end of the first half when Fabregas was injured after sliding in to make a tackle.
He failed to come out after the re-start and was replaced by Abou Diaby who slotted in to the wide left position.
Denilson moved into central midfield and the Gunners instantly looked devoid of ideas having lost their play-maker and leader.
Arsenal's afternoon got worse after Adebayor was sent off for a second bookable offence by Howard Webb. The first booking on 38 minutes was questionable and the second drew the wrath of the home support.
Adebayor was adjudged to have swung an arm at Carragher who, clutching his face, fell to the ground theatrically. Van Persie was left to lead the line alone, as the home side tried to re-group.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile, the game lost its fluency. Van Persie was stopped from breaking away by a cynical Carragher challenge in the 72nd minute, but the Dutchman went close a minute later with a snap-shot that brought the best out of Reina.
Nasri, who had been quiet for most of the game, suddenly started appearing all over the pitch. His mazy run in the 80th minute required a shot of equal quality, but the Frenchman sliced his effort wide.
Daniel Agger went close in the 86th minute with a 25-yard drive that soared just wide of the top left corner of the Arsenal net but the game finished 1-1 with referee Howard Webb being jeered off the pitch.
Arsenal Team
Liverpool Team
Arsenal | Liverpool |
Corners
| 2 | 2 |
Fouls
| 14 | 17 |
Goal attempts
| 6 | 12 |
Shots off target
| 3 | 5 |
Offsides
| 0 | 6 |
90mins
Manuel Almunia overhits the free-kick and Arsene Wenger is very frustrated.