liverpoolfc.tvLIVERPOOL 4-4 ARSENAL
Tuesday 21 April 2009 20:00 ,
Barclays Premier League
REDS TOP AFTER EIGHT-GOAL THRILLER
Liverpool are top of the league after drawing 4-4 with Arsenal in one of the most thrilling games of football ever witnessed at Anfield.
Russian ace Andrey Arshavin scored four goals for the Gunners, who took the lead three times including once in injury-time.
But Yossi Benayoun popped up to level with seconds to spare to put the Reds ahead of Manchester United on goal difference.
It was the Israeli's second of the game, with Fernando Torres also claiming a double in front of a stunned capacity crowd.
The result keeps the title race alive, though everyone on the red half of Merseyside will be praying United drop points at home to Portsmouth in one of two games in hand on Wednesday.
Buoyed by his side's four goals at Stamford Bridge, Rafa Benitez opted for an offensive line-up including four attackers. Little did the Anfield boss know that he was about to witness an even more exciting encounter than that seen at Chelsea a week ago.
Messrs Torres, Benayoun, Riera and Kuyt set about some sizzling play in front of an all-time attacking great, Ray Kennedy, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Prior to kick-off, both sets of supporters held aloft mosaics showing the 57-year-old's shirt numbers (he wore No.5 at Anfield, No.10 at Highbury) to bring attention to the Ray of Hope fundraising appeal.
There were just three minutes on the clock when Kennedy witnessed a current Kop icon, Torres, doing what he does best. The Spaniard made a mug of Bacary Sagna to go one-on-one with Lukasz Fabianski. Rarely does the 24-year-old spurn such chances but his tame sidefoot was easy for Arsenal's rookie goalkeeper.
Minutes later Fabio Aurelio dinked a cute ball over a static back four to Benayoun, whose stretched effort again fell kindly for Fabianski.
Next, Dirk Kuyt bypassed two Arsenal defenders with a delicate throughball to Benayoun. This time the 'keeper committed early and got there just in time.
Fabianski was maligned in the press following a series of errors which contributed to Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, but the young Pole was single-handedly keeping Liverpool at bay here. Even his defenders looked a little surprised when he got fingertips to a 20-yard snapshot from Torres on 18 minutes.
The Spain international was again denied on 30 minutes after leaving Kolo Toure with his backside on the turf, while Daniel Agger had a header cleared off the line on his 50th league appearance for the Reds.
Six chances, no goals. All of which made what happened on 36 minutes even harder for the Kop to swallow. It was Javier Mascherano who was caught in possession on the edge of his own box, with Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas on hand to capitalise before feeding the onrushing Arshavin, who converted off the bar from close range.
Fabianski again came to Arsenal's rescue with a reflex save as Benayoun weaved his way towards an instant reply. The Israeli was playing like Peter Beardsley, but again missed out on his just rewards after a smart header from an Alvaro Arbeloa cross looped just over.
If the Premier League's top scorers felt hard done by to be behind at the break, they didn't linger on their disappointment. It took Torres just four minutes after the restart to level the scores after an inviting cross from Kuyt.
The No.9 found a yard on the edge of the six-yard box and powered his header beyond the reach of Fabianski to record his 15th goal of the season.
Seven minutes later the game had been turned on its head, and again the goal was the product of a Kuyt cross, this time towards Benayoun at the back post. The Israel captain ignored a high challenge from Sagna to send a diving header through the palms of Fabianski and over the line.
Twenty years after Arsenal clinched the title at Anfield, the Kop sniffed what could have been a decisive victory in this year's race. But the drama was not yet complete.
Liverpool probed for a third but, to the surprise of just about everyone inside Anfield, it was the visitors who struck next through Arshavin. The Russian pounced after Jamie Carragher's header failed to reach Arbeloa before sending a 20-yard curler past the diving Pepe Reina.
Arsenal fans had barely finished celebrating when their January signing completed his hat-trick on 70 minutes after Aurelio failed to clear. The striker fired close to Reina but with enough power to ensure it reached the net.
It was just two minutes before a remarkable game took another twist as Torres prompted another Kop eruption. El Nino collected the ball on the edge of the box, bought a yard from Mikael Silvestre and slotted home via the hand of Fabianski.
Torres was denied a hat-trick of his own with 10 minutes remaining when Kieran Gibbs cleared his glancing header off the line. Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, was almost the unlikely hero with a 20-yard volley with sailed narrowly wide.
But it was Arsenal who struck next in injury-time when a Liverpool corner was cleared to substitute Theo Walcott. With just Xabi Alonso back, the 20-year-old only had to look up to see Arshavin. He did, and the striker kept his cool to beat Reina.
Game over? Not according to Benayoun, who seconds later found himself with the ball at his feet five yards out. The winger made no mistake with his sidefoot into the bottom corner and that, finally, was that on an incredible night in L4.
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Aurelio, Agger, Carragher (c), Arbeloa, Riera, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt, Benayoun, Torres. Subs - Babel, Cavalieri, Dossena, El Zhar, Leiva, Ngog, Skrtel
Arsenal: Fabianski, Gibbs, Silvestre, Toure, Sagna, Nasri, Fabregas (c), , Song, Arshavin, Bendtner. Subs - Diaby, Eboue, Mannone, Ramsey, Vela, Walcott,
Referee: Howard Webb
Conditions:
Attendance:
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