Liverpool v Arsenal Live Commentary & Result, 09/04/2023, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	28	5	5	94	33	+61	89	L D W W W
2	ARS Arsenal	38	26	6	6	88	43	+45	84	W L L W W
3	MUN Manchester United	38	23	6	9	58	43	+15	75	W W W W L
4	NEW Newcastle United	38	19	14	5	68	33	+35	71	D D W D L
5	LIV Liverpool	38	19	10	9	75	47	+28	67	D D W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	18	8	12	72	53	+19	62	L D W L W
7	AVL Aston Villa	38	18	7	13	51	46	+5	61	W D W L L
8	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	6	14	70	63	+7	60	W L L W L
9	BRE Brentford	38	15	14	9	58	46	+12	59	W W W L W
10	FUL Fulham	38	15	7	16	55	53	+2	52	L D W W L
11	CRY Crystal Palace	38	11	12	15	40	49	-9	45	D D W L W
12	CHE Chelsea	38	11	11	16	38	47	-9	44	D L L D W
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	11	8	19	31	58	-27	41	L D L W L
14	WHU West Ham United	38	11	7	20	42	55	-13	40	L W L W L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	11	6	21	37	71	-34	39	L L L L W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest	38	9	11	18	38	68	-30	38	D W D W L
17	EVE Everton	38	8	12	18	34	57	-23	36	W D L W D
18	LEI Leicester City	38	9	7	22	51	68	-17	34	W D L L D
19	LEE Leeds United	38	7	10	21	48	78	-30	31	L L D L L
20	SOU Southampton	38	6	7	25	36	73	-37	25	D L L L L

Thanks for joining us for live coverage of the 2-2 Premier League draw between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield. Goodbye!

Arteta's men cling on for a draw that could be massive in their bid to win their first title in 19 years. They extend their lead to six points, but City have a game in hand and the Gunners still have to go to the Etihad Stadium, with that vital encounter set to be played on April 26. For Liverpool, they move onto 44 points, though they are still three points off the Europa League places.

The final whistle blows, and what a fantastic game we have just seen! The teams share the spoils in the end, though both can probably feel aggrieved not to have earned all three points. Arsenal looked to be cruising after strikes from Martinelli and Jesus, but Salah pulled a goal back before half-time to set up what was a thrilling second half. Salah missed from the spot after Holding brought down Jota, though the Reds would snatch a point when Firmino nodded home Alexander-Arnold's cross. Klopp's men could have won it in added time, with the Gunners having Ramsdale to thank for preserving their point with a pair of brilliant saves from Salah and Konate.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: LIVERPOOL 2-2 ARSENAL

90' + 6' HOW HAS HE MISSED!?!? Nunez heads a delivery from the right across the face of goal, where Konate is waiting. It is at an awkward height for the centre-back though, and he tries to nudge it over the line with his midriff. However, his effort goes towards the middle of the goal and the diving Ramsdale is able to scramble it away.

90' + 5' BRILLIANT SAVE! That is an incredible stop from Ramsdale! Salah cuts onto his left foot and goes for his trademark finish into the top corner, and his effort looks goalbound until Ramsdale tips it wide at full stretch!

90' + 4' HUGE OPPORTUNITY! Robertson curls a teasing delivery towards the back post, but Salah on the stretch skies over the crossbar.

90' + 2' Alexander-Arnold lets fly from range, and his powerful drive goes not too far over the crossbar. That would have been some strike.

90' The fourth official puts up his board and indicates there will be six minutes of additional time at the end of this match. Can either side find a winner?

90' Tierney lashes towards goal, but his powerful effort flies well wide of the right post.

K. Tierney

O. Zinchenko

88' Zinchenko makes way for Tierney.

T. Alexander-Arnold

Assist

87' Alexander-Arnold's cross was delightful to allow Firmino to nod Liverpool level.

Roberto Firmino

Goal

87' GOAL!!! FIRMINO EQUALISES!!! Alexander-Arnold nutmegs Zinchenko before lofting a superb delivery to the back post, where Firmino is waiting. He heads at goal, and the diving Ramsdale cannot prevent it flying into the net to make it 2-2!

85' BIG CHANCE! Saka eventually takes the corner, and his delivery is met by Gabriel. The Arsenal centre-back nods towards goal, but only sends his header straight at Alisson. He really should have done better there.

B. Saka

Yellow Card

84' Saka is booked for time-wasting after taking too long to trudge over to take a corner.

81' WHAT A SAVE! Ramsdale makes a vital stop to deny Nunez! Salah plays a brilliant throughball for the Uruguay international, who bears down on Ramsdale before poking a shot at goal, though the Arsenal goalkeeper gets a big left hand down to it to preserve his side's slender advantage.

J. Kiwior

M. Ødegaard

80' Arteta puts Kiwior on for Odegaard as he looks to shore it up at the back.

L. Trossard

Gabriel Jesus

80' Jesus is replaced by Trossard.

Roberto Firmino

Fabinho

78' Fabinho makes way for Firmino in an attacking change by Klopp.

77' There is a nervy moment for the Arsenal defence as Zinchenko inadvertently sends the ball spinning between Gakpo and Ramsdale. Luckily for the visitors, the goalkeeper is alert to race out of his goal and get to the ball before the Liverpool forward.

74' Odegaard tries to curl towards the far corner, but Alisson gets down to his right to gather with relative ease.

73' It is wave after wave of Liverpool attacks at the minute. Can they find a leveller?

71' The hosts have had 61.2 per cent of the possession and six shots to their opponents' one since the break.

68' Arsenal are looking to complete their first league double over Liverpool since the 2009-10 campaign, while the Gunners last won consecutive league games against the Reds back in September 2012.

66' The Gunners are just enjoying a spell of possession after being under sustained pressure from the hosts for much of this second half.

64' It is all Liverpool at the moment as they go in search of an equaliser. Can Arsenal weather the storm?

62' After failing to score just two of his first 20 Premier League penalties, Salah has since missed both of his last two.

D. Núñez

Diogo Jota

60' Nunez is also on in place of Jota.

Thiago Alcântara

C. Jones

60' Thiago makes his return from a hip injury, coming on for Jones.

59' Gabriel is down receiving treatment after blocking a full-blooded Fabinho drive with his head.

57' Salah tries to atone for his missed spot-kick by smashing a shot towards goal, but Ramsdale is equal to his effort as he punches away from danger.

Fabinho

Yellow Card

55' Fabinho receives a yellow card for a poor tackle on Saka in midfield.

Mohamed Salah

Penalty Miss

54' SALAH MISSES!!! The Liverpool forward steps up, but sidefoots his penalty wide of the post as he fires towards the bottom-left corner. That is a huge let-off for the visitors as their 2-1 lead remains intact!

A. Ramsdale

Yellow Card

53' Ramsdale is booked for dissent prior to the penalty.

52' LIVERPOOL PENALTY!!! A corner causes havoc in the Arsenal box, and Holding brings down Jota with a clumsy challenge. The referee points straight to the spot, much to the Gunners' disgust.

50' A crunching challenge from Konate on Xhaka wins possession back for Liverpool, and it ends up with Salah having the ball and bearing down on goal. The angle is tight though, and he can only dig an awkward-looking effort into the side netting.

48' Arsenal have won 21 of their last 22 Premier League games in which they have been ahead at half-time, drawing the other 1-1 at Southampton in October.

46' The hosts get us back under way for the second period.

Salah's goal and Liverpool's strong finish has set this game up for a very intriguing second 45 minutes. Can the Gunners hold on for what would be three crucial points in the title race?

The referee blows the whistle to bring a thrilling first half to a close at Anfield. The Gunners take a 2-1 lead into the break, and at one point they looked to be cruising to victory after Martinelli's clever finish and Jesus' header had them two goals up. The momentum would change though, with Salah blasting Liverpool to within one before Arsenal were forced to cling on to get into the interval ahead as the hosts tried to level.

A. Robertson

Yellow Card

45' + 5' Robertson is booked for an incident as the players trudged off the pitch for half-time. Video footage appears to show him getting an elbow from an assistant referee.

45' + 5' HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-2 ARSENAL

45' + 3' Henderson blazes over the crossbar after the ball sat up nicely for him to hit.

45' + 3' Jesus is back up and play has resumed.

45' + 2' Jesus is down in pain after a heavy challenge from Fabinho in midfield.

45' There will be four minutes of additional time at the end of this first half.

44' The hosts are now very much back in this game, roared on by the vociferous home support. Can they level before the break?

Mohamed Salah

Goal

42' GOAL!!! LIVERPOOL PULL ONE BACK!!! A clever move ends with Jota pulling the ball back for Henderson, who then manages to sidefoot it towards the back post. Salah is there and smashes home to make it 2-1!

T. Alexander-Arnold

Yellow Card

41' Alexander-Arnold is also yellow-carded for his retaliation.

G. Xhaka

Yellow Card

41' Xhaka is booked after a late challenge on Alexander-Arnold.

40' Arsenal look brimming with confidence, beautifully zipping the ball around the pitch. They have appeared a level above Liverpool at times here.

38' Jesus now has 150 goal involvements in all competitions in his English club career (103 goals, 47 assists).

36' Klopp's men are yet to have a shot on target so far in this match.

34' BIG CHANCE! Salah is put through on goal by a perfectly weighted Henderson throughball, but he gets his attempted dink over Ramsdale horribly wrong and it skims well wide.

33' Jesus has now scored five Premier League goals against Liverpool, though that was his first at Anfield.

V. van Dijk

Yellow Card

31' Van Dijk is yellow-carded for a late challenge on Jesus as the Brazil international skipped past him.

30' The Gunners have gone two goals ahead of Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time since their last league win there in September 2012.

Gabriel Jesus

Goal

28' GOAL!!! JESUS MAKES IT 2-0!!! Xhaka feeds the ball behind Alexander-Arnold for Martinelli, who then curls a delightful cross into the area. Jesus finds himself in space in the middle, and his header flies into the bottom-right corner to double the Gunners' lead!

Gabriel Martinelli

Assist

28' Martinelli adds an assist to his earlier goal with a brilliant delivery for Jesus to nod Arsenal 2-0 up.

27' After a torrid start, the hosts have grown into this game and appear the more likely of the two teams to grab the second goal of the match. The visitors are looking threatening on the counter though.

25' Alexander-Arnold lofts a threatening cross into the Arsenal box, but Holding does superbly to nod it behind for a corner before any Liverpool forward can take advantage.

B. White

Yellow Card

23' White receives the first booking of the contest for a crunching slide tackle on Jota.

22' Ramsdale momentarily requires some treatment after going down, but he is okay to continue and play has now resumed.

20' CLOSE! Fabinho dinks a delightful ball over the top for Robertson, and the full-back sets his sights on the far corner. He blasts at goal but watches it fly wide as he spurns a good chance to equalise.

19' Liverpool have now conceded seven goals in the opening 10 minutes of Premier League games this season - joint-most of any side alongside Bournemouth.

17' Arsenal nearly double their advantage as Jesus gets on the end of Saka's deep cross, though the forward can only send the ball over the crossbar.

15' Martinelli is only the second South American player to reach 25 Premier League goals while aged 21 or younger, after Jesus (26).

13' Alisson is less convincing as he comes for the resulting corner, but his defenders are able to scramble away before any Arsenal attackers can take advantage of him dropping the ball.

12' Zinchenko lets fly from just outside the box, but Alisson does well to dive to his left and punch it behind for a corner.

10' The Gunners have avoided defeat in their last 30 matches when scoring the opening goal in the Premier League, dating back to January 1, 2022 against City (lost 2-1).

Gabriel Martinelli

Goal

8' GOAL!!! MARTINELLI GIVES ARSENAL THE LEAD!!! What a huge moment this could be in the title race, as Martinelli puts the Gunners ahead. Saka drives towards the Liverpool defence and tries to play a one-two with Odegaard. The return ball comes off Van Dijk and into the path of Martinelli, who superbly pokes past Alisson and into the net to put the visitors 1-0 up!

6' Gakpo looks to curl into the top right corner, but he gets well underneath his effort and the ball soars high into the stands.

5' Liverpool have won their last six home Premier League matches against Arsenal, scoring at least three times in each game (22 goals in total).

3' It has been a frantic start with both teams looking to get on the front foot. Who will create the first big opportunity?

1' The visitors kick us off and we are under way at Anfield!

The two teams make their way onto the pitch ahead of this huge game.

Visiting boss Arteta goes with just the one alteration from the 4-1 thumping of Leeds United last time out as Saka, who was on the bench for that game because of illness, returns to the starting XI for Trossard.

Home manager Jurgen Klopp makes five changes from the goalless draw at Chelsea in midweek, with Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Robertson coming into the back four for Gomez, Matip and Tsimikas. Salah and Gakpo are also preferred to Nunez and Firmino in the front three.

SUBS: Reuell Walters, Kieran Tierney, Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Matt Turner, Fabio Vieira, Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, Leandro Trossard.

ARSENAL (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.

SUBS: Thiago, Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez, Caoimhin Kelleher, James Milner, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Joel Matip, Harvey Elliott.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Curtis Jones; Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota.

The visitors are the team chasing the title, with closest challengers Manchester City closing the Gunners’ lead at the summit to just five points with a dominant performance in their 4-1 win at Southampton on Saturday. This is an unhappy hunting ground for Arsenal, having not taken three points away from Anfield since the 2012-13 season, when now-manager Mikel Arteta was starting in midfield.

A massive game in the title race late in the season featuring Liverpool usually means the Reds are one of the teams with glory in their sights. However, a hugely below-par campaign means they are scrapping just to qualify for European football, having won only 12 of their 28 Premier League games so far, while they are out of all the cup competitions. They sit eighth, on the same points as Brentford in ninth, and are 13 points off the Champions League places.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal.

Liverpool v Arsenal Live Commentary, 09/04/2023

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