Preamble: Mid-morning campers. Welcome to part two in the rather-too-regular series we are billing as "Arsenal v Liverpool". Part one looked a little like this. Expect part two have slightly less at stake for one of the sides (in fact, maybe two if you are of the opinion that Arsenal have about as much chance of winning the title as 2 Unlimited do of enjoying a critical renaissance) and slightly fewer stars on show. Already is seems that Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher will be replaced by foreign reserve players that even the most ardent of Liverpool fan in the world (Phil Thompson) would struggle to name.
Rafael Benítez yesterday: "I don't think the fact we have a five-point lead over Everton can give any leeway over team selection against Arsenal. We need to keep winning every game if possible to keep the confidence of the team high." Hmm.
The teams today: Arsenal: Almunia, Justin Hoyte, Gallas, Toure, Traore, Eboue, Fabregas, Silva, Flamini, Bendtner, Walcott. Subs: Lehmann, Hleb, Song Billong, Clichy, Adebayor
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Plessis, Pennant, Benayoun, Lucas, Riise, Crouch. Subs: Itandje, Hyypia, Gerrard, Torres, Voronin (just the eight changes from Wednesday then)
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Who is Damian Plessis? A 20-year-old holding midfielder who has been lighting up Liverpool's reserves since signing from Lyon on deadline day, August 2007. "He is a good player, big and strong, and we're sure he'll do well for us. He's only a young boy with plenty of time to work on his game but it depends on his progress how quickly he can force his way into the first team," said Benítez on signing him. Eight months later and here he is making his debut.
Disgruntled email time: "Not so long ago, clubs would be fined for fielding a below strength XI (was it something to do with the pools?)," says Gary Naylor, who despite being an Everton fan clearly does not see this as an opportunity for the Toffees. "Given that the Premier League is a round robin competition amongst 20 clubs over 38 matches and not a series of disconnected knockout ties, Benítez is disrespecting both his fellow managers and the history of the English football with this selection. LFC should be ashamed to pick up their Premier League prizewinnings at the end of the season - but they won't be."
Is playing a weakened side such a good idea? Winning is a habit, as cliché dictates. Arsenal's biggest mistake of the season? Playing a weakened side against Man Utd in the FA Cup and getting a 4-0 hiding. Since then they have won two, drawn six and lost one and more or less thrown away the title. Is this down to coincidence or confidence? Discuss. Of course, with all this talk of Liverpool's team, let's not forget that Wenger has left out Van Persie, Adebayor, Hleb and Clichy, so don't expect a thrashing.
And we're away: Liverpool in white with the black shorts and stockings, as they say. Arsenal in their traditional red. Plessis plays a simple ball with his first touch, he has the leggy style of aPatrick Viera or a Carlton Palmer. "I'm a Liverpool fan but I'd rather watch today's game instead of the midweek game because of Plessis and Lucas. I've just about had enough of all the superstars without the trophies. I want to see the youngsters playing now," says Arief Redzuan. well, let's see how they do first Arief.
2 min: Crouch dispossesses Fabregas, takes a touch and has a strike from 30 yards or so, it's a beauty and Almunia has to dive at full stretch to tip it over.
4 min: Liverpool looking neat and tidy in midfield with Crouch already dropping back to link up and pick up a lot of the ball. A response to Gary Naylor: "What a load of tosh from a disgruntled Evertonian. All of those players, bar one, have featured strongly in the first team, and would walk into the starting line up of most clubs in the league. Its Everton who are disrespecting the rest of us, especially when they 'play' Carsley and Neville together in midfield, despite the fact that neither of these can actually play," writes Jason Sali from the other half of Merseyside.
7 min: Skrtel hoofs one up to Crouch, who heads it down to no one. If you are going to play Crouch alone up front you need more runners from midfield than zero, who will that be today? Benayoun and Pennant are the only real candidates I can think of.
9 min: Plessis looks confident so far. Walcott chases the ball down into the corner and outpaces Skrtel, who clatters him. Should have been a booking, it wasn't. Toure almost gets his head on the free-kick on the edge of the six yard box, but he doesn't. So there you go.
12 min: Arsenal probing in the patient way that they are famous for, no sniff of a chance though. "Forget fairness to other clubs, Josh, what about fairness to those of us who have Clichy and Torres in our Fantasy Football teams. Or is that all very 1996?" Askes Ronan Hayes. "Yes" is the answer Ronan, have you not heard of Pick the Score?
16 min: Arsenal aren't even bothering to contest the high balls, Liverpool are just hitting up to the big man with the surprising touch, they could get a lot of joy here. Crouch picks up the ball in the Arsenal half and feeds it through to Riise, who makes a great run but blazes the ball over with his right foot.
19 min: In a shocking move, Liverpool's highly-paid fringe players are turning in a better performance than the Sunday League side they were billed as, still in control. Gary Naylor responds to a response: "Mr Sali should read what I wrote. Of course the players Rafa has selected are good, but it is not his best team - and this is Arsenal away. The selection, not the players, disrespects the competition." Now, let's have an end to all this talk of disrespect, this is top level football, not the Mafia.
21 min: Crouch heads on a long ball from Finnan and the on-rushing Lucas almost gets onto it before Toure nicks the ball away. Then Liverpool probe further and the ball is knocked back from the edge of the box for Plessis to fire into the crowd.
24 min: Liverpool's midfielders are being given a lot of space in front of the Arsenal back four. This time it is Pennant who has time to line up a shot from 25-yards but, for all the power he puts into it, it goes very, very wide.
27 min: Bendtner steps on Pennant's heel as they both chase for the ball, that looked very painful. No malice there though from the comedy striker.
29 min: Liverpool break with Benayoun, who feeds Pennant down the right, but his cross is blocked by Gallas. Arsenal have not got into this game at all yet.
31 min: Crouch lays the ball off to Lucas. He slips the ball through to Benayoun, who has steamed through the Arsenal backline, but, baring down on Almunia, he scuffs his shot across goal and wide. Liverpool's midfield are playing this perfectly, supporting Crouch at every opportunity.
34 min: Suddenly Arsenal get going. Bendtner knocks a long clearance from Almunia down to Fabregas on the edge of the Liverpool box but he hits his shot wide of the near post. Then Walcott careers through the middle of the Liverpool defence, Carragher slides in and tackles but the ball falls to Bendtner, through on goal. However, he shoots tamely straight at Reina. A critical man would describe Bendtner as "not very good".
37 min: Flamini dummies a ball to set Eboue free down the right, he cuts in on goal and squares the ball across the six-yard box. It's looks to everyone that Fabregas is about to put Arsenal ahead but Finnan slides across brilliantly to clear.
39 min: A rush of blood to the head for Almunia, who comes for a high ball and misses it completely. Luckily for him, so does everyone in a Liverpool shirt.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool (Crouch 42 min): A clearance from Reina lands on Crouch's head for the n'th time today. The ball bobbles down to Benayoun who manages to flick it back to Crouch, he takes a touch and then rifles it into the corner from the edge of the box. A great finish.
43 min: That goal came just as Arsenal were putting on the pressure, playing some excellent football. A victory for route one over fancy football. Charles Hughes take a bow.
Peep, peep, peep! Half-time and it has been a good half of football, particularly for Liverpool who have controlled much of the game from midfield. Arsenal have 45 minutes to save their slim title chances. "I'm sitting here as best man holding the groom's hand for a wedding tomorrow. He doesn't have Foxsports so I'm reduced to following your commentary. Getting to the point, I don't know who Damien Plessis is, but I'm fairly sure he's better than Dirk Kuyt," writes Tom Ballantyne from Melbourne. What do you mean reduced, Tom?
Some half-time entertainment: "I often think Riise's negative," arfs Jeremy Sams in an email titled "Liverpool puns part one", I am looking forward to part two.
And some more discussion of respect, that now looks slightly dated considering how Liverpool have played, but hey, my emails have dried up so what are you going to do? "What about respect for the fans who've travelled all the way to London for a lunchtime kick-off (already a tad ridiculous), as well as paying through the nose for a ticket, to see what is, to be honest, a 'B' team? Not to open a whole different can of worms, but surely the 'value' in paying players £80,000+/week is that they can play football on a regular basis?" Asks Jason Sali. As I say, this was written before Liverpool scored.
Half-time changes from a desperate Arsenal? Nope.
And we're off again: Arsenal stroking the ball around the back four, left to right to left to right. "I'm so delighted for Crouchie! That was his ninth goal this season, which doesn't sound like a lot, but if you consider that before today, he'd played a grand total of about 20 minutes in the Premier League, it's more than respectable," writes the wonderfully named Emma Raccoon. I agree 100 per cent Emma, the hugely underrated Crouch will get at least 15 goals when he signs for Aston Villa or Blackburn next season.
48 min: A slow and somewhat uneventful start (minutes until Arsenal have to concentrate on the Champions League = 42).
51 min: Crouch has another go from distance, this time scuffing it badly. Don't get ideas above your station Peter, you are making Emma Raccoon and myself look like fools. Walcott gets away from Pennant and has space three-on-two but elects to shoot rather than play in Fabregas, who is as free as In Rainbows. Toure then gets a free header from the corner but heads it wide, he should have done better with that.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Bendtner 54 min): We have a needless booking, as Traore nips past Pennant and is cynically tripped on the left. Fabregas floats in the free-kick and Bendtner steams in above everyone and heads it home. Reina should have come for that, it was there for the taking. Told you Bendtner was good.
56 min: It's all Arsenal now. Bendtner heading the ball down for Walcott, but his shot is blocked by Carragher. An attacking substitution now as they go for broke, Adebayor for Hoyte.
58 min: Gerrard is warming up now, suddenly this game is being taken a bit more seriously. "Josh, there is no way Crouchinho is going anywhere. Harry Kewell on the other hand is going somewhere. But you want to know something funny? A local football website reckons AC Milan, Juventus, Valencia and Sevilla are all interested in Harry. For what? Spare parts? Great player but who other than the producers of E.R. would buy him with his recent injury history?" Asks Allan Peake.
61 min: Plessis slides through Walcott, taking the ball but taking the man with him. No free-kick but no one seems to happy about it, least of all Walcott, who is so injured that he has to walk off the pitch and then back on when play resumes.
63 min: It's end to end, Traore knocking a cross onto Carragher's head when he should have done better and then Riise picking out Almunia with a cross when he should have done better.
65 min: On comes Gerrard for Pennant, who has done very little except give away a needless free-kick for the goal. Eboue is then booked for ... I'm not sure what, jumping into Riise with the ball in the air to be jumped for seemingly.
68 min: Bendtner and Adebayor with a bit of useless interplay down the left, still, at least they are playing together like friends again. Flamini then has a go from distance but Reina gathers it comfortably.
70 min: Adebayor is so right-footed that instead of playing the ball in with his left foot from the left side he crosses his legs to chip it in with his right. It's not very good, needless to say. Clichy is on for Traore.
73 min: Crouch has hardly touched the ball in this second half, if you want a sign of how this game has changed. But he brings the ball down on his chest before awkwardly hitting an overhead kick wide. It's all change as Voronin comes on for Benayoun.
75 min: Arsenal need a goal, just to remind you: Minutes to save their title chances = 15.
77 min: Bendtner surges through the Liverpool defence, squares the ball but it is cleared by Carragher.
80 min: Opportunities at both ends. Fabregas cues himself up for a strike from the edge of the area but Arbeloa manages to snatch the ball off his toe just in time. Then Crouch finds space up the other end and gets the ball in to Voronin who has all the time in the would to spoon the ball over the bar from 10 yards. That's Crouch's last contribution though, on comes Torres. For Arsenal Flamini comes off and on comes Hleb.
82 min: Another reason why Voronin hasn't set the Premier League alight. Torres plays him in, he rounds Almunia but instead of finishing the ball he elects to kick at air as he slips over.
84 min: Both teams are going for it here. Torres gets free behind the Arsenal defence on the right but can't pick out Gerrard with his cross.
86 min: Riise, who hasn't scored yet this season tries a shot from the edge of the box. It goes out for a throw in. Oh dear. Arsene Wenger is worried, arms waving in frustration on the touchline.
88 min: Arsenal appeal in vain for a penalty when Lucas has a tug on Fabregas. There was no way that would be given, sorry guys.
90 min: Arsenal have three minutes to save their season. Hleb tries to feed in Adebayor but the striker runs in the opposite direction to the ball.
Peep, peep, peeeeep!: Bendtner heads the ball across the box and it falls to Hleb, unmarked and 10 yards out, but his first touch takes the ball far too wide and Liverpool's defence manage to get across to him before he can get a shot off. And with that it is all over. The match and Arsenal's title chances. So it's two 1-1 draws in a week between these two, but you have to say honours have gone to Liverpool on both. Can they finish the job at Anfield on Tuesday and well and truly destroy Arsenal's season? You know where to find out (guardian.co.uk, for those not following). Cheers for all the emails, sorry about the ones I couldn't use. Bye.
