FULL TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
And that’s the very last act of the game! As good a goalless draw as you’ll see all season. A deserved result, with Liverpool the better side in the first half, Arsenal on top in the second. Highly entertaining, and if it’s not quite up there with the aforementioned classic clashes of yesteryear, it’s a result that will give both teams a boost. They both took turns to look impressive in attack and staunch in defence, though perhaps Arsenal shade the former, Liverpool the latter. Arsenal climb to ninth, while Liverpool move into third. There goes the visitors’ 100% record this season, but they’ve still to concede. To think, this was a team that shipped six goals at Stoke three months ago.
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90 min +4: A snapshot from Oxlade-Chamberlain on the edge of the box. It’s turned round the right-hand post by Mignolet. The keeper as hero. And then nearly the keeper as zero, as he comes out to punch the resulting corner clear, misses, and watches in relief as Gabriel heads over the bar.
90 min +3: Moreno, latching onto a loose Arsenal pass in the Liverpool half, looks to recreate his astonishing goalscoring run at Spurs last season. He makes it to the edge of the area before losing possession. Ambitious, and so nearly spectacular.
90 min +2: Rossiter takes turn to steal the ball off Cazorla and then Sanchez. He looks a busy, tenacious player.
90 min +1: There will be four added minutes. And one of them has already elapsed without incident.
90 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain nearly bursts through down the right. Gomez steps in to steal. His ball upfield finds Benteke, who immediately gifts possession back. Oxlade-Chamberlain shoots wildly to relieve the pressure on Liverpool.
88 min: Monreal and Ramsey both seriously threaten down the inside-left channel, Liverpool sitting dangerously deep. A cross is then hooped into the area from the left. Mignolet punches clear under pressure from Oxlade-Chamberlain.
87 min: Benteke goes up with Chambers and accidentally plants his elbow in the defender’s eye. Ooyah oof. Then Coutinho is replaced by Moreno. Liverpool looking to keep hold of what they have.
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86 min: Cazorla has a dig from 25 yards, cutting in from the left. Nope.
84 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain goes zipping down the right, then fizzes a low ball into the middle. Skrtel, sliding in ahead of Walcott, who was waiting to sidefoot home from six yards, nearly pokes the ball into the bottom left at high speed. Inches wide! So close to yet another Skrtel own goal. From the set piece, Oxlade-Chamberlain hoicks a shot wide. Mignolet is then booked for timewasting, as we always knew he would be.
83 min: Ramsey accelerates down the inside-right channel. He drifts further out to the wing, but then surprises Mignolet by lashing towards the bottom right. The keeper gets down to claim, but that very nearly beat him at the near post.
82 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain comes on for Coquelin.
81 min: Coutinho drops a shoulder to burst past Bellerin down the left. He batters a shot towards the bottom left, and it’s parried magnificently by Cech. Then Gomez works a cross in from the left, and Benteke claims to have been obstructed by Gabriel. It’d have been a soft penalty.
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79 min: A booking for Gomez, who brings Bellerin down on the right touchline in midfield. That’s three in three matches for the young man, who is learning on the hoof.
78 min: A corner for Liverpool down the left. Chambers eyebrows it out for another on the right. Can tries to meet the second set piece, but fails. Arsenal clear this rare period of Liverpool pressure. “If this was any other manager than Wenger, the commentators would be talking about how the team had responded well to a rollocking,” writes Kári Tulinius. “But I bet that no one in the Premier League gives a better ‘I’m not angry, just disappointed’ speech.” And a cold stare that’s as good as 100 lines on a chalkboard.
75 min: Arsenal had 79% of the ball during the last ten minutes of play. This may explain why Brendan Rodgers has decided to replace Lucas with young Jordan Rossiter. Lucas ostentatiously applauds the travelling support, who return the favour. If the rumour mill is to be believed, this could be folk saying their goodbyes.
73 min: Benteke has a dig from 30 yards himself. It’s well over the bar. Giroud is replaced by Walcott.
72 min: Ramsey, the best part of 30 yards out and level with the left-hand post, looks to send a powerful curler into the top right. Mignolet, at full stretch, leaps to claim.
71 min: On a rare Liverpool sortie upfield, Milner creams one from a central position, 25 yards out. It’s a rare old skelp, but it’s straight at Cech and the keeper’s never letting that through.
69 min: Bellerin comes racing into the Liverpool box from the right. Instead of shooting, he slips the ball inside for Ramsey, but Giroud steps in on the penalty spot. Falling backwards - the crowd claim a penalty, but the players don’t - Giroud aims for the top left. But he can only scoop the ball forward, and Mignolet is able to claw it away when a goal looked certain. There might have been a little clip on Giroud’s heel by Lovren, there, you know. But there goes the danger.
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68 min: Ozil sliderules the pass of the match down the left channel to release Monreal into the Liverpool area. Real danger here, and the low cross is dangerous, but again Giroud is close to connecting yet so far. Arsenal are beginning to seriously threaten now.
66 min: Ibe hesitates on the edge of the Arsenal area when he really should shoot. Possession’s lost, and Ramsey toddles off at pace down the right wing. Can chases back, and fairly clumpishly brings Ramsey to the ground. A no-brainer of a booking.
65 min: Giroud is inches away from converting a low Ramsey cross from the left. Liverpool hoick clear, and Benteke looks to break down the right. Gabriel is all over his back, on the halfway line, and is booked for his trouble.
64 min: Ramsey is in a little space down the inside-left channel. He enters the area but before he can shoot, the ball is half cleared by Skrtel. Liverpool are on the ropes, though, and after a bit of pinball, the ball breaks right for Bellerin, who has a dig from 20 yards. Not quite.
63 min: After the first booking of the evening, the first substitution. Firmino, still not quite match sharp after his post Copa America break, is swapped for Ibe.
61 min: More end-to-end nonsense. First Coutinho tries to thread a shot into the bottom left from 30 yards, but Cech is all over it. Then up the other end, Sanchez looks to tear past Skrtel down the left touchline, and is upended. Skrtel is booked. The free kick is a waste of everyone’s time. But Arsenal are beginning to turn the screw now.
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60 min: Cazorla, down the left, slips the ball inside for Giroud on the penalty spot. Giroud, falling backwards, guides the ball to the left for Sanchez, who only has Mignolet to beat, albeit at a tight angle. His effort balloons unfortunately off the left-hand upright. The frame of that goal’s been sent shuddering three times now!
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58 min: Mignolet is the recipient of a bollocking for faffing around at a goal kick. Any more obvious timewasting, and he’ll be going in the book you’d think.
57 min: Arsenal are on the front foot. Liverpool very deep. The Liverpool back line is holding firm right now - Giroud has a slapshot from the left-hand corner of the D, only for it to squirt harmlessly wide right - but they’re inviting pressure on themselves. Arsenal are only too happy to oblige.
55 min: Benteke looks to burn off Bellerin down the left, but his touch isn’t so great and Cech is able to come out to gather. This is shaping up to be another half of end-to-end entertainment.
54 min: Nothing from that corner either. Tiny acorns for Arsenal, though, and they’ve raised the tempo since the restart, and are looking more threatening.
53 min: This is better from Arsenal, as Cazorla is slipped into space down the right. Entering the box, he fires low to the near post, where Giroud’s effort is blocked out for a corner. Nothing comes of that set piece, but the home side are immediately coming back at their visitors, Monreal earning another corner down the left.
51 min: Coutinho nearly releases Can down the left with a dinky reverse pass. Can is clipped by Chambers, his boot flying off, but the referee gives the Arsenal defender the benefit of the doubt. Down comes the red mist, as Can rants a while.
49 min: Can and Coutinho take turns to jig around in the middle of the Arsenal half, probing down the left wing. Can takes too long to spread the ball wide to the impressive youngster Gomez, who is closed down quickly and ends up fouling in frustration. Liverpool are looking fairly fluid up front, though. It’s not quite Spring 2014 all over again, but it already looks more promising than anything they managed last season.
47 min: A bit of space for Monreal down the left. He loops a lovely cross into the middle, but just before Giroud can connect, Mignolet comes off his line to punch clear. Liverpool go up the other end, Firmino bustling down the left and forcing Chambers to hack into the stand for a throw, deep in Arsenal territory. Nothing comes from the throw, but Chambers has looked very shaky so far tonight.
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We’re off again! The Arsenal team were sent back out early, presumably to think on. Then Liverpool came out to get the second half underway. No changes. Liverpool try one of their quick-breaking attacking kick-offs, but it all falls apart at Milner’s feet down the right.
Half-time entertainment: And if tonight’s first half wasn’t breathless enough, here’s that aforementioned first-ever Match of the Day, all the way from Beatlesville, 1964, between a “severely depleted” Liverpool and Arsenal (“This could be their year!”). Starring Kenneth Wolstenholme, Peter Thompson, Roger Hunt, Gordon Wallace, Don Howe, George Eastham, Geoff Strong, Joe Baker and a black cat skittering across the front of the Anfield Road end at some lick.
HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
How has that stayed goalless? Arsenal have had a good goal ruled off for offside, while Coutinho has hit the frame of the goal twice, and Benteke has missed a sitter. That’s how. As entertaining a half of football as you’re likely to see without the scoreboard clicking round. More of this in the second half, please, everyone!
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44 min: Coutinho hits the woodwork again! From near the left-hand corner flag, he drops a shoulder to twist Bellerin’s blood, enters the area, and sends what looks like an unstoppable curler towards the top right. It’s heading in, but Cech sticks his index finger out to feather the ball off line, enough so to send it crashing off the right-hand post. What a shot! What a save! Cech is keeping Arsenal in this right now.
42 min: The home support are happier as they jeer Benteke, who is correctly flagged offside as he latches onto a clever diagonal sliderule pass by Coutinho, then dribbles a weak shot straight at Cech, who saves just because he can.
41 min: A free kick for Arsenal down the right, and a rare chance to load the box. Ozil floats one aimlessly into the area, and Mignolet rises to claim with ease. The home support not particularly happy.
40 min: From the corner, Firmino is given time to shoot from a tight angle on the right. He blasts goalwards, but again Cech is up to the task. The benefits of a world-class keeper, right here, right now.
39 min: What a miss by Benteke! Firmino closes Bellerin down on the left-hand corner of the Arsenal box. He slips the ball forward for Coutinho, who fires low into the six-yard box. Benteke is free, but sidefoots weakly towards the bottom right, and Cech is able to turn it round for a corner. That’s an astonishing save, but he should never have been allowed to make it.
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36 min: Arsenal can’t get their rhythm going at all. Liverpool are snapping at their ankles, and disrupting their flow. They enjoy a little period of extended possession in the middle of the park, but go nowhere. The crowd have fallen a little quiet as the home heroes struggle.
33 min: Coutinho and Can one-two down the left, a little cheeky chip, header and spin down the channel. Coutinho’s ahead and free going into the area, but he’s bothered by the presence of Gabriel on his shoulder. It’s excellent defending, as it would have been easy to knock Coutinho over and concede a penalty kick. Instead, he simply lets him know he’s there, knocks him off his stride, then blocks out for a corner. From which Coutinho nearly breaks down the left again, but he runs out of space.
30 min: Benteke bullies Chambers down the inside-right channel, and nearly busts into the Arsenal area. Coquelin and Gabriel come to the rescue. Benteke looks a real threat tonight. “If you are going to defend half-and-half scarves,” begins Andy Gordon, “I’m going to up the ante and declare that with Mario leaving for Milan and One Direction announcing a sabbatical, today was the day that the entertainment industry died.” Works for me.
29 min: Bellerin, on the edge of his own penalty box, miscontrols. He doesn’t appear to be aware that Benteke is lurking, and very nearly lets him free into the area. He recovers just in time to hack clear. Arsenal are in a bit of a state right now. “Perhaps that fruit platter was inadvertently left there by an Arsenal academy player, who’s attending the London School of Art in his spare time,” suggests Justin Kavanagh. “Mind you, if he wanted to complete his still life assignment for the week, he should go hang out in Chelsea’s dressing room and just wait until John Terry gets sent off.” John Terry’s Fruit Bowl. Draw your own mental picture. No need to thank us.
27 min: Good work down the right by Clyne, and it’s another corner for Liverpool. The ball’s hung up for Benteke, who loses an aerial duel with Cech. It’s Liverpool who are threatening early on. But then they should have taken the lead here last season, too, and look how that panned out.
25 min: Coutinho slips a fine pass down the left channel for Milner, who breaks into the area and shoots goalwards twice. Neither effort has much fire behind it, and the first one’s blocked, the second turned round the near post by Cech. The resulting corner is a meek nonsense. But Liverpool are beginning to threaten here. The new-look Arsenal back line doesn’t look comfortable at all.
22 min: Benteke bombs down the inside-left channel and threatens to break into the box and shoot. Coquelin comes in to take ball and man from behind. Liverpool make a claim for that one, a free kick at least, a penalty maybe as it was right on the line. But they get neither. It’s a good decision, though, as Coquelin clearly gets his studs on the ball before Benteke goes to ground.
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20 min: Another corner for Arsenal, this time down the right. Again it’s fired to Gabriel, but he misses his header and Milner is able to race clear and rake a long ball down the right for Firminho, who threatens to break clear for a millisecond or two, but can’t quite get away from Monreal. This continues to be wide open, with both teams going for it. Neither defence looks particularly enamoured with the way it’s panning out tactically, it should be said.
19 min: Milner comes sliding across the front of Monreal, as the left back goes on a run down his flank. He doesn’t get much of the ball and is lucky to escape a booking. But escape he does.
18 min: Coquelin busies himself up the other end now, winning a corner on the left. The ball’s slung into the centre, and met by the head of Gabriel, though in a fairly angelic manner. His effort flutters gracefully into the arms of Mignolet.
15 min: Arsenal only half clear the corner. Firmino, busying himself on the right, nearly finds Can with a pullback. Not quite. Meanwhile they’re showing replays of the Coquelin challenge on Coutinho. He was coming in from behind, and bundled the player over. Difficult to see on the replay, but he might have got more of the man than the ball, or indeed got no ball at all. A penalty, perhaps, though it should be noted that nobody in Liverpool black bothered to appeal, which may be illustrative.
14 min: Another poor pass out by Chambers, and Coutinho is very nearly sent clear into the Arsenal box down the inside-left channel. As he shapes to shoot, Coquelin comes in to bother him out of it. The ball breaks right to Milner, who earns a corner. Arsenal so close to conceding there. This could already be a preposterous goalfest.
13 min: Arsenal are enjoying the lion’s share of possession, though, as one would expect from the home team. Ozil is seeing an awful lot of the ball in the middle, playmaking to his heart’s content, though nothing’s quite coming off yet. A lovely floated diagonal ball nearly releases Giroud down the left, but it’s overhit by a smidgen. “I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only person less than impressed by the Arsenal fruit platter,” writes Greg Arens. “Growing up playing soccerball in the USA USA USA, I’ve come to expect sliced oranges. Our mothers wouldn’t send us out for the second half with anything less.”
10 min: And now, in this parallel universe, it’s nearly 2-2, sort of, as Benteke romps down the right and, from a fairly tight angle, lashes a low and hard shot towards the right-hand corner. Cech gathers it brilliantly. Someone’s going to score a goal soon. This is as open a game as you could be lucky to see. The teeming rain might have something to do with it. Lovely winter.
8 min: Liverpool are the beneficiaries of another favourable offside decision. Cazorla sliderules a pass down the inside-left channel, splitting Liverpool’s defence. Ramsey picks up possession and lashes into the net. But the flag goes up. However it looked like Ramsey was being played onside by Skrtel’s buttocks in the middle. The benefit should at least have gone to the attacker. Arsenal should be 2-1 up.
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7 min: Another ping-ping passing move by Arsenal, and Ozil is suddenly bursting into the box down the inside-left channel. He should pull the trigger, but hesitates. Skrtel is able to get his foot in the way. The ball bounces back to Ozil, who then dribbles the slowest shot in the history of All Football towards the bottom left. Mignolet gathers.
5 min: Finally the home side get a few passes going. It’s hypnotic, this way and that. Then the ball’s slipped out wide left to Monreal, who whips a cross into the middle. Sanchez rises high and heads over from the edge of the six-yard box. He was leaning backwards, but should still have got that on target. A brilliant, patient move by the hosts, though. This is a superb start to the match, with both teams having gone very, very close. Wish it was 1-1, huh?
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3 min: Liverpool so unlucky! Milner feeds Benteke down the right. Benteke bombs into the area and pulls the ball back for Coutinho, who rattles the crossbar from the edge of the area while looking for the top-right corner. Such a wonderful effort, and a very pretty flowing move from Liverpool. Arsenal haven’t got going yet at all.
2 min: Can embarks on a power skitter down the inside-left channel. Arsenal are all over the shop at the back - the move started with a misplaced Chambers pass - and the ball’s shifted inside for Benteke, who prods wide left from ten yards.
Liverpool get into a huddle, then into position, and we’re off! Arsenal get the ball rolling. Giroud tries to clip a pass down the middle for Sanchez, but Clyne steps in to head back upfield. Meanwhile the other big pre-match issue was the impending transfer of Mario Balotelli half-and-half scarves. “The scarf is not the sartorially offensive piece,” argues Paul Kanarek. “It’s the reckless presence of the man-purse that is so fundamentally disquieting.” Hey, nothing wrong with a man purse. As Jerry Seinfeld said: it’s European!
The teams are out! It’s a dirty old night in a dirty old town, a romantic early taste of winter in August. Welcome to London! A magnificent atmosphere as the teams line up and then shake hands. Arsenal are in their world-famous red-and-white-sleeved shirts, while Liverpool sport those black ones pictured below near the bowl of produce. Speaking of which... “I have to say I am slightly underwhelmed by the Arsenal fruit platter,” sighs Tim Woods. “As a well-known cosmopolitan club, I would have expected to see some kumquats, mangoes or passion fruit. But no, they’ve gone for the standard grapes, apples and banana combo. More what you’d expect from Barnsley.”
Tonight’s half-and-half scarf: Here’s a chap waving a brand-new 100% wool purchase above his head.
A picture of carefree happiness that should cheer all our hearts. A gentleman enjoying his night out at the Emirates, despite the rain. He’s got a lovely new scarf, and he’s over the moon with it. Wonderful to see. He’ll have a memento that’ll remind him of this match for the rest of his natural born, and it’ll keep him warm on this miserable evening to boot. Cynics and fundamentalists who keep harping on about how half-and-half scarves are somehow ruining the fabric of football, and that anyone who buys one isn’t a Proper Fan, can jog on. Hopefully to find they’re sat in a seat behind someone taking selfies all evening.
There was a lovely, warm moment on Sky Sports News earlier today, when Thierry Henry noted how “there are always goals” in Arsenal-Liverpool matches. Jamie Carragher’s wry, self-deprecating response: “Yeah, especially when us two are playing.” Much studio laughter. Some would call it banter, but it wasn’t tedious passive-aggressive nonsense, so no. Meantime there’s been more hot chat on Sky, with both managers having been interviewed, and questioned about the enforced changes to their teams. Arsene Wenger admitted that his central defensive pairing of Chambers and Gabriel “don’t have the same level of experience [as Koscielny and Mertesacker] but have similar quality”, while Brendan Rodgers talked Firmino up: “He’s played in Europe, has international experience, and as the days have gone on has looked sharper and brighter.” Everyone looking very cheery right now despite all the shuffling.
The teamsheets
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Gabriel, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla, Sanchez, Giroud.
Subs: Debuchy, Gibbs, Arteta, Ospina, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Flamini.
Liverpool: Mignolet, Can, Lovren, Skrtel, Clyne, Milner, Coutinho, Lucas, Gomez, Firmino, Benteke.
Subs: Sakho, Moreno, Origi, Ings, Ibe, Bogdan, Rossiter.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
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Tonight’s team news. Problems for both sides, with major players missing through injury. Arsenal will have to make do with a new central defensive pairing, as both Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are out. Calum Chambers and Gabriel will be at the heart of it, either battering or getting battered by Christian Benteke. Meanwhile for Liverpool, their captain Steven Gerr... no, this still doesn’t seem quite right... Jordan Henderson is missing, as is Adam Lallana. Surely Lallana would have been dropped anyway, but there you have it. Coming into their midfield: Emre Can and Lucas Leiva. One other switch for the visitors: Jordan Ibe makes way for Roberto Firmino. Other than all that, it’s as you were for both teams. Games between Arsenal and Liverpool are quite often memorable, and there’s enough uncertainty in both ranks for this to be quite the event, one way or the other.
Tonight’s teams will be coming through soon enough. One man who won’t be featuring, though, is Mario Balotelli. He’s long out of favour at Liverpool, and now it would seem he’s off back to Milan on a season-long loan, with Liverpool still fronting half his wages. Chalk up another success for Ian Ayre and the Transfer Committee, which sounds like a literary-minded jangly indie band from the 1980s, doesn’t it. But I digress.
Everyone has their own opinion on Balotelli - the poor man couldn’t even wear an earring last week without getting pelters from the increasingly staid and conservative Twitterati - but I can’t help thinking this is something of a missed opportunity for Liverpool. Sure, he wasn’t much cop last season. But neither were Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana, and they’ve both been given second chances. Balotelli’s CV is often ludicrously understated, too: he was man of the match as Manchester City won their first trophy in 35 years at the 2011 FA Cup final, set up their league winner the following season, regularly irritated Manchester United, which is surely part of his remit at that club, and put in the signature personal performance of Euro 2012 as Italy swatted Germany aside in the semis. It’s not half bad, all that. In fact, he’s only really had one totally duff season - the last one - so it seems perverse of Liverpool, having come this far, to jettison him immediately after his first career misfire. Still, they’ve plenty of other options in attack now, and perhaps some things just aren’t meant to be. Shame, though. He’s a very entertaining man.
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Preamble
Arsenal and Liverpool have spun quite a few yarns over the years. Here’s a brief flick through the storybook: Ted Drake and Ray Bowden scoring Highbury hat-tricks as the Gunners thump Liverpool 8-1 in their 1934 pomp; Jack Balmer inspiring Liverpool at the same venue in 1947, a crucial 2-1 win en route to the first post-war title; Arsenal lifting the 1950 FA Cup, Joe Mercer regal, Bob Paisley dropped, Laurie Scott attaching himself to Billy Liddell’s ankles; Ian St John, Peter Thompson, Alf Arrowsmith and Roger Hunt wrapping up Liverpool’s 1963-64 championship with a 5-0 rout at Anfield; a Gordon Wallace double giving Liverpool a 3-2 victory in the first-ever Match of the Day at the start of the following season; Charlie George lying there on the Wembley turf in 1971 to celebrate his extra-time screamer and the double; Brian Talbot – known to Bob Paisley as “Osborne, the lad from Ipswich” – settling a four-match FA Cup semi-final marathon in 1980; Michael Thomas, shimmying into a position that put the 1988-89 league up for grabs now; Robbie Fowler’s four-minute hat-trick, notched in 1994, when Sadio Mané was only two; Stephane Henchoz and Michael Owen’s 2001 FA Cup final grab and smash and grab; Thierry Henry repeatedly waltzing past Jamie Carragher to secure Arsenal’s invincibility in 2004; Andrey Arshavin hammering four nails into Rafa Benitez’s 2008-09 title coffin; Luis Suarez igniting that ill-fated but glorious championship charge of a couple of years ago. Yes, quite a few yarns, and there are many more. Hopefully we haven’t missed your favourite. So sorry if we have.
You never know, this one could end up being a tale for the ages, too. For tonight’s match has the potential to shape this season for both clubs in a big way. Absurdly early days, of course, but neither Arsenal nor Liverpool have particularly convinced yet this season. The Gunners lost their opening match of the season, miserably, at home to West Ham United, and were only fluid in patches at Crystal Palace. Liverpool have two wins under their belt, though the margins were desperately thin against both Stoke City and Bournemouth. On the flip side, Arsenal saw off Chelsea in a comfortably casual style in the Community Shield, and Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez already appear to be working their way into a groove, while Liverpool are looking less shaky at the back, and their new striker Christian Benteke doesn’t seem to be taking much time to fit in. So it’s swings and roundabouts.
Arsenal go into this game firm favourites. That’s partly a legacy of the 4-1 skelping Arsene Wenger’s side dealt Brendan Rodgers’ men here a few months ago, and partly down to Liverpool having only won away at Arsenal once since the days of Titi Camara. Another big win isn’t beyond the Gunners if Cazorla and Sanchez get their gamefaces on, and the Dejan Lovren Renaissance turns out to have been an early-season illusion. But then a positive result shouldn’t be beyond the visitors, either, if Lovren does pass his biggest test of this young season so far, and Benteke, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana Roberto Firmino lock into a rhythm of their own.
With 14 goals scored in the last four games between these clubs at the Emirates, this has the potential to be a cracker. It’s a chance for Arsenal to further recover from their cold start. It’s also a chance for Liverpool to maintain their early-season 100 percent record. It’s on!
Kick off: 8pm BST.
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