Match report: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
David Hytner was our man at the Emirates and this is how he saw a thrilling game unfold.
James Milner speaks: He tells BT Sport he’s disappointed with the outcome having led in the second half. He also concedes that coming away from the Emirates with a point is never a bad result, but this feels like two points dropped. He’s obviously very frustrated.
We’re nearly done: We’ll have a match report from the Emirates for your reading pleasure shortly, but in the meantime you can join James Piercey for coverage of Wolves v Tottenham Hotspur, which kicks off in a few minutes.
Some post-match reaction ...
Alexandre Lacazette speaks: “Yeah the point is enough for both teams,” he tells BT Sport. “It was a good game. We worked hard so thank you to Liverpool for making it a good game.”
Asked how the season is going for Arsenal: “The first big games we lost, but we knew if we worked for 12 games we could have some points and today we showed we have the quality to play bigger teams,” he says.
Asked about the changes at Arsenal since Unai Emery took over, Alex Iwobi has this to say: “You can see we’re putting in an extra shift and extra work. We’re putting in the extra work in training and not just on the pitch.”
He goes on to add that rumours that Emery has banned his players even from drinking fruit juice have been greatly exaggerated.
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How things stand: Here’s how the summit of the Premier League table looks after tonight’s game.
Meanwhile, this from Matt Dony on another bone of contention: “I don’t want to disagree with Charles Antaki, but Liverpool’s own Instagram feed describes the pre-match training kit, which is the same colour as the strip, as ‘purple’,” writes Matt. No, I’m not having that. It’s African violet all the way for me, after being given the steer by Charles.
A pre-match thought: While it’s difficult to know what both managers will make of the outcome of this match, one suspects Pep Guardiola will be absolutely delighted. City’s top six rivals repeatedly taking points from each other contributed in no small part to City winning the title at a canter last season and I’m fairly confident much the same thing is going to happen again this time around.
Full-time: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! It’s all over and the points are shared at the end of a thrilling white-knuckle ride at the Emirates. James Milner opened the scoring for Liverpool after capitalising on a goalkeeping error, but Alexandre Lacazette rescued a point for his side with a wonderful finish.
90+5 min: Liverpool have a throw-in deep inside their own half. They win a free-kick for a foul on Wijnaldum with just seconds remaining.
90+3 min: Mo Salah holds his head in his hands after failing to pick out a Sadio Mane dash through the centre with a threaded pass that was blocked by Holding. That was a crucial interception. Liverpool substitution: Salah off, Matip on.
90+2 min: Fabinho concedes a free-kick in midfield after accidentally bringing Mesut Ozil to ground. It was a foul, but there was no malice intended and he escapes the second yellow card that would have put the tin hat on a very disappointing evening for him.
90+1 min: Mane gets a cross into the Arsenal penalty area, but it’s hacked clear. There’s a halt to the five additional minutes of added time as Lucas Torreira goes down injured. He’s been outstanding in Arsenal’s midfield today.
89 min: Liverpool go in search of a winner with Milner and Salah marauding down the right. The attack breaks down when Iwobi wins the ball and sends Arsenal on their way.
88 min: Hector Bellerin goes agonisingly close with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that wafts wide of the top right-hand corner.
85 min: While Lacazette’s equaliser was a fine piece of individual skill, the build-up to it was equally mouth-watering, not unlike a couple of other splendid team goals they’ve scored this season.
83 min: Sadio Mane sends a shot fizzing over the Arsenal bar but it took a deflection on the way. A corner for Liverpool, from which nothing comes.
The Emirates is rocking after that equaliser. Iwobi played a through-ball in behind for the striker to chase, who couldn’t take the ball around Alisson despite his best attempts. The ball breaks off the keeper and Lacazette retrieved it with his back to goal, before turning and curling a wonderful effort past both Joe Gomez and the Liverpool goalkeeper inside the far post.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Lacazette 82)
It’s level pegging at the Emirates. Lacazette equalises with a terrific finish.
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80 min: Liverpool substitution: Xherden Shaqiri rerplaces Roberto Firmino. Arsenal substitution: Danny Welbeck replaces Sead Kolasinac. Alex Iwobi drops to full-back and Welbeck ... oh, hold on!
80 min: Kolasinac takes on Alexander-Arnold down the left again and gets a cross in. Play is stopped, as the Arsenal man had let the ball run out of play.
79 min: Another cross from the left into the Liverpool penalty area, this time from Kolasinac. Once again, there’s nobody on hand to steer the ball home and it rolls to safety.
76 min: Xhaka plays the ball wide to Kolasinac, who feeds it on to Iwobi. He outmuscles Alexander-Arnold to surge in behind and drive the ball across the face of goal. Mesut Ozil was thundering up the pitch but not quickly enough to convert.
74 min: Atrocious from Kolasinac, who leaves Virgil van Dijk completely unmarked at a corner. The Liverpool defender rises to steer a bullet-header goalwards, but it’s straight at Bernd Leno, who palms the ball over.
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73 min: Another Arsenal substitution: Aubamayang off, Ramsey on. Aubamayang takes his seat in the dug-out but doesn’t look pleased to have been taken off. Trent Alexander-Arnold will certainly be glad to see the back of him.
71 min: Arsenal substitution I haven’t had a chance to mention yet: Alex Iwobi replaced Henrikh Mkhitaryan two or three minutes ago.
70 min: Now it’s Firmino’s turn to go close, getting the better of Hector Bellerin but heading an inviting chance wide.
69 min: Mane stretches every sinew but isn’t quite able to reach a fizzing Salah cross from the left to steer the ball home at the far post. He came from nowhere to dive in there, showing an astonishing turn of speed.
68 min: Looking at replays of the Liverpool goal, I note that were actually two Liverpool players in the Arsenal box when Mane sent in his cross, but neither were anywhere near Leno when he made a hash of his attempt to gather the ball.
67 min: Milner resumes duty with a plug of tissue up his left nostril to staunch the flow of blood.
65 min: Joe Gomez and James Milner while contesting the same ball and the goalscorer comes off worst. His flat on his back receiving treatment, with blood pouring from a wound on his face. It looks like he might have broken his nose.
Just before that incident, Lucas Torreira had brought a smart save out of Alisson with a rising drive after haring past Fabinho and getting a sight of goal.
63 min: Oh Arsenal. They’ve gifted the lead to Liverpool. Sadio Mane was played in behind down the left flank and smashed a low cross into the penalty area, which was populated only by Arsenal players. Leno got down to block the cross, but could only fumble it out towards the edge of the penalty area, where Milner was on hand to drive it back with interest, almost taking the net off the goal-frame with the ferocity of his shot.
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GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool (Milner 61)
Liverpool take the lead as James Milner capitalises on an error by Bernd Leno to smash the ball home.
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60 min: The clock ticks past the hour mark as the game awaits its first goal. It’s not been short of entertainment for all the lack of hot scoreboard action.
59 min: Arsenal corner. The ball’s floated deep towards Aubamayang, but Alexander-Arnold clears up for Liverpool.
57 min: Between them, Rob Holding and Bernd Leno combine to prevent Roberto Firmino from scrambling the ball home from seven yards.
57 min: Trent Alexander-Arnold duels with Sead Kolasinac as he chases a long ball down the touchline. The Arsenal left-back does well to shepherd the ball out of play for a throw-in by the corner flag.
54 min: Liverpool attempt to build from deep under intense pressure from Arsenal’s assorted attackers. They fail to get the ball out of their own half, allowing Mesut Ozil to go on the attack. He’s stopped by Andy Robertson and Arsenal win a corner from which nothing comes.
53 min: Fabinho gets booked for a foul on somebody or other, then moments later gives away possession again. It’s only a matter of time before he gets hauled off, I’d imagine. He’s been very unimpressive.
51 min: Great defending from Virgil van Dijk, who refuses to let Mkhitarian goalside of him as he attempted to cut inside. Had the Armenian been allowed to do so, he could have squared the ball to set up Lacazette for a tap-in.
51 min: Holding intercepts as Milner attempts to thread a ball in behind for Sadio Mane to chase.
50 min: Sadio Mane pings a cross into the Arsenal penalty area, where Rob Holding heads clear.
48 min: Fabinho fouls Lacazette in midfield after Lucas Torreira had picked him out with a neat pass. The Uruguayan has been very impressive today, his Brazilian counterpart considerably less so.
47 min: James Milner has moved over to the left of Liverpool’s midfield to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a hand keeping tabs on Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang, who was a real handful in the first half. Gini Wijnaldum moves to the left, where he has conceded a free-kick for a foul on Granit Xhaka.
Second half: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
46 min: Arsenal get the ball rolling for the second half. It’s in this period of games they’ve done most of their damage this season and they’ve given Liverpool’s defence plenty to think about already. No changes in personnel on either side after the break.
Half-time: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
It’s all square at the Emirates: There is literally no added time to a splendidly entertaining, frenetic first half that has somehow ended goalless. Both sides have had goals chalked off for offside (Liverpool’s incorrectly) and both goalkeepers have had rushes of blood to the head that could easily have cost their teams goals. Liverpool are edging it for my money, but this one remains very much in the balance.
45 min: A let-off for Arsenal as Bernd Leno charges off his line to try to punch a Milner free-kick clear but gets nowhere near the ball. Virgil van Dijk gets his head to the ball, which slowly bounces towards the empty goal, only to gently hit left upright. Arsenal hack clear.
43 min: Liverpool attack down the left with Firmino, Alexander-Arnold and Wijnaldum all getting on the ball. Mustafi charges over to intervene and bring that particular foray to an abrupt halt.
40 min: Now it’s Arsenal’s turn to have a goal chalked off for offside. Shkodron Mustafi is the guilty party on this occasion after heading across the face of goal from a free-kick, to tee up Lacazette for a tap-in. Moments earlier, Aubamayang had headed over the bar from eight yards when he probably should have done better.
39 min: Liverpool give the ball away again, allowing Ozil to put Lacazette in behind with a delightful bit of skill. From a tight angle, the striker sends a low effort flashing wide of the far post.
38 min: Liverpool win a throw-in deep inside their own half after Lacazette puts the ball out of play under pressure from Andy Robertson.
37 min: Fabinho hasn’t been particularly impressive in Liverpool’s midfield thus far and comes under the microscope again as he loses possession to Lucas Torreira, allowing Arsenal to counter.
36 min: Hector Bellerin sends in a cross from the left, which Joe Gomez heads clear.
34 min: Arsenal are using the full width of the pitch as they play the ball out from the back, with full-backs Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac hugging their respective touchlines.
32 min: Good play from Arsenal, who have shots on goal by Aubamayang and Lacazette blocked in quick succession. Van Dijk gets his body in front of the first effort, while Robertson was on hand to block the second.
31 min: Shkodron Mustafi shepherds a long ball from deep through to Bernd Leno. My thanks to reader Charles Antaki who has mailed in to inform me that far from being “purple”, Liverpool’s kit is in fact “African violet”.
28 min: James Milner is forced to clear for Liverpool after Sead Kolasinac gets in another cross from the left to the feet of Mkhitaryan.
27 min: It seems the subject of Klopp’s earlier fury was Fabinho, who had overhit a pass to Mo Salah. The Brazilian gets another lash of his manager’s tongue for doing the same thing again.
26 min: I’m struggling to keep up here, such is the frenetic pace of this very absorbing contest. After a brief period in which their defensive looked very shaky, they get up the other end of the pitch. Hector Bellerin slices wide.
25 min: Mo Salah pulls away from Rob Holding and has a shot on goal blocked. Andy Robertson tries his luck with a low diagonal drive on the follow-up, but Leno saves.
23 min: Mo Salah curls a cross into the Arsenal penalty area, which Virgil van Dijk controls brilliantly on his chest to tee himself up for a volley on goal. His subsequent shot is saved brilliantly by Leno in the Arsenal goal and the hosts scramble the ball clear.
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22 min: A brilliant tackle by Granit Xhaka in the Arsenal penalty area relieves Mo Salah of possession as the Egyptian was slaloming into the box with numbers up in support.
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20 min: Peter Walton, BT Sport’s referee-in-residence, says that the decision to disallow Liverpool’s goal was incorrect. Funnily enough, none of their players complained, which suggests they’re perhaps not as familiar with the laws of the game as they should be.
18 min: Sadio Mane gets the ball in the net for Liverpool, but his effort is disallowed for offside. Bobby Firmino had just hit the crossbar with a flick over Bernd Leno and Mane poked home with the follow-up from a couple of yards out. He was behind Firmino when the Brazilian hit the bar with his initial effort, so I don’t think that decision was correct.
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15 min: Chance! Sead Kolasinac sends a cross into the Liverpool penalty, where Henrikh Mkhitarian had drifted unmarked into space. With Alisson dashing off his line, the unsighted Arsenal midfielder heads a few feet wide of an empty goal. Hideous defending by Liverpool, who were lucky to get away with that one.
14 min: Aubamayang rifles a low, diagonal drive into the side-netting after being put through by a good pass through the centre by Hector Bellerin. His shot took actually took a deflection off Joe Gomez which took it nearer the Liverpool goal.
13 min: Possession stats so far: Arsenal 60%-40% Liverpool.
12 min: James Milner plays the ball towards Roberto Firmino in the Arsenal penalty area, but Shkodron Mustafi is on hand to clear the ball out over the touchline.
11 min: The camera cuts to Jurgen Klopp on the touchline, where the Liverpool manager is gesticulating furiously while ranting and raving at an unidentified somebody.
10 min: James Milner tries to pick out Mo Salah with a through-ball from deep. The Egyptian is unable to control it properly but would have been through on goal if he had.
8 min: Aubamayang is caught offside again as he tries to latch on to a lofted Granit Xhaka pass between Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez.
7 min: A lively start and Arsenal are having the better of things early doors, which is promising for a team that have been notoriously slow starters on many occasions this season. Trent Alexander-Arnold looks like he’s going to have a tough job on his hands, while Aubamayang and Lacazette are both looking lively.
6 min: Liverpool win their first corner, which Arsenal clear. Alexander-Arnold, who is having a very busy evening so far, plays the ball wide to Mo Salah, but his cross from the left is also cleared.
4 min: The ball is squared for Lacazette at the near post by Sead Kolasinac after he gets in behind Alexander-Arnold. The French striker is unable to poke home at the near post from close range, allowing Alisson to smother the ball at his feet.
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3 min: Mesut Ozil plays the ball down the right flank to Aubamayang, whose first touch takes him clear of Alexander-Arnold and through on goal. Offside, but not by much. Alexander-Arnold is no slouch, but Aubamayang left him eating dust on that occasion.
2 min: The fabled Liverpool press is called into action for the first time as Bernd Leno plays the ball out from the back. Arsenal cope quite comfortably.
1 min: Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang gets the first cross in after capitalising on an early error by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool clear.
Arsenal v Liverpool is go!
1 min: Liverpool get the ball rolling in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
A minute’s silence: There’s a perfectly observed pause in proceedings to remember the five victims who died in the dreadful accident at Leicester City last weekend. The camera cuts to Leicester’s former manager Claudio Ranieri, who is in the stands at the Emirates.
Not long now: Kick-off is fast approaching at the Emirates, where both teams are lined up in the tunnel and ready to go. There’s a big hug for Jurgen Klopp from his former Borussia Dortmund charge Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang before the teams click-clack their way out on to the pitch. Liverpool’s players are wearing purple shirts, shorts and socks. Arsenal’s will line up in their customary home kit of red shirts withy white sleeves, white shorts and white socks.
Liverpool’s formation: On BT Sport, Rio Ferdinand speculates that Liverpool will line up in a 4-1-2-3 formation, with Fabinho shielding the back four and James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum a few yards ahead of him to his left and right.
Warm-up time: Both teams are limbering up on the Emirates pitch as the stands begin to fill up. Liverpool can go three points clear of Manchester City with a win today, what with the champions not playing until they take on Southampton tomorrow. Currently in fourth place, Arsenal can leapfrog Chelsea and close the gap between themselves and Liverpool to one point with victory.
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Team news ...
Despite pre-match injury concerns, Sean Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin start for Arsenal and should bring some much needed steel to their defence. With Sokratis Papastahopoulos and Konstantinos Mavropanos out injured, Rob Holding and Shkodron Mustafi start at centre-back, while Bernd Leno gets the nod over Petr Cech in goal. With Matteo Guendouzi suspended, Henrikh Mkhitaryan plays in midfield, with Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi having to settle for places on the bench.
For Liverpool, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson and James Milner return to the starting line-up after being rested against Cardiff City last weekend.
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Arsenal v Liverpool line-ups
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Subs: Cech, Ramsey, Lichtsteiner, Maitland-Niles, Iwobi, Welbeck, Smith-Rowe.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Subs: Sturridge, Moreno, Lallana, Mignolet, Shaqiri, Origi, Matip.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Premier League: Arsenal v Liverpool
Arsenal face what many observers feel is likely to be their sternest test since their opening fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea, both of which ended in defeat for Unai Emery’s side. They’re unbeaten in 13 across all competitions since, having strung together an 11-match winning run which ended when they drew with Crystal Palace last weekend. Blackpool have since been despatched in the Carabao Cup and now Liverpool rock up to the Emirates to truly test the mettle of a team many Arsenal fans are starting to get very excited about. Stay tuned for team news and build-up as we countdown to kick-off at 5.30pm (GMT).
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