Could this be the match of the season? Arsenal’s second-half comeback has been staggering!
Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino celebrates after scoring the equaliser (Photo: AFP)
Arsenal held Liverpool to a 3-3 draw in a pulsating Premier League tie which saw five second-half goals at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.
Follow The Statesman’s live coverage of the tie between the fourth-ranked visitors and the fifth-placed hosts right here.
90th minute: Fourth official signals for four minutes of injury-time.
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89th minute: Arsenal substitution (final change). Theo Walcott on for Alexis Sanchez.
89th minute. Mohamed Salah hits side-netting after Wijnaldum finds him in the box.
84th minute. Liverpool substitution (final change). Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Philippe Coutinho.
84th minute: Alexis Sanchez almost deceives Mignolet with cross/shot but keeper managers to gather.
80th minute: Liverpool substitution. Georginio Wijnaldum replaces Sadio Mane.
78th minute: Arsenal substitution. Danny Welbeck replaces Alex Iwobi.
78th minute: Hector Bellerin takes a shot from wide, forces Mignolet to tip over. Could have squared it for Lacazette.
71st minute: Liverpool score. Firmino shoots from inside the box, Petr Cech gets a hand to it but ball trickles in somehow. 3-3, how many more goals will we see?
68th minute: Arsenal almost score with another free-flowing move, but Ragnar Klavan denies Alexandre Lacazette from getting on the end of Hector Bellerin’s cross.
62nd minute: Petr Cech makes smart stop on Sadio Mane’s volley to prevent Reds from equalising. Liverpool recovering, but can they truly get their lost swagger back?
58th minute: Arsenal goal. Mesut Ozil scores well-worked team goal to put Gunners ahead. 3-2 and Liverpool are looking shellshocked.
56th minute: Arsenal goal. Granit Xhaka lets fly from distance and beats Mignolet with vicious shot that flies straight down the middle but Belgian couldn’t make the save. 2-2, game on and the momentum is firmly in the hosts’ favour.
53rd minute: Arsenal goal. Alexis Sanchez scores header to reduce deficit. Joe Gomez caught napping as Hector Bellerin sends inviting cross into box.
52nd minute: Liverpool goal. Mohamed Salah scores as Liverpool cut Arsenal open with lightning-fast counter. Roberto Firmino slips Salah in, but Egyptian still has a lot of work to do with two Arsenal defenders in front of him. Egyptian feints to shoot first and then eventually does curl one in via deflection.
48th minute: Arsenal win corner but Liverpool clear with ease and launch counter. Salah gets shot away but Cech saves to keep Arsenal in the tie.
46th minute: Arsenal substitution. Shkodran Mustafi on for Nacho Monreal.
Arsenal lucky not to have conceded several goals in the first half. Arsene Wenger has a job to do but will Liverpool rue those missed chances in the second-half?
45th minute: Liverpool let another chance go. Mane tees up Salah inside the box but the Egyptian winger mis-kicks and Arsenal survive somehow.
44th minute: Laurent Koscielny slips while making routine clearance to give Salah clear shot on goal. Petr Cech makes a save and rebound falls to Sadio Mane. Senegalese attempts audacious bicycle volley, when he could have controlled the ball, which goes over.
43rd minute: Liverpool give away ball deep inside their own half but Lacazette can’t get shot away and Reds clear.
40th minute: Nacho Monreal nearly lets Philippe Coutinho through for a one-on-one but Petr Cech bails him out by gathering the through ball.
37th minute: Arsenal win free-kick on edge of Liverpool box but Mesut Ozil’s effort hits wall and goes out for corner. Ensuing set-piece comfortably cleared by Dejan Lovren.
33rd minute: Liverpool nearly score via Firmino. Brazilian forward cuts inside onto his right and curls one which is inches away from top corner.
30th minute: Arsenal trying hard to find equaliser but so far Liverpool defence holding firm. Reds looking dangerous on the break and could score a second before Arsenal find their first.
26th minute: Liverpool goal. Philippe Coutinho scores excellent breakaway goal. Mohamed Salah is released on right flank and despite having Laurent Koscielny for company, the Brazilian sends in cross for Coutinho, who heads over Cech from an acute angle. Koscielny got touch on cross, but not enough to prevent Liverpool’s No.10 from scoring.
24th minute: Good interchange between Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez but Simon Mignolet gathers. Liverpool launch counter and come close to scoring via Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian’s header was just wide of Cech’s post.
22nd minute: Petr Cech makes first save of the night, fairly comfortable one after Andy Robertson’s cross to the far post finds a Liverpool teammate. Cech punches subsequent corner clear.
15th minute: Liverpool looking threatening now. Andy Robertson sends in low ball across face of goal but Laurent Koscielny makes vital block and concedes corner.
14th minute: First chance of the night for Liverpool. Coutinho shoots with his weaker left foot from edge of the box, but Petr Cech had it covered.
13th minute: Liverpool substitution. James Milner replaces Jordan Henderson.
13: A first change for the Reds as the skipper has to come off.
⬅️ Henderson
➡️ Milner[0-0] https://t.co/OPhudN1wUE pic.twitter.com/PUm6YBRWse
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 22, 2017
12th minute: Sadio Mane dispossess Bellerin and sets off but nothing comes of the attack. Henderson has left the pitch.
10th minute: Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been down on the ground for a minute now, clutching his right hamstring. Adam Lallana has been sent to warm up by Jurgen Klopp.
9th minute: Arsenal break with pace but nothing comes off it as Bellerin’s cross is eventually cleared to safety.
7th minute: Ainsley Matiland-Niles goes down inside his own box under pressure but no free-kick. Liverpool win corner but Petr Cech gathers Philippe Coutinho’s effort with ease.
5th minute: Arsenal have a free-kick in the Liverpool half. Alexis Sanchez takes, but the ball is cleared. Hector Bellerin wins a corner but Reds clear again.
4th minute: Alexis Sanchez cuts inside from the left wing and shoots, but Liverpool fullback Joe Gomez makes the block.
2nd minute: Arsenal pressing high, not giving Liverpool much time on the ball.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s pre-match interview:
“It’s the best period of the year. It’s a pretty good football game, yes.”
“These boys need to work hard today because Arsenal are a good team and play good football. We are here to get a result and hopefully we can manage that.”
Plenty of people are wondering why young Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been given the nod ahead of Sead Kolasinac especially as the Englishman is right-footed and will be up against the in-form Mohamed Salah.
Arsene Wenger in his pre-match interview with Sky Sports, said, “Maitland-Niles has the pace and he’s been doing well, hence his inclusion. At 20, he’s got to grab his chance”.
The Arsenal manager adds, “Defence will be key tonight as we cannot just rely on our attack. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are quite dangerous, obviously”.
A landmark appearance for Arsenal’s veteran custodian:
Ton up 👏@PetrCech makes his 💯th appearance for us this evening#AFCvLFC pic.twitter.com/dYULB4IFdg
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) December 22, 2017
Starting XI: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny (c), Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Wilshere, Iwobi, Ozil, Alexis and Lacazette.
One hour until kick-off – here’s how we line up for #AFCvLFC pic.twitter.com/8NmcQs2XkK
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) December 22, 2017
Starting XI: Mignolet, Gomez, Klavan, Lovren, Robertson, Henderson (c), Can, Coutinho, Mane, Salah and Firmino.
The Reds to take on the Gunners… pic.twitter.com/p48ZTJIuLU
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 22, 2017
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