Full time, 1-1:
Goal — Van Persie — Penalty, 90+7
Goal — Kuyt — Penalty, 90+10
Yellow Card — Van Persie
Yellow Card — Eboue
Yellow Card — Lucas
Arshavin is now on the right and Bendtner is now playing as a pure striker.
Arsenal’s corner is cleared, and Liverpool have some time on the ball in the attacking half.
The Gunners get it back, and Bendtner makes a good run, but his final ball is a poor one — gathered by Reina.
Spearing brings down Fabregas in the box — trips him between the legs. PENALTY.
Van Persie slots it home low — Reina guessed wrong. Goal! 1-0 Gunners.
He takes his shirt off for a yellow.
Shelvey wins a free kick just inches outside of the penalty area on Liverpool’s last gasp attack.
Eboue and Lucas get yellows for arguing.
Suarez’s kick hits the wall, but on the deflection, Eboue pushes Lucas and is called for a penalty.
Kuyt takes the penalty, and beats Sczesny. GOAL! 1-1. Full time.
90+3′, 0-0: Arsenal has a corner, and it reaches Song, but his header down to the far post is off target.
Bendtner loses out by the corner flag for a goal kick on Arsenal’s next trip forward.
A series of nice balls give Van Persie a free cross in, but his effort is collected by Reina.
Arshavin gets a cross in, but it is also cleared. Nasri finds Bendnter, who lays it to Arshavin at the near post, but his ball across goal misses.
89′, 0-0: The action goes end to end, with Fabregas winding up in space on the counter. His through ball, though, is too heavy and finds Reina.
Kuyt gets a short cross in to Reina at the near post, but he tries to shoot from an acute angle and he misses badly — he had support in the area.
Fabregas sends a ball forward to Van Persie, but it is cleared. Arsenal retains possession, but they can’t find a way in. Eventually, Fabregas takes a shot, but it is blocked.
85′, 0-0: Clichy sends a cross in for Van Persie, and he gets his head to it, but Reina saves easily.
Arshavin tries to tee up Song, but it is cut out, and Reina eventually has a goal kick.
The Gunners come right back, and Nasri flicks brilliantly to Van Persie in the area. He has a clear chance, but he can’t beat Reina — should’ve done better. Off the rebound, Bendtner has a chance, but Reina again saves.
81′, 0-0:
Song on for Diaby
Arsenal retains possession at length, slowly making their way forward.
Arshavin’s run into the box is cut out, but he is thereafter able to get a cross in — cleared by Meireles.
Arsenal continues to pressure, but they are unable to crack Liverpool’s defensive lines.
77′, 0-0:
Yellow Card — Shelvey
Arsenal has a chance to counter, but Fabregas is cut out by Skrtel for a corner.
His ball is a poor one, and Liverpool clears to midfield.
73′, 0-0:
Shelvey on for Carroll
Arshavin on for Walcott
Bendtner on for Wilshere
Liverpool enjoys a spell on the ball, but after an interception, Fabregas sends a great longball for Van Persie. His touch, though he is behind the defense, lets him down.
69′, 0-0: Van Persie wins a corner, but it results in a Suarez counter. He gets a shot on target, but it is saved well by Sczesny.
65′, 0-0: Nasri gets the ball in space in the area, but his ball across the face of goal is collected by Reina.
Carroll stretched his legs out during the Carragher injury, and he looks to be back to full strength.
61′, 0-0:
Kyrgiakos on for Carragher
Carragher remains down following the collision. Finally, he is taken off on a stretcher.
57′, 0-0: Meireles shoots from distance, but his effort is off target.
Carragher and Flanagan collide in mid-air — their heads clash, and Carragher goes down and stays down.
Stretchers are brought out and Kyrgiakos warms up.
53′, 0-0: A collision in the area finds Carroll down on the pitch, and he stays down — David Ngog warms up.
No substitution is made, however, and Carroll appears okay.
Meireles has a corner, but it is cleared back to midfield.
49′, 0-0: Suarez has a run down the right, but he is cut out on the right of the area.
Arsenal comes down the right themselves, but Robinson clears for a throw.
Liverpool has a chance to counter, but and a chip forward for Spearing is too far, and Sczesny clears.
Suarez makes a great run down the middle, but his shot is off target — good chance.
Half, 0-0: Arsenal sends another ball into the area, which catches Reina out, but Eboue’s ball bounces across goal, luckily staying out.
The halftime whistle blows.
44′, 0-0: Arsenal has a corner on the right, partially cleared — but the Gunners retain possession for a throw.
On the counter, Suarez is fouled on the edge of the final third.
40′, 0-0: A great through ball finds Walcott, but he is defended well in the box by Robinson.
Arsenal keeps the pressure on, and after some tricky play, Eboue finds Cesc in the area, but he can’t finish the great ball.
36′, 0-0:
Yellow Card — Skrtel
Van Persie takes a free kick from the near corner, but his effort is totally wasted.
Wilshere and Fabregas make a strong run down the center. Nasri centers for Walcott, but his shot is off target.
32′, 0-0:
Flanagan — Yellow Card
Flanagan is whistled for a foul on Nasri, and he’s shown a yellow card.
Arsenal has a corner, but it is well claimed by Reina.
28′, 0-0: Van Persie receives a great longball, which he finishes past Reina, but the flag was up.
A free kick from midfield finds Carroll in the box, but his header doesn’t find anybody.
Suarez makes a long run, but is eventually taken off the ball by Djourou. Clichy sends it in for Wilshere, but his touch is a poor one.
Suarez crosses in for Carroll — a great ball, but he is offside.
Suarez loses the ball in the Liverpool half, which results in a great 1-2 by Fabregas and Van Persie, but Fabregas’ shot is wide.
24′, 0-0: Suarez sends a cross in for Carroll, but Sczesny gets there first.
Arsenal comes forward through Walcott, who slips in Fabregas at the near post. His ball, though, is collected by Reina.
20′, 0-0:
Aurelio off for Robinson
Meireles is fouled just outside his own penalty area after Arsenal have another free kick on the right — the Gunners have pressed hard the last 10 minutes.
Nasri makes a long run down the left, and his cross in his collected by Reina.
16′, 0-0: Arsenal enjoys a spell of possession in the Liverpool half. Fabregas runs at Skrtel, but he settles for a corner.
The corner is headed by Arsenal — off the crossbar. The danger persists for a while.
12′, 0-0: Liverpool has another corner — taken past the far post. Carroll gets to it, but he’s too deep and can’t head it back across goal.
Fabregas puts a dangerous shot on net, saved by Reina. Van Persie gets a follow up, but it is saved for a corner.
The corner comes to nothing, but Arsenal retains possession in midfield.
8′, 0-0: Suarez takes a shot low and on target — saved by Sczesny.
Liverpool wins a corner down the right. Meireles’ ball finds Carroll, but he is too far from goal to get power on it – -goal kick.
4′, 0-0: Arsenal wins a free kick down the left. Nasri sends it in well, and Skrtel holds Djourou blatantly, but isn’t called.
9 a.m. ET: Seven points behind Manchester United with seven games to go, Arsenal really cannot afford to drop points in a single remaining contest.
They’ll have a pretty tough obstacle as far as that end is concerned on Sunday, as Liverpool visits The Emirates. Since Kenny Dalglish took over in January, the Reds have collected more points than any side but United, and they are coming off a dominant 3-0 win against Manchester City.
Liverpool, though, will still be without much of its defensive core — as well as Steven Gerrard.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will benefit from a healthy Alex Song and Denilson.
With a win, Liverpool would move to within two points of the fifth spot in the table — though they’d be ceding two games in hand to Spurs.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. ET. Lineups are as follows:
Liverpool:
Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Jamie Carragher (23), center back
Fabio Aurelio (6), left back
John Flanagan (38), right back
Lucas (21), midfielder
Jay Spearing (26), midfielder
Raul Meireles (4), midfielder
Dirk Kuyt (18), midfielder
Luis Suarez (7), forward
Andrew Carroll (9), forward
Substitutes:
Joe Cole (10)
Maxi Rodriguez (17)
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (16)
David Ngog (24)
Jonjo Shelvey (33)
Peter Gulacsi (42)
Jack Robinson (49)
Arsenal:
Wojciech Sczensny (53), goalkeeper
Laurent Koscielny (6), center back
Johan Djourou (20), center back
Gael Clichy (22), left back
Emmanuel Eboue (27), right back
Abou Diaby (2), midfielder
Jack Wilshere (19), midfielder
Samir Nasri (8), midfielder
Theo Walcott (14), midfielder
Robin Van Persie (10), forward
Cesc Fabregas (4), forward
Substitutes:
Jens Lehmann (13)
Andrei Arshavin (23)
Alex Song (17)
Sebastian Squillaci (18)
Nicklas Bendtner (52)
Marouane Chamakh (29)
Kieran Gibbs (28)
