Mikel Arteta’s side held on for a draw after Granit Xhaka’s early red card, with Takumi Minamino guilty of a bad late miss
Updated
Thu 13 Jan 2022 17.11 EST
First published on Thu 13 Jan 2022 13.37 EST
Live feed
Key events
Andy Hunter's match report
Mikel Arteta: “We never gave up – it’s only the first leg, but they deserve a lot of credit. We played the game we had to play, which is not our [usual] game.” On the switch to a back three, he says “it’s not about the formation, it’s about the attitude,” but that it was the best option with the players available.
Arteta praises “the attitude the players showed, the quality and the decision-making.” As for the second leg, he says “I’m expecting our fans are going to create an even better atmosphere than we saw today.”
Some post-match thoughts from the official man of the match – Arsenal’s Ben White. “It’s hard enough to come here with 11 men ... against a team like Liverpool, it’s tough, you have to concentrate the whole game – we had a bit of luck, and I think the result was well-deserved. It’s nice to defend like that, and keep a clean sheet.” He’s asked if he’s tired after that. “Yeah, that was terrible!”
Ben White reacts
“There’s so much fight in this team and it showed today. We dug deep and got the result we needed ... It’s not easy to play like that, especially against a team like Liverpool ... It was tough, you have to concentrate all game. It’s nice to defend like that asa as defender and keep a clean sheet. “
Full-time: Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
Everything will be decided next week at the Emirates but Arsenal will start the second leg in high spirits after a draw at Anfield that could almost be described as a triumph. They played with 10 men for nearly 70 minutes and restricted Liverpool to very few chances thanks t o characteristics that they are often accused of lacking, such as discipline and guts. Liverpool, meanwhile, badly lacked sharpness.
90+4 min: Ramsdale gets lost under another cross, this time a high one from the left. Under pressure from Van Dijk he punches weakly to Williams, who sends in a swerving low cross/shot from the right-hand side of the box. Gabriel boot it away from right in front of his goal!
90+3 min: It’s all hands on deck - to be precise, in the box - from Arsenal as they try to fend off a late storm from Liverpool...
90+1 min: Williams sends over another excellent cross - that’s at least three from him since his introduction - but no one from Liverpool gets on the end of it.
90 min: What a miss! Ramsdale bungles an attempt to cut out a cross from the right, leaving the goal gaping for Minamino, who slashes over the bar from six yards!
89 min: Arsenal fans are serenading their team lustily, trying to help them to what would be something close to a glorious 0-0 draw...
88 min: Fine, teasing cross from the right by Williams! But Arsenal scramble it away.
85 min: Jones clips a cross from the left into the danger zone. Gabriel jumps to head it clear ... but misses it! Jota is taken by surprise and the ball bounces off his head to safety: if he’d had time to react he could have nodded it goalwards from seven yards!
84 min: Williams jinks to the byline and chips over a cross. Ramsdale catches it easily and then flops to the ground to waste a few seconds, a habit that keepers always get away with for some reason.
82 min: Another wild shot from distance by Liverpool, this time by Oxlade-Chamberlain. They seems all out of ideas.
80 min: Arsenal substitution: Tavares on, Saka off.
80 min: Jones raids in from the left wing, then cuts the ball back to Henderson, who slashes a shot high and wide from 25 yards.
78 min: Saka takes a swig of water and he’s back on the pitch...
77 min: This is a worry for Arsenal: Saka is limping off. It’s not clear whether it’s for temporary treatment or he needs to be replaced.
75 min: Liverpool substitutions: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gomez and Williams on; Fabinho, Matip and Alexander-Arnold off.
72 min: Arsenal counter. Tierney races down the left, looks up and sees Saka in the middle, in plenty of space between Van Dijk and Robertson. Tierney picks him out! Saka takes a touch to get the ball under control ... and Alisson is quick off his line, getting the ball away before Saka can shoot.
70 min: Another patient buildup by Liverpool. Minamino pings a low pass from the left to Henderson at the edge of the box. The captain tries to lay the ball back to Alexander-Arnold but puts too much air on the pass, leaving alexander-Arnold to try an flexibility-challenging volley from way out. He swishes at it uselessly.
68 min: A lovely flick by Jones to Robertson, who spots Minamino’s run into the box and slips the perfect ball through to him. From the left-hanf side of the box Minamino fires off a low shot on the run ... but it’s several yards off target.
66 min: Yet another piece of slack play by Alexander-Arnold, who’s had a strangely sloppy game today. That time he donked the ball straight to Lacazette as Liverpool tried to play through Arsenal in the final third again.
64 min: Jota tries to zoom past White down the left. But the defender is wise to him and steps in to take the ball.
62 min: “Enough of this short passing faffing about, trying to unlock a tightly packed Arsenal defence,” fumes Peter Oh. “It’s time for someone to have a pop from distance! Let Fabinho have a spank. Have Trent rocket one in. Give Robbo permission to let fly. Someone, anyone, please step up!” What’s needed at this point is some Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain action.
61 min: Liverpool substitution: Jones on, Milner off. That should give the hosts more creativity.
60 min: After more intricate passing by Liverpool outside the Arsenal box, Minamino goes for a goal from 20 yards, but Gabriel charges down his shot.
58 min: Ramsdale books a long kick forward. Saka takes it down brilliantly on the right and then tries to twist past Robertson, who pulls him back. That’s a yellow card to Robertson, and a freekick in a useful crossing position for Arsenal. Alisson punches the in-swinging freekick away.
55 min: Another bout of Liverpool probing just outside the Arsenal box. But they can’t get into it, trying to thread their way precisely through the middle. And when Henderson decides to fling over a cross from the right, White rises high to head clear.
53 min: Arteta applauds from the sidelines: his team continue not just to hold Liverpool at bay but also to carry a threat through fast, nifty counters.
50 min: A rare mistake by Van Dijk allows Lacazette to finagle a pass through to Saka just outside the area. Matip comes across to try to save the day, Saka attempts to fake his way past him at the right-hand side of the area but Matip isn’t fooled and then blocks his rather desperate shot.
49 min: A low cross by Henderson is deviated out to Matip, who decides to have a pop from 30 yards. I’ll let you know when the ball comes back down to Earth...
47 min: Minamino wins possession in his own half and then storms down the left wing, gaining 50 yards before chipping over a cross that nearly lands in the far corner of the net! Ramsdale tried to paw it away but couldn’t get to it and is grateful to see it drop wide.
46 min: Liverpool kick off the second half and immediately force Arsenal into retreat.
“I really feel that Saka is the outstanding player on the pitch,” writes Dean Kinsella. “Despite his team’s numerical disadvantage he looks the most likely to create or score a goal. I can only imagine what he could achieve in a good tight passing team, plus he’s already so strong for a young feller - very difficult to muscle him off the ball.”
Half-time: Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal
Arteta can be pretty satisfied with that half. His team have done well to restrict Liverpool to only a few half-openings despite being reduced to 10 men because of Xhaka’s red card (which was a little unlucky, by the way, not another act of oafishness: he had to make an effort to cut out the ball). And they’ve hinted at danger on the break, so it’s not out of the question that they could nick a win her. Liverpool, meanwhile, haven’t shown enough ingenuity: yes, they’re missing Salah and Mane (and Thiago).
44 min: Arsenal are defending well. Liverpool are dominating possession but finding it hard to pick a way through them. They could have done with Thiago Alcantara here.
41 min: Arsenal break. Lacazette feeds Saka on the right. The youngster drives in-field and sends a crafty curling ball into the danger area. Matip, a bit disoriented, whacks it out for a corner.