Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool - Match Report

Theo Walcott celebrates his goal
for Arsenal against Liverpool (AFP)

Two goals in two minutes gave Arsenal a fighting chance to win against Liverpool at the Emirates, but the game ended 2-2 as neither side was able to find a winning goal.

An early goal by Luis Suarez gave Liverpool the lead, and Jordan Henderson doubled it when he scored 15 minutes into the second half.

But two goals in two minutes by Oliver Giroud and Theo Walcott put Arsenal back into the game. Neither side was able to find a winning goal though, meaning the points had to be shared.

Liverpool got off to a strong start, as five minutes into the game, Suarez put his side ahead after his shot took a slight deflection from Arsenal's Bacary Sagna, past Wojciech Szczesny to the back of the net.

Arsenal had several chances throughout the first half to equalise, with Theo Walcott and Oliver Giroud having two chances each in the space of ten minutes after the first goal.

Walcott's shot ten minutes in was cleared, giving Liverpool a chance to counter-attack. Suarez obtained the ball and lofted it towards fellow striker 

Daniel Sturridge, whose shot went wide of the left post.

Podolski provided further opportunities for Arsenal to score, but these were cleared for corners which Arsenal were unable to develop further.

Liverpool had another opening to go further ahead when captain Steven Gerrard had an opportunity to score. However, his chance was stopped and cleared on the line by Podolski.

And in the second half, their second goal came as Henderson's persistency at goal during an attack paid off. His initial shot was deflected, but the ball came straight back to him, allowing him to slot it into the back of the net.

Not long after this, Arsenal earned a free kick just outside Liverpool's penalty area. Jack Wilshere crossed the ball over to Giroud who headed the ball past Liverpool's Pepe Reina into the net, reducing Liverpool's lead to one.

Two minutes later, the game was level thanks to Walcott. His belting shot from the right to the left bottom corner of the goal put Arsenal back into contention to win the game.

Arsenal had a chance to take the lead for the first time through Podolski just a minute later. His shot from a Santi Cazorla pass though went just over.

In the last ten minutes, Giroud had two opportunities to give Arsenal the win, one of these being a header which was deflected over the bar for a corner. The other was a cross by Podolski but he missed the ball completely and missed the chance to give his team the win.

This made the final score 2-2.

Arsenal now have only managed to achieve four points out of a possible 15 in their last five league games, raising further questions of Arsene Wenger's management this season.

Liverpool have earned 10 points out of a possible 15 in their last five league games, putting them in good form for their next game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on the 3rd February.

As for Arsenal, their next game is against Stoke City at home on the 2nd February. They haven't lost against Stoke since May 2011 but their last two meetings have ended in draws.

Both Arsenal and Liverpool will need to start winning consistently soon if they wish to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Match Facts

Arsenal

Line up - Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs (Santos - 37’), Wilshere, Walcott, Ramsey, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud

Unused Subs - Mannone, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Diaby, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain

Scorers - Giroud 64', Walcott 67'

Yellow Cards - Cazorla 25', Giroud 85', Mertesacker 90'

Red Cards - None

Liverpool

Line up - Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Wisdom, Gerrard, Henderson, Downing, Lucas, Suarez, Sturridge (Jose Enrique 71')

Unused Subs - Jones, Skrtel, Allen, Sterling, Shelvey, Borini

Scorers - Suarez 5', Henderson 60'

Yellow Cards - Gerrard 73'

Red Cards - None

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