With the 2016/17 edition of the English Premier League just around the corner, football fans around the world are eagerly anticipating all the action and drama that it entails. The first clash between two giants of the league will be played between Arsenal and Liverpool on Sunday. Keeping that in mind, let’s have a look at some of the best fixtures ever played between these two teams.
#5 Arsenal 4-2 Liverpool - English Premier League, April 2004
Arsenal came into this game on the back of being eliminated from the FA Cup semi-final by Manchester United and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in successive games.
It initially looked like the Gunners’ poor run of form was set to continue, as Liverpool took an early lead in just the fifth minute of the game through a Sami Hyypia header. Thierry Henry pulled Arsenal back level at 31 minutes, only for Michael Owen to restore Liverpool’s lead three minutes before half-time.
Arsenal then scored two goals within a minute in the second half. Robert Pires pulled them level in the 49th minute, before Henry scored a truly brilliant goal. He went on a run from the middle of the field in which he beat four defenders and then slotted into the bottom right to give the Gunners the lead.
Henry scored the final goal of the game and completed his hat-trick 12 minutes from full time. Bergkamp’s long ball found the Frenchman in the Liverpool box, and he got lucky as Dudek got a hand to his shot, but it rebounded off him and went in.
The three points proved to be crucial for Arsenal to go on and win the title that season. They went 7 points clear at the top of the table after the game, and Liverpool were tied on points with Newcastle in fourth.
#4 Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool - FA Cup Final, May 2001
The 2001 FA Cup final was played at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the first final in the 119-year history of the competition to be played outside England due to the construction work taking place at the usual venue, Wembley Stadium.
This was also the first time that two managers born outside the British Isles would meet in the FA Cup final. Arsene Wenger faced off against his fellow Frenchman Gerard Houllier.
There was controversy in the first half when the referee turned down a penalty appeal from Arsenal. Stephane Henchoz handled the ball in the box to deny Thierry Henry a goalscoring opportunity, but both the referee and his assistants missed it. The Gunners had a few great chances in the second half, but Sami Hyypia made multiple goal line clearances to keep them level.
Arsenal finally took the lead in the 72nd minute when Freddie Ljungberg took the ball around the Liverpool keeper Westerveld and buried the ball in the back of an empty net. Liverpool equalised eleven minutes later through Michael Owen, who pounced on a loose ball in the crowded box and smashed it into the bottom left.
Owen scored again in the 88th minute to give Liverpool the lead. He sped past Arsenal defenders Tony Adams and Lee Dixon to latch onto a long ball and then put a sweet left-footed finish past David Seaman to score what was the winning goal of the game.
The FA Cup win was the second trophy in Liverpool’s treble that year. They had already won the Football League Cup, and would go on to lift the UEFA Cup shortly after.
#3 Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal - English Premier League, February 2014
In a season in which both Liverpool and Arsenal had mounted a realistic challenge for the title, this fixture was an important one. The Gunners were two points clear at the top of the table, whereas as Liverpool were in fourth, eight points adrift of the leaders.
Arsenal came to Anfield as league leaders, high on confidence, but that would change shortly after the commencement of the match. The Gunners were completely ripped to shreds in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
Liverpool put on an impressive display of speed, pressing and finishing as they ran rings around a stunned Arsenal team to put four past Wojciech Szczesny within 20 minutes.
The first goal came within 53 seconds, when Skrtel put the ball in the back of the net from a Gerrard free kick into the box. The centre-back scored his second in the 10th minute as he headed the ball into the top left corner from a corner.
Liverpool’s third came in the 17th minute. Luis Suarez played a low pass across the face of goal, where Raheem Sterling was perfectly positioned to tap it in. Just three minutes later Coutinho played a great ball through to Sturridge, who made no mistake with his finish.
Sterling completed a brace in the 52nd minute as he poked a shot at Szczesny who kept it out, but the winger pounced on the rebound to score Liverpool’s fifth. Arsenal got a consolation goal in the form of a Mikel Arteta penalty when Gerrard brought down Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 68th minute, and that closed the scoring in that game.
Liverpool went on to finish that season as runner-ups. They came agonisingly close to their first title in the Premier League era, but finished two points behind eventual winners Manchester City. Arsenal ended the season in their traditional fourth spot.
#2 Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal - Football League First Division, May 1989
The conclusion to the 1988/89 first division league was one of the most dramatic ever. The Reds closed a 19-point gap between themselves and Arsenal through an epic 24-match undefeated run to find themselves three points ahead of the Gunners on the final day of the season.
Nothing less than a two-goal margin victory would do for Arsenal, whereas Liverpool would become champions even if they lost by only one goal. Arsenal had not won a game at Anfield in fifteen years. Having won six league titles over the last decade, to say that Liverpool were confident is an understatement.
Arsenal took the lead after 52 minutes when Alan Smith headed in from a free-kick that was floated into the Liverpool box. The goal didn’t really change much in the game, but the tension on the field and in the stands was palpable.
The scoreline stayed the same until the death of the game. In added time, John Barnes received the ball and tried to dribble his way into the Arsenal box, but was dispossessed. He would’ve been better off taking the ball to the corner flag to wind down the clock.
Instead, the Gunners sprung a counter-attack. The ball fell to Michael Thomas just outside Liverpool’s penalty area, and he beat Bruce Grobbelaar with an outfoot shot.
This was the first time that the league winner was decided in added time of the last game of the season against the very team that lost it. It was also a forewarning of the change in fortunes that would soon come for Liverpool. They went on to win the title in the next season, but the Reds haven’t managed to repeat that feat in the 26 years since.
#1 Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal - English Premier League, April 2009
Another season in which Liverpool were chasing the title. Another game against Arsenal which seriously dented those hopes. Liverpool took on Arsenal at Anfield in what was a key game for the Reds. A win would take them two points clear at the top of the table, over their bitterest of rivals, Manchester United.
Unfortunately for the Liverpool faithful, things didn’t quite go as planned. Arsenal took the lead through Andriy Arshavin in the 36th minute. Fabregas spotted a gap in the crowded penalty box and threaded a pass through to the Russian, who put it in off the crossbar.
Liverpool hero Fernando Torres restored parity early in the second half. Dirk Kuyt whipped a well-hit cross into the box, and Torres rose to head it powerfully into the bottom right. The Reds then took the lead in the 56th minute through another header. This time, it was Yossi Benayoun who put his name on the scoresheet.
It didn’t take long for the Gunners to respond. Arshavin took advantage of Alvaro Arbeloa’s lack of awareness to dispossess him and then fired a ridiculously powerful and accurate shot past Pepe Reina, who could do nothing. The scores were level again at 68 minutes.
The Russian completed his hat-trick two minutes later. This time, it was Fabio Aurelio’s error that proved to be fatal. He simply passed the ball straight to the striker in his own box. No forward worth his socks would waste that kind of opportunity, and Arshavin was worth a whole lot more than a pair of socks that day.
Just three minutes later, Torres put Liverpool back on even terms. The Spaniard picked up the ball in the box, turned to beat his marker, and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right.
Arshavin continued to torment the Liverpudlians when he scored what looked like the winner in the 90th minute. The Reds were vulnerable to a stunningly quick counter-attack which saw Arshavin beat Reina as he came off his line.
However, there was one more dramatic twist yet to come. Javier Mascherano headed the ball hopefully into the Arsenal box, and Benayoun was able to get to it and beat Fabianski for the late equaliser. The game ended 4-4.
Liverpool went on to finish second that season, behind eventual winners Manchester United.
