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What's the story?
Former Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin appears to have taken a dig at Liverpool by insisting that his four-goal haul against the Reds in 2009 was "nothing special" and that he enjoyed better games in his career than the Anfield thriller.
In case you didn't know...
Arshavin made the headlines in April 2009 after he ran riot against Liverpool in what is now remembered as one of the greatest encounters in the Premier League.
At the time, Liverpool were battling Manchester United for the league title and needed a win to go above their rivals in the race. However, the Gunners severely dented their chances as they held the Reds to a 4-4 draw at Anfield.
Arshavin, who had only been at the club for three months following his arrival from Zenit Saint Petersburg, ran riot on Merseyside and netted all four goals for Arsenal in a dazzling display that met all expectations.
In the end, Liverpool, who were at their best under Rafa Benitez at the time, lost out on the Premier League title to Manchester United, while Arsenal finished fourth.
Arshavin went on to score 31 goals in 144 games for the Gunners, including a late winner against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2011.
The heart of the matter
Arshavin has now admitted that he never expected to score four goals in the eight-goal thriller at Anfield, but insists that it was nothing special.
Speaking to Sky Sports News ahead of Arsenal's game against Liverpool this weekend, he said,
"For me, it was a regular game - nothing special. I did not feel anything special before the game.
"When I came out onto the pitch and was warming up, I thought 'we will not lose today'. That was the only thing I knew before the game. Of course, I could not imagine before that game that I would score four goals.
"If you look at the stats, it was my best game. But in terms of playing style, I had some other games that were much better."
What's next?
Liverpool will host Arsenal in a highly-anticipated Premier League fixture on Saturday.
