Arsenal v Liverpool: Premier League – live | Premier League

31 min “Merino is left footed,” says Gary Stover of the decision to play Rice on the right.

True, but Rice is right footed and usually plays to the left of centre – as he did last week at Bournemouth even though Merino was on the pitch. I suspect there’s another reason.

30 min “Right,” says Matt Dony. “I’m just about to walk onto a five-a-side pitch. (My knees are not ready for this!) If nothing of import could happen for an hour or so, that would be greatly appreciated…”

29 min A really good break from Arsenal. Eventually Martinelli beats Alexander-Arnold and fires a dangerous early cross. It beats Saka at the near post and has too much heat for Havertz to control beyond the far post.

28 min Alexander-Arnold plays a good return ball to Salah, who tries to tee up the onrushing Jones. The pass takes a deflection, which leads to an impromptu game of pinball before Arsenal clear.

It feels like Liverpool are slowly getting on top.

26 min Arsenal play on even though Mac Allister is down. He eventually gets to his feet, is booed for doing so and then gives the referee a serve.

25 min “Sometimes it’s hard to recognise sarcasm in writing,” says Joe Pearson, “but was your post at 5 mins a subtle reference to Partey maybe needing help against the more mobile Diaz?”

Ha, no it wasn’t, and I don’t think that’s why Rice is playing there. You do sometimes have central midfielders picked specifically to help a full-back – Darren Fletcher did it superbly against Arsenal at the start of his career – but that’s almost always in a 4-3-3.

24 min Saka, Arsenal’s biggest threat by a distance, whips a curler over the bar from 25 yards. It’s a strange thing to say, given how popular he is, but there’s an argument Saka is still underrated.

22 min It was Diaz who kicked the ball away. The referee did see it; apparently the reason he wasn’t booked is because he didn’t delay the restart because Arsenal weren’t set for the free-kick. Is that a valid reason? City weren’t set when Trossard went off, surely?

20 min: Chance for Merino! Rice curls a brilliant free-kick from a deepish position on the right. It beats the men at the near post and reaches Merino, who cushions a volley well wide from six yards. At first it looked a great chance, though maybe the ball was slightly behind him.

19 min Arsenal’s fans aren’t happy because a Liverpool player has just kicked the ball away. I didn’t see who it was; nor, more importantly, did the referee Anthony Taylor.

For the second league game in a row, Arsenal have been done on a set-piece. Alexander-Arnold clipped it towards the near post, where Diaz headed it on Steve Bould-style. Van Dijk stooped in front of Partey, six yards out, and steered a header past Raya.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Van Dijk 18)

16 min “Hello from Pittsburgh!” says Eric Peterson. “The nature of this ‘rivalry’ seems defined by how much each club loathes Manchester United – it’s tough to summon enmity for a club with which you have that in common. I’m looking forward to seeing a game that can reveal the ‘real’ Liverpool in present time. Notable as it is to collect the results Arne Slot has, it remains true that their opponents thus far have been almost unanimously from the bottom half of the table. This game is a status check for the new Liverpool and a foreshadowing of what’s in store on their league docket now that the strength-of-opposition pendulum swings against them.”

I think Niall’s point is the key one; their success has rarely coincided. That’s the basis for maybe 90 per cent of rivalries that aren’t based on geography.

14 min: Chance for Salah! Mikel Merino allows the ball to run under his feet, 25 yards from goal. It rolls towards Salah, with Raya well off his line, but his first-time shot curls a few yards wide of the right-hand post. For a player of his etc, that was a chance.

11 min Gary Neville, commentating on Sky, thinks Virgil van Dijk didn’t do enough to help Robertson on the goal. Even so, the way Saka slipped the ball between Robertson’s legs to tee up the shot, then surprise Kelleher by whipping it past him at the near post, was lovely.

Bukayo Saka has put Arsenal ahead with an outstanding goal. Ben White, playing centre-back today, clipped an excellent long pass in behind Robertson that was collected by Saka. He scurried into the area, nutmegged Robertson and whipped the ball past Kelleher at the near post.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool (Saka 9)

8 min The game hasn’t settled down yet, though Salah almost enlivens it with a Palmerish through pass towards Diaz. Ben White makes an important interception.

7 min Van Dijk has a bit of a kick at Havertz off the ball and is penalised; he could have been booked for that. Arsenal make nothing of the free-kick.

5 min Arsenal are platying with a box midfield. The only slight change is that Declan Rice is the right-sided central midfielder; wonder why that is.

4 min There’s an excellent atmosphere at the Emirates, as there has been throughout their ascent under Mikel Arteta. There’s almost an underdog mentality today, with every challenge being cheered. Nowt wrong with that.

2 min Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick is headed on dangerously by Van Dijk and headed away by somebody in a red shirt on the six-yard line.

2 min Saka’s first action is a foul on Robertson down the Liverpool left. Alexander-Arnold is over the ball…

1 min Peep peep! After a performance of the Last Post, Curtis Jones gets the match underway. Liverpool, in their black change strip, are kicking from right to left as we watch.

A reminder of the teams

Arsenal could play Trossard deeper in a 4-3-3, though Mikel Arteta often likes a box midfield in the biggest games.

Arsenal (possible 4-2-4) Raya; Partey, White, Gabriel, Timber; Merino, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Neto, Gabriel Jesus, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Sterling, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Nwaneri.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton.

Referee Anthony Taylor.

And Arne Slot’s

Curtis [Jones] has had a week’s rest so hopefully he can perform the way he did last week.

You don’t think about the points gap [Liverpool will go seven clear of Arsenal if they win] before a game, you think about preparing the team in the best possible way for them to perform. Sometimes it’s the quality of the player that makes the difference; sometimes it’s a lucky decision. Set-pieces are also important. You have to put a lot of effort in, then at the end if you get a result you can look at the points difference.

Mikel Arteta’s pre-match thoughts

[On the return of Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber] They tried so hard to be available and it’s a big boost for us. Injuries mean an opportunity for others and we have an unbelievable squad.

A message for the crowd as well: when they come here to the Emirates they really need to feel it, and we have to play with that body language and certainty to win the game.

“It’s funny the lack of true rivalry between Liverpool and Arsenal,” says Niall Mullen. “Probably their peaks never really coincided (“it’s up for grabs” aside). The closest thing to enmity I can recall was after Stephane Hénchoz’s goalkeeping exploits in 2001 and the fortuitous penalty in the 2008 Champions League quarter final. I guess that could change but it feels like the two clubs have an enemy in common these days.”

There were also three red cards in a game in August 2000, though that was more about Graham Poll than any strong rivalry. The peak is surely 1986-91, when George Graham knocked Liverpool off their perch. Liverpool had their moments too, obviously, including one of my favourite free-kicks.

Premier League results

From the archive

“Phew, well I’d call it the match of the century, I don’t know about Match of the Day,” puffed Wolstenholme pitchside after the final whistle. Colour analyst Walley Barnes – he of the late own goal in 1947 – veered awkwardly into shot to agree that “match of the century is probably very right”. Sadly, nobody who went to Anfield that day would have been able to hear these Cholmondley Warneresque jolly japes. BBC2 had only been on the air for four months, and was only available in the London area. An estimated audience of 20,000 watched history being transmitted – less than half of the day’s 47,620 attendance – and viewers in Liverpool would have to make do with either The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, a western on BBC1, or ABC’s western Sugarfoot. Today’s multi-channel world of wall-to-wall tat suddenly doesn’t seem so oppressive.

Arsenal were criticised for overcelebrating after a terrific 3-1 victory over Liverpool at the Emirates in February. And they’ll happily do it again if they win today.

Team news: Saka starts

Preamble