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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Arsenal v Liverpool: Premier League – live! | Arsenal v Liverpool: Premier League – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.58pm BST12:58 | |
| 10 min: Nothing comes of Liverpool’s corner, which is taken by Jordan Henderson. Arsenal turn the screw again, constantly pressing and forcing their visitors to repeatedly cede possession in midfield. | |
| 12.56pm BST12:56 | |
| 9 min: Liverpool finally clear their lines and go on the attack, winning a corner when an attempted cross from Lazar Markovic on the right flank is put out by Laurent Koscielney. This has been quite the white-knuckle ride thus far. | |
| 12.54pm BST12:54 | |
| 6 min: Arsenal take two corners in a row, from which nothing comes. There’s an appeal for a penalty when, from close range, Sanchez thumps the ball into the hands of Jordan Henderson, who had little or no opportunity to get them out of the way. | |
| 12.53pm BST12:53 | |
| 4 min: Arsenal continue to pile the hurt on Liverpool and bring another fine save out of Mignolet, courtesy of another defensive howler from Kolo Toure that gifts possession to Aaron Ramsey. The Arsenal midfielder scorches goalwards and shoots from 12 yards, only to be thwarted by the Liverpool goalkeeper. Kolo Toure atones for his error by beating Cazorla to the loose ball and hacking it clear. | |
| 12.50pm BST12:50 | |
| 3 min: Simon Mignolet is forced to make a save and it’s straight out of the top drawer. Having gifted possession to Arsenal in midfield again, Santi Cazorla shot low and diagonally through the legs of Kolo Toure, forcing the Belgian to get down and save with a strong hand. | |
| Updated at 12.57pm BST | |
| 12.48pm BST12:48 | |
| 2 min: Ramsey and Bellerin combine down the right flank in a bid to pick their way through the Liverpool defence, but are forced backwards. A cross-field pass from Santi Cazorla sends them on their way again - this is a confident start from the Gunners. | |
| Updated at 12.48pm BST | |
| 12.46pm BST12:46 | |
| 1 min: Liverpool get the ball rolling, with their players in their change kit of black shirts, shorts and sock. Arsenal are in their usual home kit of red shirts with white sleeves, white shorts and white socks. A mistake from Joe Allen allows Santi Cazorla to win possession in the Liverpool half and pick out Alexis Sanchez, who fires low, hard and well wide from distance. | |
| 12.43pm BST12:43 | |
| Not long now: The teams are lined up in the tunnel, with Jordan Henderson and Per Mertesacker wearing the captains’ armbands. Referee Anthony Taylor plucks the match ball from the ceremonial plinth, the teams line up either side of his team of match officials and handshakes ensue. Prediction time: I’m going for Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool. Here’s hoping we get a decent game. | |
| 12.35pm BST12:35 | |
| Brendan Rodgers speaks ... | |
| The Liverpool manager says that his side’s most recent defeat was very upsetting. “The Manchester United games was bitterly disappointing, not so much for the result, but because of the way we played,” he reveals. Of his team selection, he says that it was “a straightforward decision” to replace Martin Skrtel with Kolo Toure, which won’t come as music to the ears of poor Dejan Lovren, whose move from Southampton to Liverpool has been an unmitigated disaster for the Croatian centre-back. | |
| Rodgers also said that it was a straightforward decision to play Raheem Sterling through the centre, because Daniel Sturridge hasn’t been able to train much, coming off the back of an injury. On the subject of Sterling, he says: “My relationship with Rasheem is very strong and never once has he said he wants to leave.” He adds that “I know Raheem very well” and says that he plans to carry on his development. “He’s a very strong character,” concludes Rodgers. “There is no way I ever thought of leaving him out today.” | |
| Updated at 12.40pm BST | |
| 12.28pm BST12:28 | |
| 12.24pm BST12:24 | 12.24pm BST12:24 |
| 12.19pm BST12:19 | 12.19pm BST12:19 |
| Arsene Wenger speaks ... | Arsene Wenger speaks ... |
| Asked about his team’s current winning streak by BT Sport’s resident smoothie Des Kelly, the Arsenal manager says: “It’s the moment for us to continue this run and our focus has to be on the next game.” Of his team’s approach to this afternoon’s game, he says that “against a team who are particularly good on the counter-attack we have to find a good balance between attacking and defending”. And on his selection, specifically the omission of Danny Welbeck, he reveals: “I had a little apprehension for Danny on his knee, but it looked fine in training yesterday. I have included an extra midfielder to help with our defence.” | Asked about his team’s current winning streak by BT Sport’s resident smoothie Des Kelly, the Arsenal manager says: “It’s the moment for us to continue this run and our focus has to be on the next game.” Of his team’s approach to this afternoon’s game, he says that “against a team who are particularly good on the counter-attack we have to find a good balance between attacking and defending”. And on his selection, specifically the omission of Danny Welbeck, he reveals: “I had a little apprehension for Danny on his knee, but it looked fine in training yesterday. I have included an extra midfielder to help with our defence.” |
| 12.14pm BST12:14 | 12.14pm BST12:14 |
| 12.07pm BST12:07 | 12.07pm BST12:07 |
| Arsenal v Liverpool line-ups | Arsenal v Liverpool line-ups |
| Arsenal: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla, Sanchez, Giroud. | Arsenal: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla, Sanchez, Giroud. |
| Subs: Gibbs, Gabriel, Rosicky, Walcott, Flamini, Welbeck, Macey. | Subs: Gibbs, Gabriel, Rosicky, Walcott, Flamini, Welbeck, Macey. |
| Liverpool: Mignolet, Can, Toure, Sakho, Henderson, Allen, Lucas, Moreno, Markovic, Sterling, Coutinho. | Liverpool: Mignolet, Can, Toure, Sakho, Henderson, Allen, Lucas, Moreno, Markovic, Sterling, Coutinho. |
| Subs: Jones, Johnson, Lovren, Sturridge, Manquillo, Borini, Brannagan. | Subs: Jones, Johnson, Lovren, Sturridge, Manquillo, Borini, Brannagan. |
| Referee: Anthony Taylor (England) | Referee: Anthony Taylor (England) |
| 12.04pm BST12:04 | 12.04pm BST12:04 |
| Arsenal v Liverpool team news | Arsenal v Liverpool team news |
| Liverpool contract rebel Raheem Sterling starts in attack against Arsenal. Daniel Sturridge, who missed England duty over the international break, is on the bench, but Adam Lallana misses out and Kolo Toure comes into the Liverpool defence for Skrtel. For Arsenal, Mesut Ozil returns from illness to start, but England forward Theo Walcott is again a substitute along with Danny Welbeck, who has been carrying a knee injury. Teenage goalkeeper Matt Macey replaces Wojciech Szczesny, who has a rib injury, on the Arsenal bench. | Liverpool contract rebel Raheem Sterling starts in attack against Arsenal. Daniel Sturridge, who missed England duty over the international break, is on the bench, but Adam Lallana misses out and Kolo Toure comes into the Liverpool defence for Skrtel. For Arsenal, Mesut Ozil returns from illness to start, but England forward Theo Walcott is again a substitute along with Danny Welbeck, who has been carrying a knee injury. Teenage goalkeeper Matt Macey replaces Wojciech Szczesny, who has a rib injury, on the Arsenal bench. |
| 11.59am BST11:59 | 11.59am BST11:59 |
| That’s an interesting Liverpool selection. A bit midfield heavy, it could be argued, with no fewer than - I make it – seven midfielders numbered among the 10 outfield players! It will intriguing to see how they line up. I’ll have the full line-ups with substitutes very shortly, but remember that Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel are both sitting this one out on the naughty step for stamping offences. | That’s an interesting Liverpool selection. A bit midfield heavy, it could be argued, with no fewer than - I make it – seven midfielders numbered among the 10 outfield players! It will intriguing to see how they line up. I’ll have the full line-ups with substitutes very shortly, but remember that Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel are both sitting this one out on the naughty step for stamping offences. |
| Updated at 12.13pm BST | Updated at 12.13pm BST |
| 11.51am BST11:51 | 11.51am BST11:51 |
| Confirmed #LFC team v @Arsenal: Mignolet, Can, Toure, Sakho, Allen, Lucas, Moreno, Henderson, Coutinho, Markovic, Sterling | Confirmed #LFC team v @Arsenal: Mignolet, Can, Toure, Sakho, Allen, Lucas, Moreno, Henderson, Coutinho, Markovic, Sterling |
| 11.50am BST11:50 | 11.50am BST11:50 |
| #Arsenal team to play Liverpool: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud #AFCvLFC | #Arsenal team to play Liverpool: Ospina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud #AFCvLFC |
| 11.20am BST11:20 | 11.20am BST11:20 |
| Raheem Sterling has been hogging the headlines ... | Raheem Sterling has been hogging the headlines ... |
| The Liverpool midfielder’s reluctance to ink a new and improved deal with his employers has become a source of irritation for many of the club’s supporters and the lengthy interview he gave the BBC in a bid to justify his indecision has been the intriguing story of an otherwise slow end to the international break. Despite his dithering, Raheem Sterling will start against Arsenal today and our man on the Merseyside beat, Andy Hunter, has been pondering the 20-year-old’s situation in his match preview, which you can read by clicking on this link. | The Liverpool midfielder’s reluctance to ink a new and improved deal with his employers has become a source of irritation for many of the club’s supporters and the lengthy interview he gave the BBC in a bid to justify his indecision has been the intriguing story of an otherwise slow end to the international break. Despite his dithering, Raheem Sterling will start against Arsenal today and our man on the Merseyside beat, Andy Hunter, has been pondering the 20-year-old’s situation in his match preview, which you can read by clicking on this link. |
| 11.20am BST11:20 | 11.20am BST11:20 |
| Preamble | Preamble |
| Happy Easter one and all. After a seemingly interminable international break, our beady gaze returns to the Premier League this weekend. Arsenal entertain Liverpool at the Emirates in what ought to be a fascinating Easter curtain-raiser, where the visitors could do with a win to sustain their challenge on fourth place and the accompany tilt at next season’s Champions League that comes with it. A win for the Gunners will move them into second place, two points ahead of Manchester City and four behind a Chelsea side that will have played two games fewer by the time this contest ends. Kick-off is at 12.45pm (BST), but tune in an hour or so before then for all the team news and build-up in north London. | Happy Easter one and all. After a seemingly interminable international break, our beady gaze returns to the Premier League this weekend. Arsenal entertain Liverpool at the Emirates in what ought to be a fascinating Easter curtain-raiser, where the visitors could do with a win to sustain their challenge on fourth place and the accompany tilt at next season’s Champions League that comes with it. A win for the Gunners will move them into second place, two points ahead of Manchester City and four behind a Chelsea side that will have played two games fewer by the time this contest ends. Kick-off is at 12.45pm (BST), but tune in an hour or so before then for all the team news and build-up in north London. |