Skrtel the Hero as Header Rescues Reds From Arsenal Scare at Anfield

Despite dominating Liverpool needed rescuing from a wounded Martin Skrtel. Image: LFCPhoto

Liverpool 2 - 2 Arsenal
Philippe Coutinho (45'), Mathieu Debuchy (45+2'), Olivier Giroud (65'), Martin Skrtel (90+7')
Barclays Premier League
Sunday 21 December 2014
4:00pm GMT Kick-off
Anfield, Liverpool, England.
Referee: Michael Oliver
Matchweek #

Liverpool dominated for the most part, but through twists and changes it lead to an 8th draw in as many seasons between Liverpool and Arsenal as Martin Skrtel rescued the Reds with a stoppage time header.

Barring the goals it was a landslide first half in favour of Liverpool, but they would have to wait until the last breath of the half to reap the rewards. And even after Coutinho smashed in, two minutes later in stoppage time Debuchy capitalised on woeful marking to head in the equaliser.

Things would make a turn for the worst for the hosts when Olivier Giroud fired through Brad Jones. It would force Liverpool to throw all they had and through many corners, one would meet the head of Martin Skrtel—in the late minutes of stoppage time which he caused due to a head injury—as Liverpool snatched back a point.

As expected, the game proceeded at a frantic pace with the Kop galvanised with the hope of emulating their win in the same fixture last season. Philippe Coutinho retrieved the ball in the centre of the park and was given plenty of space to run. The Brazilian attempted to initiate some magical footwork to breach into the box, but he was fouled. In promising territory, Steven Gerrard was unable to guide in the free-kick, straying narrowly over the crossbar.

Arsenal found themselves treading in treacle for the opening minutes but managed to reach equilibrium in stopping the pace factor of the hosts creating a difference. Brad Jones caught the ball from a corner kick, hurling it towards Lazar Markovic, but Calum Chambers saw the ball safely out of touch. Moments later, the former Saints' defender stopped Lallana from breaching down the same left wing.

Good positioning was a frequent characteristic of the Reds in the opening stages. Adam Lallana's incisive link-up ended with the Englishman's attempt whistling over the bar following a clever turn from Markovic's pass. That would trigger an influx in confidence for Rodgers' men. Liverpool continued with a subdued siege in the final third but the only thing foiling that was the lack of killer instinct within the side. 

From the tenth minute to the twentieth, Liverpool enjoyed 87% of possession. But frustratingly so for the Merseyside contingent, Wojciech Sczcesny had little to do. Sakho's header drifted wide of goal before Arsenal had glimpses of promise inside the box but were unable to capitalise on an error from Markovic. Some confidence had been installed with the Gunners now, however, as they ventured into the attacking third. Sakho, Toure and Skrtel held up well to put in the challenges, fulfilling their defensive duties.

Sanchez was quietened in the first half while Markovic missed two big chances. Image: PremierLeague.com

With half-an-hour of football played, it remained a troublesome time for Arsenal. The shape of Liverpool was working, their tactics were sound and Arsenal were stagnant in defending especially when Liverpool pounced forward. Lallana found Coutinho whose shot was on target, but tamely fell towards Sczcesny. Anfield was roaring as they continued to control the game.

Hesitation when clearing the ball lead to a first one-on-one attempt for the hosts. Gerrard scooped back into the box, where the ball bobbled off Welbeck's head into the path of a ruthlessly-racing Markovic. With the angle closing, the Serbian tried to guide it through the legs of Sczcesny, but he kept it out and somehow, the game remained level. Another big chance fell to him a few minutes later, as Sterling played it through to him, attempting to curl it into the top corner, but it sailed into the stands.

Liverpool, finally, got the goal they were looking for in the whole half. Philippe Coutinho drove in to add a timid exclamation mark to their domination. He picked it up in the center of the area, striking it towards the left corner where it clipped the post and went into goal. 

But, just as Liverpool looked to go into the half with a lead, a free-kick won by Sanchez would undo that and cause for some disappointment. Mathieu Debuchy met the long ball over the towering centre-halfs, with his header looping over Jones and into goal. It was level at half-time.

Coutinho's goal was cancelled out by a Debuchy header. Image: Purely Football

Arsenal got the ball rolling for the second half with the hope of their vast improvement. Raheem Sterling was under pressure early, yet was able to stride out to safety and eventually was hacked down by Debuchy on the left part of the pitch just outside the box. The skipper whipped a ball in, but it fell out to Coutinho whose shot soared way over.

Martin Skrtel received treatment for a head injury after a coming together with Olivier Giroud. The French forward couldn't get cleanly to the ball and on the way down, his studs landed on the head of Liverpool's centre-half. A lengthy six-minute spell saw no stitches needed, instead the Slovak got it bandaged up and was ready to battle on.

Liverpool still had the energy to breach into the box, but what was becoming a constant factor was their finishing. The ball trickled out towards Lucas, but he smashed it over. Soon after, Steven Gerrard had a pop from long-range, only to go wide. Wojciech Sczcesny was in a world of trouble after Raheem Sterling broke past the keeper, but as defenders crammed in, he crossed it towards the skipper whose header soared over the crossbar.

For all their work the Reds received a painful reality check. Steven Gerrard's ambitious pass was cut out allowing Arsenal to counter. Brilliant buildup saw the ball backheeled out to the edge of the box, before it made its way back into Giroud who smashed through the legs of Brad Jones. Skrtel was at fault allowing the Frenchman to drift in at point-blank.

Knowing what they had let go of, Liverpool went all out to retain their stance in the game. Bombarding the box, Coutinho's ball went out to Lallana, before the ball found its way to Gerrard but his shot deflected into the hands of a grateful Arsenal keeper.

Fabio Borini replaced Lazar Markovic as the Reds continued to up the ante. The ball was rolled on towards Lucas Leiva, charging into the box, but his close shot just faded wide. Liverpool would come again, as Sterling broke down the left, and the ball deflected out to Coutinho's shot but the Brazilian was wasteful.

Continuing their barrage, with just five minutes on the clock, there was more urgency in Liverpool's attempts. But, with Borini's header being tipped over the bar, Arsenal moved on closer to victory. A long searching ball from Gerrard found Lambert, but his volley at the near-post was stopped.

With nine minutes of stoppage time allocated, Sterling let fly from long range and won another corner. But it was Arsenal who comfortably cleared. Fabio Borini was sent off as their hopes took a big blow. The Italian was first booked for descent when a call didn't go his way, before the second bookable offence was the end to his game.

Corners came in, deliveries were poor, but a wounded warrior would emerge for a late equaliser. Martin Skrtel headed it emphatically into goal when they needed it most, to send Anfield rocking and put the hosts back in it.

With Arsenal going for the jugular, Arsenal almost stunned them. Santi Cazorla lined up to fire at Brad Jones, who parried away and vanquished the subsquent chance. Welbeck's attempt to flick the ball on was blocked, before the whistle blew and points were shared for the encounter.

Wounded Warrior. Image: LFCPhoto

Verdict
Liverpool dominated from the outset and if they had someone who could finish well and consistently, the game honestly could've been over within minutes. Chances came and went, frustration only began to seep in when they trailed as a wake up call. Fabio Borini's red-card may be detrimental to the remainder of his Liverpool tenure. Liverpool know they could have had so much more, but the late winner gives them a point which is at least what they deserve. Another brilliant game between these two, the bragging rights remain even, for now.

Player Ratings

Liverpool	Rating (/10)	Arsenal	Rating (/10)
Brad Jones	6.5	Wojciech Szczęsny	8.1
Kolo Toure	7.3	Mathieu Debuchy	8.1
Mamadou Sakho	7.0	Per Mertesacker	7.5
Martin Skrtel	7.4	Calum Chambers	6.9
Lucas Leiva	7.1	Kieran Gibbs	6.8
Jordan Henderson	6.5	Mathieu Flamini	6.0
Lazar Markovic	6.8	Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain	7.1
Philippe Coutinho	8.2	Santi Cazorla	7.1
Steven Gerrard	7.5	Alexis Sanchez	6.0
Adam Lallana	7.8	Olivier Giroud	8.9
Raheem Sterling	7.6	Danny Welbeck	7.1
Fabio Borini	-	Francis Coquelin	-
Rickie Lambert	-	Joel Campbell	-

“-“ indicates a short-time period providing insufficient time to deliver a representative rating

Man of the Match: Philippe Coutinho

Match Statistics

Full Time stats Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal Possession: 64%-36% Shots: 27-5 On Target: 10-2 Fouls: 6-14 Yellow: 1-3 Red: 1-0 #LivArs
— Adrian (@adrianlimcheeen) December 21, 2014

League Table

TABLE With that 2-2 draw, @Arsenal and @LFC both move above their respective city rivals Spurs and Everton #LIVARS pic.twitter.com/OyeNKV1mqj
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 21, 2014

Liverpool spirits are uplifted somewhat over christmas, while Arsenal are able to hold out against the Anfield barrage. The hosts will know want to start making so much more of their better performances, if they want a turnaround.

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