Liverpool crush United at Old Trafford

Sports - Football - Premier League - Man United 0-3 Liverpool 

Liverpool closed the gap on league leaders Chelsea to four points with a game in hand after comprehensively beating Manchester United 0-3 at Old Trafford. 

Captain Steven Gerrard scored twice from the spot before seeing rival skipper Nemanja Vidic sent off and missing the resulting penalty and chance for a hat-trick. 

None other than Luis Suarez made it three, scoring his 25th Premier League goal of the season and condemning the Red Devils to their 9th defeat of the season. 

Brendan Rodgers' men took charge from the start, if not in possession, but creating and putting on more pressure, pressing and pushing, not letting United settle. 

The home side got more and more frustrated and saw defender Rafael's name first in the book for felling down Gerrard. 

The Brazilian conceded the first penalty moments later with a clumsy handball, which Gerrard made no mistake of, sending David De Gea the wrong way, to net it on the right and make it 0-1 after 34 minutes. 

It was the first time United have conceded a penalty at Old Trafford since December 2011. 

The goal woke up the home side and the game jumped up a gear, Gerrard seeing yellow for leading with his elbow on Marouane Fellaini, who had to be treated as United finally came out more on attack. 

Wayne Rooney saw his double-strike stopped just before the break, thanks to one great save by Simon Mignolet and one strong, quick block by Jon Flanagan, but the Reds kept and took the lead into the break. 

Whatever David Moyes said to his side during the interval, it didn't work, or backfired even, as 24 seconds into the second half, Phil Jones pushed and brought down Joe Allen in the box to concede the second penalty. 

The Scouse skipper netted to the right again, with fine accuracy and pace, to make it 0-2. Liverpool's tails were up after that and the visitors pushed and pressed for more. 

That didn't put off United though, Rooney and Vidic were both on referee Mark Clattenburg's case after they felt they were both fouled whilst creating chances, pushed by Martin Skrtel in the prior, and punched and clattered by Mignolet and Daniel Agger respectively in the latter case, but play continued despite all. 

One way or the other, it wasn't happening for United and Moyes made a double-change with 15 minutes remaining. Seconds later, it went from bad to worse for the hosts, Vidic saw red, receiving a second yellow for what was harshly deemed a foul on Daniel Sturridge in the box, a soft penalty to concede. 

But it was not going to be a penalty-hat-trick for man-of-the-match Gerrard, as he sent De Gea the wrong way, again, but was denied by the left post. 

The home fans felt justice was done with the miss, but on the other hand, Rafael was lucky not to be given a second yellow, as he got away with some rash challenges on more than one occasion, after already being booked and warned.

A certain Uruguayan then got into the mix, and after pulling a great save out off De Gea, Suarez broke clear in the box off a deflected Sturridge shot/cross/pass and netted his 25th Premier League goal of the season, to make it 0-3 and seal Liverpool's first win at Old Trafford since the unforgettable 1-4 thrash in 2009. 

It could have been worse for United- although they won't see it that way, recording their 5th home defeat and 21 points dropped at home this season. The Red Devils have not lost more than nine games in Premier League history. This ninth defeat leaves Moyes' men on 48 points in seventh, 12 points behind rivals City in the 4th and last Champions League spot and 18 points off the top. 

Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool 

Liverpool Goals: 1. & 2.: 34th & 47th min Steven Gerrard (8) penalties, 3.: 83:28 min Luis Suarez (7).

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 38 Flanagan (booked- 31st min), 5 Agger, 37 Skrtel (booked- 54th min), 2 Johnson; 24 Allen, 8 Gerrard (booked- 37th min) (21 Lucas- 87th min), 14 Henderson; 7 Suarez, 15 Sturridge (booked- 84th min) (9 Aspas- 91st min), 31 Sterling (10 Coutinho- 72nd min). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 12 Moses, 17 Sakho, 20 Cissokho.

Man United Team: 1 De Gea; 3 Evra, 15 Vidic (booked- 71st min, sent off- 77th min), 4 Jones, 2 Rafael (booked- 32nd min); 16 Carrick, 31 Fellaini (23 Cleverly- 75th min); 44 Januzaj (19 Welbeck- 75th min), 10 Rooney, 8 Mata (5 Ferdinand- 87th min); 20 van Persie. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 13 Lindegaard, 18 Young, 25 Valencia, 26 Kagawa.

Match Stats: 1st & 2nd half: Man United-Liverpool
Attempts: 6-6 & 7-11
On target: 1-3 & 0-4
Offsides: 1-1 & 2-1
Corners: 1-2 & 2-2
Free kicks: 6-6 & 6-7
Possession: HT: 51%-49%, FT 48%-52%

For full Opta Match Stats just click here!

Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Attendance: 75,225
Man of the match: Steven Gerrard

Reds deny Swans in seven-goal thriller

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 4:3 Swansea

A double each by Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson saw Liverpool deny Swansea a spirited comeback and record their sixth win in eight games in 2014 after a frantic thriller at Anfield.

The home side could not have asked for a better start after Sturridge latched onto Raheem Sterling's pass before rounding Swans keeper Michel Vorm to clip in and open the scoring after not even three minutes.

And Henderson doubled the score after just 20 minutes with a nice curl into the top corner off a Sturridge lay-off.

If Brendan Rodgers men thought they were cruising to a third consecutive Premier League win against his former side, they were more than fooled and left stunned as the Welsh visitors produced a perfect comeback with two goals in four minutes.

Former Red Jonjo Shelvey pulled one back with a cracker of a strike which Anfield's breath taken and applause echoing in all corners of the ground.

And the Kop was left stunned again when Wilfried Bony's header deflected in off Martin Skrtel to make it two all and a perfect response by Garry Monk's men.

But Sturridge nodded the hosts back in front soon after off Luis Suarez cross, to give Liverpool the lead at the break.

However, it did not last long, as seconds after the interval, Bony calmly levelled the score again from the spot after Skrtel had bundled him over inside the box, making it an afternoon to forget for the Slovakian defender.

It was a breathless encounter, both sides producing numerous chances to take the lead, but it was man of the match Henderson who had the last say, netting the rebound after Vorm had denied Suarez, to make it 4-3 and three points to Liverpool.

This win takes Liverpool four points ahead of Tottenham in fifth, the same margin that separates them from the top.

Liverpool Goals: 1.: 2:52min Daniel Sturridge (15), 2.: 19:57min Jordan Henderson (14), 3.: 35:09min Daniel Sturridge (15), 4.: 73:39min Jordan Henderson (14).

Swansea Goals: 1.: 22:16min Jonjo Shelvey (8), 2.: 26:01min Wilfried Bony (10), 3.: 46:59min Wilfried Bony (10) penalty.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 2 Johnson, 5 Agger (4 Toure- 63.min), 37 Skrtel (booked 26.min), 38 Flanagan; 10 Coutinho, 8 Gerrard, 14 Henderson; 31 Sterling (24 Allen- 58.min), 7 Suarez, 15 Sturridge (12 Moses- 79.min). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 9 Aspas, 20 Cissokho, 53 Teixeira.

Swansea Team: 1 Vorm; 3 Taylor, 6 Williams, 4 Chico, 22 Rangel; 7 Britton, 20 de Guzman (11 Hernandez- 73.min); 15 Routledge, 8 Shelvey (21 Canas- HT), 12 Dyer (54 Ngog- 78.min); 10 Bony. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 2 Amat, 19 Tiendalli, 25 Tremmel, 57 Emnes.

Opta Match stats: Liverpool-Swansea
(Attack)
Attempts: 21-14
On target: 10-5
Blocked: 5-2
From outside the box: 8-7
From inside the box: 13-7
Shot Accuracy: 62.5%-41.7%
(General Play)
Possession: 53.4%-46.6%
Duels won: 53.2%-46.8%
Aerials won: 34.8%-65.2%
Interceptions: 16-23
Offsides: 2-0
Corner: 3-5
(Distribution)
Total passes: 524-445
Long passes: 10.3%-10.6%
Passing accuracy: 83.6%-80.7%
Passing accuracy opposition's half: 71.6%-67.7%
Total crosses: 11-13
Successful crosses: 36.4%-23.1%
(Defence & Discipline)
Tackles: 25-21
Tackles Won: 76%-71.4%
Clearances: 19-20
Fouls conceded: 9-11
Yellow cards: 1-0
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Michael Jens
Attendance: 44,731
Man of the match: Jordan Henderson

Liverpool thrash sorry Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 5:1 Arsenal

Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 5-1 in an unforgettable lunch-time clash at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers' men came into the match all guns blazing, stunning the Gunners with four goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Martin Skrtel opened the scoring after just 51 seconds, whipping in Steven Gerrard's free kick, totally unmarked inside the six-yard box, sending the ball past a helpless Wojciech Szczesny with his knee.

And the Slovakian defender double the score under nine minutes later, heading the skipper's corner into the top corner over the jumping Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the line.

The Reds looked dangerous every time they went forward, especially on the wings, and should have been 3-0 up on 12 minutes when Daniel Sturridge chipped a golden chance wide after Luis Suarez sent him clear on goal.

The Uruguayan forward saw his shot smack off the post seconds later for Kolo Toure to stab the rebound wide.

But moments later, Liverpool's top scorer picked out Raheem Sterling with a perfect pass to give the young winger a simple finish at the far post to make it 3-0.

And three minutes later, Philippe Coutinho found Sturridge with a perfect cross behind Laurent Koscielny for the striker to slot it home nice and easy to make it 4-0.

Arsene Wenger's men were beaten after 20 minutes, enjoyed more possession in the second half, but fired nothing but blanks.

Liverpool made it five on 52 minutes when Sterling broke clear on goal and netted the rebound after Szczesny saved his initial effort.

Arsenal did get a consolation goal, much to the amusement of the traveling fans, after winning a penalty when Gerrard brought down Oxlade-Chamberlain in the box. Mikel Arteta converted the kick and pulled a late - and only - save out of Simon Mignolet.

But it was too little, too late, and did not mask the embarrassment and one clear thing: this was Liverpool's day and the result smashed the Premier League title race all open again!

Liverpool Goals: 1.& 2.: 0:51 & 9:28min Martin Skrtel (37), 3.: 16:00min Raheem Sterling (31), 4.: 19:17min Daniel Sturridge (15), 5.: 51:07min Raheem Sterling (31).

Arsenal Goals: 1.: 68:25min Mikel Arteta (8) penalty.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 20 Cissokho, 4 Toure, 37 Skrtel, 38 Flanagan; 10 Coutinho, 8 Gerrard, 14 Henderson (booked 47.min); 31 Sterling, 15 Sturridge (24 Allen- 66.min), 7 Suarez (9 Aspas- 86.min). 4-3-3

Subs not used: 1 Jones, 6 Luis Alberto, 12 Moses, 34 Kelly.

Arsenal Team: 1 Szczesny; 17 Monreal (28 Gibbs- 61.min), 6 Koscielny, 4 Mertesacker, 3 Sagna; 10 Wilshere (booked 59.min), 8 Arteta; 19 Cazorla, 11 Özil (7 Rosicky- 61.min), 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain; 12 Giroud (booked 47.min) (9 Podolski- 60.min). 4-2-3-1

Subs not used: 21 Fabianski, 23 Bendtner, 25 Jenkinson, 44 Gnabry.

Opta Match Stats: Liverpool-Arsenal

(Attack)

Attempts: 22-11

On target: 12-6

Blocked: 1-4

From outside the box: 7-7

From inside the box: 15-4

Shot accuracy: 57.1%-85.7%

(General Play)

Possession: 42.7%-57.3%

Duels won: 53.8%-46.2%

Aerials won: 41.7%-58.3%

Interceptions: 10-11

Offsides: 4-0

Corners: 6-6

(Distribution)

Total passes: 373-497

Long passes: 15.5%-7%

Passing accuracy: 78.8%-87.1%

Passing accuracy oppositional half: 63.8%-79.8%

Total crosses: 16-20

Successful crosses: 31.3%-20%

(Defence & Discipline)

Tackles: 35-16

Tackles won: 85.7%-75%

Clearances: 37-38

Fouls conceded: 14-14

Yellow cards: 1-2

Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Michael Oliver

Attendance: 44,701

Man of the match: Raheem Sterlinghttp

Toure howler costs Liverpool at West Brom

Sports - Football - Premier League - West Brom 1:1 Liverpool

A Kolo Toure howler cost Liverpool two points as his giveaway handed Victor Anichebe the leveller for West Brom to earn them a point at the Hawthorns.

It was the first Premier League draw between the two, the last one a 0-0 in 1984, 18 league meetings since having always produced winners.

And Brendan Rodgers' men looked on course for a win after a flat half in subdued atmosphere, which saw Daniel Sturridge tap one in to put the visitors ahead.

The Reds were nowhere near their best but in command when the SAS produced a fine buildup, Philippe Coutinho putting Raheem Sterling in nicely, before the youngster ran and passed in to Luis Suarez, whose quality slot into the box left Sturridge with an easy finish for his 14th of the season.
The Baggies weren't helped when their defender Jonas Olsson had to come off injured with a hamstring and be replaced by Diego Lugano just before the break.

But Pepe Mel must have said something right during the break, because his side came out a different team, much more open, attacking and in command.

Gareth McAuley produced a brilliant save from Simon Mignolet with a strong header off a Chris Brunt corner before the skipper pulled a superb stop out of the Belgian keeper himself.

A frustrating half for the visitors was crowned by Toure's blunder, the Ivory Coast defender passing the ball back to substitute Anichebe, who made no mistake from 25 yards out, levelling the score with a right-footer across and in.

The game ended tense with end-to-end-stuff and scruffy tackles and clumsy play, unable to produce a breakthrough for either side.

The draw keeps Liverpool in fourth, but opens the gap to the top three further.

West Brom Goals: 1.: 66:25min Victor Anichebe (16).

Liverpool Goals: 1.: 23:56min Daniel Sturridge (15).

West Brom team: 1 Foster; 6 Ridgewell (booked 62nd min), 3 Olsson (14 Lugano- 41st min, booked 86th min), 23 McAuley, 28 Jones; 11 Brunt, 5 Yacob (booked 15th min), 21 Mulumbu (booked 82nd min), 22 Gera; 38 Berahino (16 Anichebe- 63rd min), 20 Vydra (17 Dorrans- 76th min). 4-4-2 Subs not used: 2 Reid, 10 Sinclair, 13 Myhill, 18 Amalfitano.

Liverpool team: 22 Mignolet; 20 Cissokho, 4 Toure, 37 Skrtel, 38 Flanagan (34 Kelly- 74th min); 14 Henderson, 8 Gerrard (booked 81st min), 10 Coutinho (24 Allen- 74th min); 15 Sturridge, 7 Suarez (booked 74th min), 31 Sterling. 4-3-3 Subs not used: 1 Jones, 6 Luis Alberto, 9 Aspas, 12 Moses, 33 Obe.

Match Stats: 1st & 2nd half: West Brom-Liverpool
Attempts: 4-5 & 8-5
On target: 0-1 & 4-2
Offsides: 0-1 & 0-1
Corners: 1-2 & 2-2
Free kicks: 5-7 & 8-5
Possession: 60%-40% (17th min), 48.3%-51.7% (HT) & 50%-50% (FT)
Pass Success Rate: 74%-80.82% (HT) & 75%-76% (FT)

Referee: Kevin Friend
Man of the match: Raheem Sterling & Zoltan Gera

Liverpool thrash Everton 4-0 in derby thriller

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 4:0 Everton

Liverpool enjoyed their biggest Merseyside derby win since 1982, thrashing their local rivals Everton 4-0 in an enthralling encounter at Anfield.

The hosts came out all guns blazing from kick-off, countering any chances or flow of play by the Toffees with breath-taking speed and lethal combinations.

Skipper Steven Gerrard opened the scoring in the 21st minute, heading in a Luis Suarez corner in to the left corner of the net, a fine goal after a fine start in his 28th derby.

Any resistance by the Toffees was killed off when Romelu Lukaku was forced off injured, to be replaced by Steven Naismith, after just 25 minutes, before a Daniel Sturridge double, two goals in two minutes, sealed the three-point deal for the Reds.

The England striker first clipped one in past Tim Howard after a perfect slide-through ball by Philippe Coutinho, followed by a high loft over the forward running American keeper to make it 3-0 after 35 minutes.

Roberto Martinez's men created some chances but struggled to cope with the Reds' front line, their speed and power especially on the counter, and saw three bookings for their frustration.

Suarez added to the visitors' misery five minutes after the break, netting Liverpool's fourth of the day and the Uruguayan's 23rd of the season for the club, after a fine counter.

And it could have been worse for the Toffees, when Howard brought down Raheem Sterling in the box to give Sturridge the chance for a hat-trick from the spot, which the 24-year-old blew cringingly over the bar.

The win keeps Brendan Rodgers' men on track for the top four, on 46 points, three ahead of Tottenham in fifth and four behind Chelsea in third.

Liverpool goals: 1.: 21st min Steven Gerrard (8), 2. & 3.: 33rd & 35th min Daniel Sturridge (15), 4.: 50th min Luis Suarez (7).

Liverpool team: 22 Mignolet; 20 Cissokho, 37 Skrtel, 4 Toure, 38 Flanagan (34 Kelly- 73rd min); 10 Coutinho (6 Luis Alberto- 79th min), 14 Henderson, 8 Gerrard, 31 Sterling; 15 Sturridge (12 Moses- 71st min), 7 Suarez. 4-4-2 Subs not used: 1 Jones, 9 Aspas, 33 Ibe, 44 Smith.

Everton team: 24 Howard; 3 Baines, 6 Jagielka, 32 Alcaraz, 26 Stones; 18 Barry (booked 48th min), 16 McCarthy; 22 Pienaar (booked 38th min) (21 Osman- HT), 20 Barkley (7 McGeady- 76th min), 11 Mirallas (booked 51st min); 17 Lukaku (14 Naismith- 25th min). 4-2-3-1 Subs not used: 1 Joel, 2 Hibbert, 19 Gueye, 29 Garbutt.

Match stats 1st & 2nd half: Liverpool-Everton Attempts: 11-5 & 6-5
On target: 8-1 & 1-3
Offsides: 1-0 & 0-0
Corners: 2-4 & 3-4
Free kicks: 7-4 & 5-6
Possession: 41.6%-58.4% & 39.4%-60.6%
Passing success rate: 80%-84.8% & 78%-84.85%

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Attendance: 44,450
Man of the match: Daniel Sturridge

Premier League Season So Far

Sports - Football - Premier League - Season So Far

And we have already reached the halfway point of the season!

So, here is a little overview of what we have enjoyed so far:

180 matches played

479 goals scored

First goal

Daniel Sturridge for Liverpool against Stoke City (17 August 2013)

Fastest goal after 12 seconds

Asmir Begovic for Stoke City against Southampton (2 November 2013)

Top scorer with 19 goals, including 2 hat-tricks

Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

Top keepers with 8 clean sheets

Tim Howard (Everton),

Jussi Jääskeläinen (West Ham),

Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) and

Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal)

Biggest home win

Manchester City 7-0 Norwich (2 November 2013)

Biggest away win

Tottenham 0-5 Liverpool (15 December 2013)

Highest scoring

Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal (14 December 2013)

Longest winning run with 5 games

Arsenal

Longest unbeaten run with 10 games

Everton

Longest winless run with 8 games

Crystal Palace, Stoke City, Sunderland and West Brom

Longest losing run with 7 games

Crystal Palace

Most yellow cards with 43

Aston Villa

Most red cards with 5

Sunderland

Main offenders with 6 bookings

Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle)

Youssuf Mulumbu (West Brom)

Jonas Olsson (West Brom)

Angel Rangel (Swansea)

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Main offender with 2 red cards

Wes Brown (Sunderland)

Highest attendance with 75,350

Manchester United 3-1 West Ham (21 December 2013)

Lowest attendance with 19,242

Swansea 3-3 Stoke City (10 November 2013)

Total attendance 6,581,006

Average attendance 36,561

10 managerial changes

Everton David Moyes replaced by Roberto Martinez (5 June 2013)

Stoke City Tony Pulis replaced by Mark Hughes (30 May 2013)

Chelsea Rafael Benitez replaced by José Mourinho (3 June 2013)

Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson replaced by David Moyes (1 July 2013)

Sunderland Paolo Di Canio replaced by Gus Poyet (8 October 2013)

Crystal Palace Ian Holloway replaced by Tony Pulis (23 November 2013)

Fulham Martin Jol replaced by René Meulensteen (1 December 2013)

West Brom Steve Clarke to be replaced

Tottenham André Villas-Boas replaced by Tim Sherwood (23 December 2013)

Cardiff City Malky Mackay to be replaced

Manager of the Month

August Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool)

September Arsène Wenger (Arsenal)

October Mauricio Pochettino (Southampton)

November Alan Pardew (Newcastle)

December to be announced

Player of the Month

August Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)

September Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

October Sergio Agüero (Manchester City)

November Tim Krul (Newcastle)

December to be announced

Table comparison after 19 games

Current position to last season

1 Arsenal +9 points, up 4 places

2 Manchester City +2 points, same place

3 Chelsea +2 points, same place

4 Everton +4 points, up 1 place

5 Liverpool +11 points, up 5 places

6 Manchester United -12 points, down 5 places

7 Tottenham +1 point, down 3 places

8 Newcastle +13 points, up 7 places

9 Southampton +10 points, up 9 places

10 Hull City promoted from the Championship

11 Swansea -4 points, 2 places down

12 Stoke City -7 points, 4 places down

13 Aston Villa +2 points, 3 places up

14 Norwich -6 points, 3 places down

15 West Brom -15 points, 9 places down

16 Cardiff City promoted from the Championship

17 Crystal Palace promoted from the Championship

18 Fulham -5 points, 4 places down

19 West Ham -8 points, 7 places down

20 Sunderland -8 points, 7 places down

Main gainers

Newcastle +13 points, 7 places up

Main losers

West Brom -15 points, 9 places down

Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 to extend league lead

Sports - Football - Premier League - Arsenal 2:0 Liverpool

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points after beating Liverpool comprehensively and impressively 2-0 at the Emirates.

The Gunners took the lead after 19 minutes thanks to Santiago Cazorla who recovered and reacted the quickest and superbly netting the rebound with a fine half-volley after his initial header had come off the post.

Aaron Ramsey doubled the score just before the hour mark with a stunning smacker of a strike from outside the box, his tenth goal of the season.

The Reds did have the ball in the back of the net halfway through the first half after Luis Suarez took a quick free kick, given against Bacary Sagna for his push on the Uruguayan, which found Daniel Sturridge who crossed for Jordan Henderson to tap it in - only for referee Martin Atkinson to pull play back and book the Arsenal defender.

Brendan Rodgers' changes in the second half did improve the visitors' play, possession and attack, but the league leaders stayed in control thanks to a solid and dominant midfield, rewarded and capped off by the outstanding strike from Ramsey.

Suarez hit the post late on and Sturridge saw Wojciech Szczesny's clearance bounce off him, but straight back into the goalkeeper's gloves. It was just not their day.

Arsene Wenger can be more than happy after seeing his side take the lead in nine of their last ten fixtures and record 25 of the last available 27 points, the best record in the Premier League.

Another interesting stat/note: The Gunners are the only team to score in each of their league matches this season, the only other in the top four divisions is League One leaders Leyton Orient!

Liverpool meanwhile, will be relieved by Chelsea's 2-0 slip-up at Newcastle and draws for Southampton, Tottenham and Everton, which keeps them in third place.

Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool

Arsenal Goals; 1.: 18:32min Santiago Cazorla (19), 2.: 58:36min Aaron Ramsey (16).

Arsenal Team: 1 Szczesny: 28 Gibbs (5 Vermaelen -78.), 6 Koscielny, 4 Mertesacker, 3 Sagna (booked 26.); 8 Arteta, 16 Ramsey ; 19 Cazorla (25 Jenkinson - 84., booked 90.), 11 Özil, 7 Rosicky (17 Monreal - 72.); 12 Giroud. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 21 Fabianski, 23 Bendtner, 37 Akpom, 45 Haydon.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 17 Sakho, 37 Skrtel, 4 Toure; 21 Lucas; 20 Cissokho (booked 28.) (10 Coutinho - 45.), 14 Henderson, 8 Gerrard, 38 Flanagan (12 Moses - 68.); 7 Suarez, 15 Sturridge. 3-1-4-2
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 5 Agger, 24 Allen, 31 Sterling, 34 Kelly.

Opta Match Stats: Arsenal-Liverpool

(Attack)
Shots: 12-12
On target: 7-4
Blocked: 1-2
From outside the box: 3-4
From inside the box: 9-8
Shot accuracy: 63.6%-40%

(General Play)
Possession: 54.3%-45.7%
Duels won: 52.1%-47.9%
Aerial duels won: 45.5%-54.5%
Interceptions: 13-17
Offsides: 1-4
Corners: 3-5

(Distribution)
Total passes: 612-511
Long passes: 6%-7.4%
Passing accuracy: 85%-84.5%
Passing accuracy opp. half: 79.9%-76.6%
Total crosses: 14-21
Successful crosses: 7.1%-28.6%

(Defence & Discipline)
Tackles: 31-28
Tackles won: 83.9%-78.6%
Clearances: 17-26
Fouls conceded: 11-7
Yellow cards: 2-1
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Attendance: 60,042
Man of the match: Aaron Ramsey