Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
13th December 2009, Barclays Premier League

Arshavin stunner sinks Reds

A stunning effort from Andrey Arshavin and an own goal from Glen Johnson has given Arsenal a 2-1 victory against Liverpool at Anfield.

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The Reds had made a bright start and looked on course to take all three points when Dirk Kuyt gave them a deserved lead four minutes before half-time.

However, two goals in eight second-half minutes turned the game on its head and condemned Rafael Benitez's side to a sixth league defeat of the campaign.

It means Liverpool remain seventh, five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and 13 off leaders Chelsea.

Ahead of the showdown, the boss had made six changes from the side that lost to Fiorentina in midweek with Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard starting in the same match for the first time since the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on October 4.

The reunion of one of Europe's most potent partnerships made for a vibrant atmosphere prior to kick-off and Liverpool looked the more dangerous in the early exchanges.

The Gunners rearguard seemed stretched whenever the duo combined and a lightning break on 11 minutes should have resulted in the opener, but Torres hit his shot straight at Manuel Almunia after the skipper had sent him rampaging clear.

Less than a minute later and Gerrard was brought sprawling to the ground by an ill-timed challenge from William Gallas in the penalty area, but referee Howard Webb waved away his appeals for what appeared to be a cast-iron spot-kick.

With the Anfield air still charged with howls of fury and disappointment, the away side broke forward and manufactured their first opportunity of the match.

A Cesc Fabregas free-kick found Thomas Vermaelen in the area, but the free-scoring centre back guided his header way over, leaving the hosts to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

It was making for an enjoyable afternoon of football and a sublime move involving Gerrard and Kuyt created space for the powerhouse run of Johnson, but after some great approach play England's right-back failed to pick out Torres in the six yard box.

The former Portsmouth defender was pushing forward at every opportunity and twice saw efforts deflected to safety before Gerrard's side footer from the edge of the area was blocked by the body of Gallas.

The Gunners did enjoy a brief respite when Samir Nasri glided through the midfield and unleashed a 25 yarder that arrowed just past Pepe Reina's right-hand post. But there had been only one team in an entertaining first 45 and the Reds finally got the goal their efforts deserved on 41 minutes.

Fabio Aurelio, who was making his 100th appearance for the club, sent a devilish free-kick into the area. Almunia flapped under pressure from Lucas Leiva, allowing Kuyt to pounce on the loose ball and stab it into an empty net.

It was the Dutchman's sixth of the campaign and saw Liverpool break a club record of scoring in their 19th successive Barclays Premier League home match.

Up to this point Arsene Wenger's side had only shown brief glimpses of why they are regarded as one the most potent attacking forces on the planet, but after the interval they immediately looked more purposeful.

First Fabregas tested Reina at his near post with a fierce low drive before the visitors broke forward on 50 minutes and pulled level in the most fortunate of circumstances.

A neat move down the right saw Nasri race into the penalty area before cutting the ball low across the six yard box. Jamie Carragher could only hang a desperate leg at it, leaving Johnson to deflect a bizarre own goal beyond Reina.

It was particularly galling for the Spanish stopper, who must have felt he was on the verge of keeping a first clean sheet in 10 appearances against the Londoners. But it wasn't to be and before the hosts could recover they found themselves behind.

Last season Arshavin had put a huge dent in Liverpool's title hopes with a four goal salvo in a barnstorming 4-4 draw and he reproduced his Anfield heroics again on 58 minutes.

A clipped ball to the far post was miscontrolled by Johnson, allowing the Russian to seize possession and crash a thunderous shot into the top corner via the upright.

The home side were in desperate need of a lift and on 66 minutes Benitez turned to substitute Alberto Aquilani to try and boost his flailing team.

The Italian was already familiar with the Gunners having made his club debut in the Carling Cup defeat at the Emirates in October, but although he went close with a low shot from the edge of the box, the away side seemed more than comfortable at the back.

As the clock ticked down, Liverpool continued to press for the equaliser, but in truth, it never looked on the cards as Arsenal reignited their title challenge by taking all three points.

Liverpool 2-1 Wigan
16th December 2009, Barclays Premier League

Reds back to winning ways

Substitute Fernando Torres marked his 100th appearance for Liverpool with a goal as we moved to within five points of the Champions League places courtesy of a 2-1 win over Wigan.

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David Ngog opened the scoring with a ninth minute header before El Nino sealed the points as the Reds secured a first home triumph since October 25.

Charles N'Zogbia did pull one back for the away side in injury-time but it came too late to affect the outcome.

It means Rafael Benitez's men are now sixth in the table, three points behind Spurs and a further two off Villa in fourth.

The night may have ended in the celebration of three points but it had been the theme throughout, with Anfield marking 50 years since Bill Shankly's first match in charge.

Players from the great Scot's era formed a guard of honour to welcome the current crop onto the pitch while the Kop paid its own unique tribute with a mosaic sporting the words 'Shanks Legend.'

It was all set up for Benitez's men to cap the night with a victory and the Spaniard lay down a statement of his intent by picking a 4-4-2 formation that saw Dirk Kuyt lead the line alongside Ngog - and not Torres as had been anticipated.

In-keeping with the feel-good factor off the field, the hosts made a purposeful start and came close inside three minutes when Daniel Agger surged into space before unleashing a rocket that flew a few yards wide of Chris Kirkland's goal.

Five minutes later and the Latics were left thanking their lucky stars as Kuyt, Ngog and Yossi Benayoun all saw efforts hacked to safety following an almighty goalmouth scramble.

The writing was on the wall for the visitors, even at this stage, and when Fabio Aurelio sent a searching cross into the area, Ngog rose ahead of Kirkland to glance the ball home, ensuring Liverpool scored for the 20th successive home league game.

It was the youngster's sixth of the season and if that wasn't enough to justify his starting berth then his role in another sublime move on 16 minutes went some way to doing so.

The number 24 with a growing reputation broke down the right alongside Benayoun. Wigan managed to clear for a throw-in, but some quick-thinking from the Israeli sent Ngog rampaging towards the byline. The forward checked his run before crossing low to Kuyt who forced a superb reflex save out Kirkland with a powerful shot on the spin.

It was the best moment of the half for the former Reds keeper, who looked nervous throughout. Twice he missed crosses into the box, only for some heroic defending from Titus Bramble and Emmerson Boyce to deny first Kuyt and then Benayoun.

At this point there had been little evidence of Wigan as an attacking force but they finally tested Pepe Reina on 27 minutes when some inventive approach play by Hugo Rodallega ended with Jordi Gomes thundering a 22 yarder straight at our number 25.

The remainder of the first period was something of an anti-climax and it said much about the action in both penalty areas that the biggest round of applause from the crowd came when Torres began to warm up on 38 minutes.

The sight of El Nino must have spurred those in red into action as Benayoun almost doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time but he failed to connect with another pinpoint Aurelio delivery. There was even time for another chance but Ngog dragged just wide after the Brazilian's pass deflected into his path.

If those inside Anfield wondered if they would be made to pay for missed opportunities at the interval then sight of members of Shankly's family and players from the 1965 and 1974 FA Cup winning teams taking to the field ensured there was a very positive mood as the second 45 got underway.

The Reds responded in kind and after a couple of close calls Ngog cut the ball back for Kuyt whose shot on the run was instinctively tipped over the top by Kirkland.

Mascherano then fizzed a 30 yard piledriver into the Kop as Liverpool looked to mark their dominance with a second.

Wigan must have wondered how they were still in a match, but just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, Benitez opted to unleash Torres in place of Ngog just past the hour mark.

The Spaniard was eager to mark a century of appearances in red with a goal, but it was Agger who should have made it two when he completely missed his header with the goal at his mercy.

By the 75th minute the home side should have been out of sight, but they weren't, and Wigan broke forward and should have been level.

A free-kick was floated into the Liverpool area and as Reina came to gather he appeared to be blocked. However, the referee allowed play to continue and Jason Scotland crashed the stray ball against the bar.

Suddenly there was an air of anxiety in L4 but before the visitors could make it count, Torres did what he does best on 78 minutes.

The Spanish ace raced onto a through ball, rounded Kirkland, and although Bramble got a block on his shot, he had the presence of mind to take the rebound and side step his man before tapping home.

It was the perfect footnote to a night of landmarks at Anfield, and although N'Zogbia pulled one back in injury-time, the current Liverpool side held on to get their season back on track with three much-needed points.

Portsmouth 2-0 Liverpool
19th December 2009, Barclays Premier League

Masch off as Reds crash to defeat

Javier Mascherano was shown a straight red card as Liverpool went down to a 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon.

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The Argentina skipper received his marching orders on the stroke of half-time for a rash challenge on Tal Ben Haim after Nadir Belhadj had opened the scoring with a sizzling volley on 33 minutes.

Frederic Piquionne then sealed the three points for the hosts with a second goal eight minutes from time.

It means Rafael Benitez's men have now lost seven league matches this season and could fall further behind the top four if results go against them over the course of the weekend.

Prior to kick-off there had been concerns over whether the game would actually go ahead and the Liverpool players looked somewhat bemused as they took a pre-match wander on the frost covered turf.

For Jamie Carragher, a 600th appearance meant another milestone and he was hoping to mark it in the same way he had celebrated his 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th and 500th - with a clean sheet.

However, the prospects of that looked particularly dicey on six minutes when Michael Brown's lofted ball into the box saw Piquionne break the offside trap. The Frenchman looked odds on to score, but fortunately for Liverpool Pepe Reina was out to make a well-timed block.

In attack Fernando Torres was eyeing his 50th league goal in red and it could have arrived on 10 minutes but Ben-Haim stole it off his toe just when it looked like our number 9 would dispatch Andrea Dossena's cross beyond Asmir Begovic from eight yards.

Next it was Dirk Kuyt's turn to cause havoc in the Pompey penalty area but the Dutchman missed his kick after Steven Gerrard had headed Torres' cross into his path.

The Spaniard was enjoying a lively opening and twice went close to making the breakthrough midway through the half. First he saw a sumptuous curler arc inches wide of Begovic's upright before coming within a millimetre of turning home Gerrard's angled cross on the stretch.

Earlier in the season a trip to the south coast had proved profitable for the first five Barclays Premier League teams to visit, and given Liverpool's dominance it looked like another away side would be going home with all three points again.

But since the appointment of Avram Grant, Pompey have looked a different proposition and as the half wore on they began to pose a greater threat.

Hassan Yebda was denied an opening goal when his flying volley struck Carragher in the face and after more good approach play, it was no surprise when they took the lead on 33 minutes.

The Reds failed to deal with a driven ball into the box and although Reina denied Kevin-Prince Boateng's rasping volley, Belhadj was on hand to crash home from a tight angle.

It was a frustrating setback for Benitez's side but they could have been level just six minutes later. Gerrard swung a sublime free-kick to the far post where Daniel Agger ghosted in unmarked, only to put his free header over the bar.

It would prove a crucial miss too, as Liverpool suffered a major blow on the stroke of half-time when Mascherano was sent off for a foul on Ben Haim. The Argentina midfielder appeared to injure himself in the challenge and after lengthy treatment referee Lee Mason gave him a straight red card.

There was no denying that it would be an uphill battle in the second period and in recognition of that fact, the travelling Kop gave a heart-warming rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as it got underway.

It seemed to do the trick early on as Liverpool dominated the play and Dossena tested Begovic with a deflected shot from distance. It was the Italian's last contribution as he was replaced by Yossi Benayoun just minutes later.

In their attempts to get back into the game, the 10-men were always going to leave space at the back and Portsmouth would have been two ahead on 56 minutes if Carragher hadn't produced one of his trademark blocks to deny Piquionne.

Liverpool needed a flash of inspiration and they almost got it on 66 minutes when the skipper surged on to a loose ball and drove at the hosts' defence. Side-stepping his man, he fed Kuyt on the right edge of the area. The forward's cross was disappointing, but Gerrard regained possession and hit a shot that took two deflections before being brilliantly saved by Begovic.

More of the same was needed if Benitez's men were to restore parity, but with the game stretched Pompey were just as dangerous on the counter. The impressive Jamie O'Hara sent a volley on the turn just off target while somehow Piquionne headed wide with the goal at his mercy.

With time running out, Torres opted to go it alone and almost snatched an equaliser when his mazy run took him beyond five, only for a last-ditch tackle to deny him at the last.

An El Nino goal would have seen him become the fastest player in Liverpool's history to score 50 league goals, but it wasn't to be on this occasion, as Piquionne sealed victory when he turned Carragher and drilled home on 82 minutes.

Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
26th December 2009, Barclays Premier League

Reds secure Wolves triumph

Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun hit second-half goals as Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory over 10-man Wolves on Boxing Day.

The inspirational number eight capped his 200th Barclays Premier League match as skipper with a 62nd minute opener before the Israeli wrapped up the points courtesy of a deflected effort eight minutes later.

It means Rafael Benitez's men are now five points behind fourth placed Aston Villa, although the Villans could extend that advantage when they lock horns with Arsenal on Sunday.

In his pre-match press conference Benitez had identified the encounter with the Wanderers as 'must-win', and with Javier Mascherano suspended, he handed a first Barclays Premier League start to Alberto Aquilani.

The Reds were looking to improve upon a run of just three victories in 12 matches and they made a bright start, with Fabio Aurelio's 25 yard free-kick testing Marcus Hahnemann inside the opening 40 seconds.

The Anfield faithful had arrived anticipating a late Christmas gift from the men in red and they must have been pleased with Liverpool's attacking attitude in the opening exchanges.

Gerrard's guided shot from distance once again forced Hahnemann into action before the former Reading stopper showed superb agility to tip over Fernando Torres' piledriver, after the Spaniard had made space for the shot with a series of twists and turns.

But if those around L4 thought Wolves were going to lie down for the remainder of the game, then they were sadly mistaken, as first Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and then Nenad Milijas brought the best out of Pepe Reina before Kevin Doyle contrived to head a corner well wide from inside the six yard box.

A familiar air of anxiety was beginning to creep into the Merseyside air and Milijas almost had the visiting fans dreaming of an upset on 25 minutes, but he got his shot all wrong after being given the space to let fly from the edge of the area.

It had now transformed from a one-sided clash that had fans wondering how many Liverpool would score, into an evenly contested midfield battle.

In fact, it wasn't until the 44thminute that Hahnemann was forced to produce another outstanding save to deny Johnson, leaving Mick McCarthy delighted to see his side go in all-square at the break after weathering an early storm.

However, the second-half began similar to the first and after Gerrard had once again stung Hahnemann's fingertips, the visitors were reduced to 10 men.

Stephen Ward brought down Lucas Leiva just outside the area, leading to a second yellow card inside six minutes of the restart.

It was a moment that changed the complexion of the game and on 62 minutes a spell of reds pressure finally paid dividends.

Emiliano Insua drove down the left flank before delivering an inch perfect cross for Gerrard to guide home at the far post.

It was the skipper's fifth of the season and immediately changed the mood within the ground.

There was an extra spring in Liverpool's step and a fresh crispness to their passing. It was only a matter of time until the second goal followed and on 70 minutes the Reds gave themselves some breathing space.

Aurelio's fierce cross from the left skimmed off the head of a Wolves defender and fell kindly for Benayoun at the far post. The Israeli jinked inside before hitting a shot that deflected off Karl Henry into the roof of the Kop end net.

With the game won, Benitez opted to give a league bow to Daniel Pacheco and although no further goals were to follow, the Reds can now turn their attention to the crucial clash with Aston Villa on Tuesday night with renewed confidence.

Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool
29th December 2009, Barclays Premier League

Last-gasp Torres stuns Villa

Fernando Torres struck a record-breaking winner as Liverpool closed the gap on fourth spot with a 1-0 win at Aston Villa in their final match of 2009.

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The Spaniard drilled home deep into injury-time to give the Reds three precious points and become the fastest striker in the club's history to hit 50 league goals.

It means Rafael Benitez's side have secured back-to-back league wins for the first time since September and have now moved to within four points of fourth-placed Tottenham.

Going into the Villa Park clash, the Reds boss made just one change from the side that saw off Wolves on Boxing Day with Dirk Kuyt returning in place of Fabio Aurelio.

Many observers had suggested the encounter could prove significant in determining whether the Villans could gatecrash the so-called top four and it was the hosts who made the more positive start in wintry conditions.

As expected, the Reds rearguard were forced to deal with some early pressure but, for all their efforts, Richard Dunne's 14th minute header was the closest Villa came to troubling Pepe Reina.

As the half progressed the Liverpool players were visibly growing on confidence and they could have been ahead soon after, but for some magnificent goalkeeping from Brad Friedel.

Lucas arrowed a superb ball to Fernando Torres on the right side of Villa's defensive third. The Spaniard flicked a delightful pass to Gerrard who hit a stunning 25 yard effort that Friedel managed to tip over the bar on the stretch.

Villa responded and Milner fizzed a long range effort straight at Reina before the visitors were presented with another chance to test Friedel when Yossi Benayoun was tripped by Luke Young just outside the penalty area.

An inventive free-kick saw Daniel Agger feign a shot, allowing Gerrard to line up a 20 yarder that was deflected just wide.

The away side were looking lively in attack and could have had a penalty on 37 minutes when Dirk Kuyt appeared to be tripped. The Liverpool players appealed but referee Lee Probert was having none of it.

Stiliyan Petrov then latched onto Nigel Reo-Coker's angled pass inside the area and sent an overhead effort just over before the Reds were left thanking the agility of their Spanish stopper when Stewart Downing ghosted in unmarked at the far post, only to see his volley beaten away by the Liverpool custodian.

It had been an eventful first period and the visitors had shown enough to suggest they could improve upon their run of just two defeats in their last 22 meetings with Aston Villa.

Indeed, Liverpool continued to enjoy good spells of possession without really mustering a shot in anger until Alberto Aquilani curled a 30 yard free-kick just past the upright.

Villa had barely threatened Reina's goal, but could have stolen ahead on 70 minutes when Gabriel Agbonlahor shrugged off the attentions of Jamie Carragher and drilled a low shot that the Spaniard did well to block.

If the travelling Kop thought that was a let off, then they were left shifting even more uneasily in their seats when John Carew somehow guided a free header wide from the resulting corner.

All of a sudden Villa were in the ascendancy and Emiliano Insua survived another scare when a searching ball appeared to strike him on the arm in the Reds' penalty area.

Liverpool needed to find another gear if they were to snatch all three points and deep into injury-time Torres latched onto a loose ball and drilled a low shot across Friedel to do just that.