#1 Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal - English Premier League, April 2009
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Another season in which Liverpool were chasing the title. Another game against Arsenal which seriously dented those hopes. Liverpool took on Arsenal at Anfield in what was a key game for the Reds. A win would take them two points clear at the top of the table, over their bitterest of rivals, Manchester United.
Unfortunately for the Liverpool faithful, things didn’t quite go as planned. Arsenal took the lead through Andriy Arshavin in the 36th minute. Fabregas spotted a gap in the crowded penalty box and threaded a pass through to the Russian, who put it in off the crossbar.
Liverpool hero Fernando Torres restored parity early in the second half. Dirk Kuyt whipped a well-hit cross into the box, and Torres rose to head it powerfully into the bottom right. The Reds then took the lead in the 56th minute through another header. This time, it was Yossi Benayoun who put his name on the scoresheet.
It didn’t take long for the Gunners to respond. Arshavin took advantage of Alvaro Arbeloa’s lack of awareness to dispossess him and then fired a ridiculously powerful and accurate shot past Pepe Reina, who could do nothing. The scores were level again at 68 minutes.
The Russian completed his hat-trick two minutes later. This time, it was Fabio Aurelio’s error that proved to be fatal. He simply passed the ball straight to the striker in his own box. No forward worth his socks would waste that kind of opportunity, and Arshavin was worth a whole lot more than a pair of socks that day.
Just three minutes later, Torres put Liverpool back on even terms. The Spaniard picked up the ball in the box, turned to beat his marker, and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right.
Arshavin continued to torment the Liverpudlians when he scored what looked like the winner in the 90th minute. The Reds were vulnerable to a stunningly quick counter-attack which saw Arshavin beat Reina as he came off his line.
However, there was one more dramatic twist yet to come. Javier Mascherano headed the ball hopefully into the Arsenal box, and Benayoun was able to get to it and beat Fabianski for the late equaliser. The game ended 4-4.
Liverpool went on to finish second that season, behind eventual winners Manchester United.
