Top 5 Liverpool vs Arsenal games in recent history

To close out a pretty successful year, Liverpool are set to host Arsenal on Saturday. Expectations will be high, considering their past against one another. Anfield has seen some astonishing games between the Reds and the Gunners in the past.

It never ceases to entertain every single season, both in the Premier League and elsewhere. There are many memories attached to this fixture for both sets of supporters. A lot of drama has unfolded between these two ambitious sides.

Dating all the way back to 1989, Arsenal stunned Liverpool on their turf to steal the first division title from them. Since then, this fixture has been filled with some crazy games and performances from unlikely sources.

Teams have often been humiliated as well, as we would come to see. One such instance came in the 2007 League Cup quarter-final when Arsenal somehow won 6-3 at Anfield. The humiliation goes both ways.

This season should be no different. Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery faced off in an intense 1-1 draw at the Emirates. There are always fireworks when Liverpool face Arsenal at Anfield, with an average of five goals per game in their last five games.

This game has tilted title races, crushed spirits and wowed neutrals. This is the most entertaining game in the Premier League. This is Liverpool vs Arsenal and here are the five best installments of the fixture in recent history.

#5 Liverpool 3-3 Arsenal (2015-16)

Jurgen Klopp's first game against Arsenal as the Liverpool manager was a cracker. It was a cold night at Anfield in the middle of January when Roberto Firmino finally showed up as a Reds player.

The Brazilian scored a brilliant brace to show the Anfield faithful why former manager Brendan Rodgers spent close to £30 million to get him to Merseyside, even though it was Klopp reaping the benefits. Firmino's brilliance was canceled out by a couple of goalkeeping errors from Simon Mignolet.

It was 2-2 at half-time, but the game settled down in the second half. It looked like the Gunners would steal it courtesy of Olivier Giroud. But Liverpool would be rescued from an unlikely source.

Welshman Joe Allen popped up to slot home from a knockdown from Christian Benteke, in the dying moments of the game. It was a thriller, keeping Liverpool's spirits relatively high heading into their Europa League run and putting a damper on Arsenal's title challenge.

#4 Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal (2017-18)

Liverpool started the 2017-18 season in fine fashion, winning two out of their first three games. The third game was at home to Arsenal, a game where the Reds thumped them. This was our first taste of seeing the lethal front three in action. All of them showed how good they can be. Roberto Firmino opened the scoring with a header before Sadio Mane scored a fantastic goal, cutting in from the left wing.

After the break, we saw a bit of Salah sizzle as he ran from his own half to score a brilliant solo goal, making it 3-0. The game was done and dusted, before Daniel Sturridge put the icing on the cake to end the game at 4-0. It was Liverpool at their attacking best, as we knew them last season. Arsene Wenger's final game at Anfield was a grim one for him and his Arsenal side.

#3 Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal (2013-14)

Liverpool weresimply breathtaking here. — Liverpool

This game was the one which made the Liverpool fans start to believe that they could challenge for the Premier League title. Arsenal was top at this point with a cautious lead, but were utterly dismantled by the rampant Reds.

Martin Skrtel scored two goals in the opening ten minutes of this crazy game, much to the shock of the Arsenal players and supporters. Their misery was compounded with goals from Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge inside the first 20 minutes.

After that whirlwind opening stretch which saw Liverpool take an astonishing 4-0 lead, the game calmed down. Sterling would add another to make it a five-goal humiliation for Arsenal, before Mikel Arteta scored a penalty. This game was one of Liverpool's best in a season littered with goalfests, while another one embarrassing game for Arsenal's fragile defence. And astonishingly, Luis Suarez was not among the scorers.

#2 Liverpool 4-2 Arsenal (2007-08)

One of the greatest European nights at Anfield.

Back in 2008, English clubs consistently ruled Europe. Manchester United and Chelsea had reached the Champions League semi-finals, with Liverpool and Arsenal fighting for a place alongside them.

The first leg at the Emirates finished 1-1, leaving the tie as open as ever. Goals from Abou Diaby and Sami Hyypia made it 1-1 on the night at half-time. But the second half was one of the greatest in Anfield's illustrious history.

Fernando Torres produced a world-class effort to give Liverpool the lead, sending the Anfield crowd into a roar. However, Emmanuel Adebayor made it 2-2 with around five minutes to go. As things stood, the Gunners were going through on away goals.

But then, we saw the real magic of a European night at Anfield. Steven Gerrard perfectly slotted home a penalty to make it 3-2, before Ryan Babel scored on the counter to end the tie once and for all. It was truly a special night.

#1 Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal (2008-09)

Andrey Arshavin was the star of the show here.

This game was a Premier League classic. Liverpool had to beat Arsenal to keep their slim title hopes alive, but it would not prove to be an easy task at all. The Reds struggled to break down defenses in 2008-09, especially at home.

This game saw the best and worst of Rafa Benitez's side. They went behind at half-time through a goal from Andrey Arshavin. After the interval, this game descended into chaos. The next forty-five minutes would be one of the most entertaining halves of football in Premier League history.

Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun turned the game around for Liverpool in a matter of minutes before the show was stolen by the little Russian. Arshavin scored another two to tip the game in the Gunners' favour, before Torres scored his second to equalize for Liverpool again.

As the game entered stoppage time, it was Arshavin again who gave Arsenal a 4-3 lead, stunning the Anfield crowd with his fourth goal of the game. The Reds' title hopes disintegrated right there, even though Benayoun himself got another goal to end this crazy game at 4-4.

If Saturday's game is even a little bit like this, we are in for a treat.

Edited by Abhinav Munshi