close
close

Arsenal vs Liverpool: Premier League – live | Premier League

Important events

From the archive

“Phew, I would call it the game of the century, I don’t know what the game of the day is,” Wolstenholme huffed from the sidelines after the final whistle. Color analyst Walley Barnes – he was responsible for the late own goal in 1947 – turned awkwardly into the shot and agreed that “the play of the century is probably very correct”. Unfortunately, no one who went to Anfield that day would have been able to hear these Cholmondley Warner-style light-hearted banter. BBC2 had only been on air for four months and was only available in the London area. An estimated 20,000 viewers watched the story's broadcast – less than half of the day's 47,620 viewers – and viewers in Liverpool would have to make do with either The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, a western on BBC1, or ABC's western Sugarfoot. Today's multi-channel world of wall-to-wall tattooing suddenly doesn't seem so oppressive anymore.

share

Arsenal were criticized for excessive celebrations after a magnificent 3-1 win over Liverpool at the Emirates in February. And they will happily do it again if they win today.

share

Team news: Saka starts

Great news for Arsenal: Bukayo Saka has recovered from his hamstring injury and is in the starting lineup. Jurrien Timber is also fit to return, but Riccardo Calafiori didn't make it. In total there are three changes from the team that started in the defeat at Bournemouth last weekend. Saka, Timber and Gabriel Martinelli Replace Calafiori, Raheem Sterling and the suspended William Saliba. It looks like Ben White will play at centre-back in Saliba's absence.

Liverpool make three changes from last weekend's win over Chelsea, one of them forced. Darwin Nunez Covers for the injured Diogo Jota; Luis Diaz And Alexis Mac Allister are preferred over Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Arsenal (4-2-4 possible) Raya; Partey, White, Gabriel, Timber; Merino, rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Neto, Gabriel Jesus, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Sterling, Lewis-Skelly, Nichols, Nwaneri.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton.

referee Anthony Taylor.

share

Updated at

preamble

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Arsenal v Liverpool at the Emirates. As with many of the best games, you can make a good case before kick-off that one of the two teams is the favorite. Arsenal are at home and have won 15 of their last 18 games, but they are in a letdown and are without at least three key players. Liverpool are full of joy and have won all six away games under Arne Slot, but they haven't really proven themselves in the league. Three of their away wins came against teams in the bottom four; the other was at Old Trafford.

While Liverpool would love to signal their intention to win the title, it feels like an even bigger game for Arsenal – not so much that you have to win, but more that you can't lose. It doesn't feel right that a team with an outstanding Premier League record in 2024 – 26 wins, 21 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, 66 points – should be subjected to such scrutiny. But this is the life they chose, mostly to experience days like this. And they know that a defiant victory would end this trial before sundown.

Start 4:30 p.m.

share

Updated at