Arsenal v Liverpool – live! | Scott Murray

• Hammer F5 or click on auto-refresh for all the latest action • Ping your emails towards scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • Keep up to date with our Live Scores service • Please sign the e-petition demanding full disclosure of all government documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster 17 min: The news is that Koscielny’s back has gone into spasm. 15 min: Koscielny is being helped off the pitch. This is terrible to see. It’s all he can do to hobble. He’s in a whole world of pain. The 18-year-old Ignasi Miquel comes on for his debut. 14 min: This looks bad for Arsenal: Koscielny is trotting up the pitch with the ball at his feet and he suddenly pulls up, holding the small of his back. As he drops to his knees, he pounds the turf with his fist, then shakes his head. I’m not sure he’ll be able to continue. He looks in a lot of pain. 12 min: Arsenal are clearly up for this. Walcott and Arshavin both receive a lecture from the referee for their up-and-at-’em style. 10 min: Arsenal are looking really dangerous. Walcott tears down the right and sends a lovely low ball across the front of the six-yard box. Arshavin can’t quite get there, though. Not sure where Van Persie was. Maybe he was close at hand too, so let’s not jump to conclusions. 8 min: The youngster Frimpong – 19, he is – is booked for squaring up to Henderson over a throw-in. He’s got the proper heat on! He’s got the Arsenal genes, this lad, for sure. 7 min: This is a rare old start, with most of the attacking effort coming from the home side. Yet another corner for Arsenal, down the left, Vermaelen winning a header at the far post but only glancing it well wide right. 6 min: Arsenal stream up the other end and win a corner down the right. The ball falls to Arshavin, free on the penalty spot, who shanks a dreadful effort away at 90 degrees. Liverpool clear. There was a half-arsed shout for a penalty as Kelly and Ramsey bustled at the near post, but nobody’s heart was really in it. 5 min: A low ball into the Arsenal box from the right by Downing. Kuyt should get hold of it with a view to shooting, or help it on, or something, but he lets a dangerous ball roll under his feet and through to Szczesny, who snaffles. 4 min: A minute or so’s worth of pressure from Arsenal, including a couple of pretty triangles down the inside-left channel involving Nasri, and one corner on the left that comes to nothing. 2 min: Liverpool’s new expansive style: Adam launches a free kick into the Arsenal area towards the head of Carroll. Hmm. “Suarez on the bench? Henderson on the pitch? And people are talking about Wenger being the one who has gone crazy?” splutters Luke Stevenson. And we’re off. Arsenal set the ball rolling. There’s some atmosphere at the Emirates. Walcott goes trundling after a long ball down the right, but Jose Enrique gets his body in the way and earns the visitors a free kick. A nice understated start to the match, and no wonder: these poor sods had to play 111 minutes last time round. The teams are out! Arsenal are sporting their traditional red and white shirts, with their new faux-traditional crest with surrounding shrubbery. Liverpool are in their all-black away strip. “Given Wenger’s record, surely the only surprise is that he hasn’t made Nasri captain,” quips the tinder-dry Chris Sturrock. In the meantime: If you’ve not signed the petition yet demanding full disclosure of all government documents relating to 1989 Hillsborough disaster – something Government flunkies are outrageously opposing – please take a minute to do so. Whoever you support. Kick off: 12.45pm. Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire). Liverpool, with Luis Suarez on the bench?! Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Jose Enrique, Lucas, Henderson, Adam, Downing, Kuyt, Carroll. Subs: Doni, Meireles, Suarez, Maxi, Spearing, Skrtel, Flanagan. Arsenal, and please put your hands together, ladies and gentlemen, for Mr Samir Nasri! Szczesny, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Sagna, Frimpong, Ramsey, Nasri, Arshavin, Walcott, van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh, Miyaichi, Lansbury, Miquel, Bendtner. The last time Kenny Dalglish set about totally rebuilding a Liverpool side, his new charges announced themselves at the Arsenal. On the opening day of the 1987 season, a beautiful late summer’s day at Highbury, in front of the biggest league attendance for nearly three years – a whopping 54,703, kids – Dalglish’s big-name summer signings John Barnes and Peter Beardsley combined to set up the almost-box-fresh John Aldridge on nine minutes. Paul Davis levelled the scores on 17, before Steve Nicol settled an end-to-end game with a header from outside the box . The parallels with today aren’t exact – it’s not the opening day, this isn’t Highbury, and nobody’s expecting the title to end up at Anfield this season – but just like then, this is an unfamiliar Liverpool side that piques the interest. And just like back in those early George Graham days – a young Tony Adams at one end, Arsenal new boy Alan Smith at the other – the modern post-Cesc Gunners are in transition too. So here’s hoping for another belter between two slightly uncertain teams, whichever way it goes. Premier League Premier League 2011-12 Arsenal Liverpool Scott Murray guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 20, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.