Arsenal grab freak lifeline to draw 1-1 at 10-man Liverpool

LIVERPOOL (AFP) – A late Pepe Reina own goal helped Arsenal salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Anfield after David Ngog had put Liverpool in front in a match that saw both sides finish with 10 men on Sunday.

After coming out to claim a cross in the 90th minute, Reina was put under pressure from Marouane Chamakh and spilled the ball over his own line to give Arsenal an undeserved equaliser.

Liverpool had played all the second half without Joe Cole while the Gunners’ Laurent Koscielny was also dismissed in injury time.

Cole was sent off just before the interval for a late tackle on the same player Koscielny but just a minute after the restart, Ngog thrashed home a fine shot from the right side of the penalty box to erase the memories of Cole’s sending off.

After the early-summer upheaval prompted by Rafa Benitez’s departure as Liverpool manager, new boss Roy Hodgson has steadied the ship and this encounter was his first real opportunity to prove that last season was forgotten.

He has convinced the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to stay at Anfield while former Chelsea midfielder Cole has also helped strengthen the squad.

Torres was only on the bench as he recovers from a thigh strain picked up in the World Cup final while for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger opted to give 18-year-old Jack Wilshere a start in midfield and summer signings Marouane Chamakh and Koscielny also made their Premier League debuts.

Early on, Dirk Kuyt and Glen Johnson cooperated effectively down the right wing to cause problems while Cole also did his best to get behind the Arsenal backline but Liverpool could not keep possession long enough to cause real harm.

Arsenal were no better in a poor start to the game and neither side could break the other’s defence down and Arsenal’s Gael Clichy’s resorted to shooting from 30 metres to try and break the deadlock.

After 32 minutes, Manuel Almunia created panic in Arsenal’s defensive ranks by flapping at a Gerrard corner but he was fortunate that the ball did not fall to a red shirt as the danger passed.

The first real chance of the opening period occurred when Milan Jovanovic beat Arsenal’s offside trap and chased down a Jamie Carragher ball but he slammed it into the crowd rather than the back of the net.

As half-time approached Johnson’s left-foot effort appeared to be dipping in but Almunia get a crucial touch to tip it over the bar and Ngog had a header from the resulting corner cleared off the line by Clichy.

But just as Liverpool looked like ending the first half as the stronger side, Cole then received his marching orders after diving in near the corner flag.

Yet despite the terrible first half, Cole’s dismissal had clearly inspired and galvanised Liverpool and they scored just a minute after the restart thanks to French striker Ngog.

He seemed to be going nowhere as he ran into the box but then thrashed the ball past Almunia to give Liverpool the lead.

The quality never really improved but Liverpool’s adrenaline was flowing quickest as Kuyt, Gerrard and Jovanovic all came to life.

It was not all defence from Liverpool though as Hodgson threw Torres on with just less than 20 minutes to go to give Arsene Wenger’s men something to think about.

As the end approached, Reina saved brilliantly from a Theo Walcott free-kick that seemed certain to go in but the Spanish keeper acrobatically flung himself to his left to preserve Liverpool’s lead.

However, as Arsenal pushed and pushed, Liverpool’s resistance finally broke and Reina cruelly dropped the ball over his own goal-line for an entertaining ending.

There was also just enough time for Koscielny to get dismissed for two bookable offences.