Arsenal's title hopes fade after Liverpool's late, late equaliser

Arsenal's title hopes did not suffer a quiet death. They have surely expired in the midst of tumult. An often-vapid match became gripping when each side converted a penalty far into the dozen minutes of stoppage time that followed a head injury to Liverpool's captain, Jamie Carragher.

The hosts took the lead four minutes before the close when Robin van Persie slotted home after Jay Spearing had brought down Cesc Fábregas. Arsène Wenger's side then confounded themselves. Luis Suárez's free-kick broke to Lucas Leiva and while he presented no danger the midfielder paused and let Emmanuel Eboué barge into him. Dirk Kuyt struck home the penalty with the last kick of the game. The referee, Andre Marriner had presided over 12 minutes when eight had been due. Further delays had extended a fixture prone to interruption.

There was professionalism from Lucas in gaining the penalty but Eboué had no cause whatsoever to make contact. It was a moment simply to shepherd an opponent towards the corner flag. Arsenal, with no games in hand, are six points adrift of Manchester United in the Premier League. On Wednesday they will be at White Hart Lane, where Tottenham Hotspur heads must swim at the opportunity of leaving their visitors' prospects of winning the title in greater ruin still.

So far as United are concerned, there has been immediate solace in this outcome after defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final. The match at the Emirates had largely been tame and, penalties aside, it may be remembered for a collision with a team-mate, John Flanagan, that saw Carragher carried off in the second half. Before the match had ended, it was reported that he had regained consciousness in the dressing room.

Amidst all the uproar, there should be a reasoned voice in the minds of Arsenal's management that tells them they have not been good enough. Openings were scarce here. That is not a new development. The two previous matches at the Emirates, against Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers, had been goalless and this encounter had much in common with those occasions even if the nets did tremble eventually.

Arsenal's forwards have stopped looking likely to pounce in open play and Fàbregas, a valuable scorer in some phases of his Emirates career, is not a threat in that respect for the time being.

Liverpool will still be proud of their resilience. Their celebrations over the equaliser were uninhibited, as if silverware had been clinched. It would be easy to mock that but their actions spoke of a revival in morale under Kenny Dalglish.

On paper this was not a specially imposing line-up. The right-back Flanagan, for instance, is a mere 18 years old. When the left-back, Fábio Aurélio, was hurt his place was filled by Jack Robinson, who is 17. Their presence does not speak of any sort of golden generation, but it does point to competitiveness at Anfield. That is, at the minimum, a starting point for renewal.

Few had pestered Arsenal with talk of the Premier League title. That subject seemed inappropriate for a side who have been beaten three times on their own pitch, although people tend not to appreciate just how they have atoned for such sins in the away matches. Arsenal were at risk early in this fixture when Spearing seemed to have been fouled inside the penalty area by Johan Djourou, after nine minutes. The referee did not see a foul. Where the hosts were concerned, the moment that gripped the home crowd in the first half was Laurent Koscielny's header against the bar from a Van Persie corner in the 16th minute.

The greatest concern for the visitors would, all the same, have been the collision between Carragher and Flanagan that saw a head brace fitted to the Liverpool captain before he was carried off on a stretcher, after prolonged treatment. Sotirios Kyrgiakos took over in defence and Arsenal, in open play, continued to flounder in their efforts to prise open a line-up that was becoming ever more secure, even if Van Persie did shoot against Reina in the 85th minute.

This is not Dalglish's first stint as manager of Liverpool but he does seem fresh. The same cannot be said of Wenger. His efforts on behalf of the club are prodigous and the debt to him can never be renewed, but that still leaves him having to start again. His sides are built for free-flowing football but there is just a trickle of goals for the time being. The centre-forwards, Van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner and Maroaune Chamakh, are not contributing enough. Come the summer, there will have to be an appraisal of this season and, reluctantly, Wenger could have to turn his mind to radical change at the club.

Source: Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 17 Apr 11