Five of the Best – Liverpool v Arsenal games

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Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool (2001) 

Sometimes due to the ridiculous amount of stupid things he says in his role as a pundit, it’s easy to forget just how good a player Michael Owen actually was.

Owen’s brilliance proved the difference as the two teams met in the 2001 FA Cup final in Cardiff. Arsenal battered Liverpool for the majority of the contest, though a combination of wasteful finishing and misfortune meant Freddie Ljungberg’s goal gave the Gunners just a marginal lead heading into the final stages.

With seven minutes remaining Owen levelled the scores with a close-range equaliser, before capping Liverpool’s comeback with a stunning second.

Patrick Berger pumped a hopeful long ball forward as Liverpool countered from an Arsenal corner, with Owen’s electric pace leaving Lee Dixon in his wake.

He darted past Tony Adams and nestled an inch-perfect left-footed finish into the bottom corner, sealing FA Cup success for Liverpool in a game that will forever be remembered as the Michael Owen Cup final.

Arsenal 4-2 Liverpool (2004)

Arsenal were headed towards the Premier League title during the 2003/04 season, though saw their proud unbeaten record come under threat as Liverpool visited Highbury in April.

The Gunners trailed at half-time as goals from Sami Hyypia and Michael Owen sandwiched a Thierry Henry effort for the hosts, before a second-half fightback continued the ‘Invincibles’ march towards immortality.

Henry’s brilliance decided the outcome of the game with the Frenchman – arguably the greatest forward in Premier League history – scoring a stunning hat-trick.

His third and Arsenal’s fourth was the pick of the bunch, a scintillating run through a succession of challenges before firing home.

OTD in 2004, Thierry Henry netted this hat-trick to help Arsenal to a 4-2 win over Liverpool

That second goal! 😍pic.twitter.com/2HBVgcYZSK

— The Football Faithful (@FootyFaithfuI) April 9, 2021

Receiving the ball from Gilberto Silva’s flick near the halfway line, Henry set off on an unstoppable run, driving past Didi Hamann and sending Jamie Carragher for a hotdog before rolling home a trademark finish into the bottom corner.

Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal 2009

As has so often been the case in great games between these sides, their 2009 meeting proved an utterly bonkers game of football, one which left title-chasing Liverpool broken-hearted.

Liverpool were in the midst of a title race with Manchester United and went into their clash with Arsenal knowing that anything but a win would hand the Red Devils the advantage.

What followed was a phenomenal performance from Arsenal’s winter window signing, as Andrey Arshavin ran riot at Anfield to kill Scouse dreams.

The Russian produced a sensational display to score four goals in a pulsating 4-4 draw, a result which dented Liverpool’s title hopes as Rafael Benitez’s side finished four points behind United.

Iconic Performances: Arshavin hits four at Anfield as Arsenal and Liverpool play out eight goal thriller

Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (2019)

A truly chaotic Carabao Cup contest as the two teams shared a staggering 10 goals, with penalties left to separate the sides as Liverpool progressed from an unforgettable cup clash.

Liverpool had led just once in normal time, taking an early advantage as Shkodran Mustafi diverted the ball into his own net. From there Arsenal roared back to take a 3-1 lead on Merseyside, first Lucas Torreira firing in an equaliser before a Gabriel Martinelli brace seemingly put the Gunners in control.