Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool

Liverpool earn an important draw and away goal at Arsenal.

There was little to choose between the sides in the opening few minutes, both sides looked edgy and cautious.

Robin van Persie had a couple of half chances around the twenty minute mark, but it was his strike partner Emanuel Adebayor who found the net on 22 minutes.

It was a straightforward goal, van Persie took a corner from the right hand side, Adbeayor jumped, unmarked and headed strongly into the Liverpool net.

It didn’t take long for Liverpool to even matters up though, two minutes, Gerrard crossed from the left after driving into the penalty area and crossed into the six yard area, Dirk Kuyt outstretched Gael Clichy and the ball crossed the line to even the scores.

Theo Walcott replaced van Persie at half time, the Dutchman picked up a thigh injury. Walcott started brightly and his pace was testing the Liverpool defence.

Sixty five minutes into the action and Arsenal were having a good passage of play, play which should have earned a penalty when Hleb was brought down with a tug in the penalty area by Kuyt. Moments later substitute Bendtner was to blame for Arsenal not scoring, he cleared a goal bound shot from Fabregas on the line.

Arsenal were persistent in their attacking tactic and on 90 minutes Fabregas’s header could have swung the advantage back to Arsenal, but he directed the ball towards the keeper.

Liverpool will feel they have won the first leg having come from a goal down to draw level and claim an away goal.