Liverpool were left frustrated by 10-man Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield.
Granit Xhaka was dismissed after 24 minutes for denying a goalscoring opportunity – the Swiss midfielder catching Diogo Jota with a high challenge on the edge of his penalty area as he attempted to cut out Andrew Robertson’s pass.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could not punish Arsenal further from the resulting free-kick, however, and the visitors produced a resolute defensive display to leave on level terms.
Despite coming under intense pressure it was Arsenal who registered the first shot on target 71 minutes into the contest, but a poor first touch by Bukayo Saka allowed Alisson to smother the England international’s shot at close range.
Takumi Minamino blazed over the crossbar when faced with an open goal with Liverpool’s best chance of the match in the closing stages.
The second leg takes place at Emirates Stadium next Thursday at 19:45 GMT.
The winner will face Chelsea in the final at Wembley at the end of February, after Thomas Tuchel’s side completed a 3-0 aggregate victory over Tottenham on Wednesday.
More to follow.
Line-ups
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Alisson
- 66Alexander-ArnoldSubstituted forN Williamsat 76′minutes
- 32MatipSubstituted forGomezat 76′minutes
- 4van Dijk
- 26RobertsonBooked at 57mins
- 14Henderson
- 3FabinhoSubstituted forOxlade-Chamberlainat 75′minutes
- 7MilnerSubstituted forJonesat 61′minutes
- 20Jota
- 9Firmino
- 18Minamino
Substitutes
- 5Konaté
- 12Gomez
- 15Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 17Jones
- 21Tsimikas
- 49Gordon
- 62Kelleher
- 76N Williams
- 80Morton
Arsenal
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 32Ramsdale
- 17Cédric SoaresSubstituted forChambersat 11′minutes
- 4White
- 6GabrielBooked at 72mins
- 3Tierney
- 23Sambi Lokonga
- 34XhakaBooked at 24mins
- 7SakaSubstituted forTavaresat 81′minutes
- 9Lacazette
- 35Martinelli
- 30NketiahSubstituted forHoldingat 28′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Leno
- 16Holding
- 20Tavares
- 21Chambers
- 22Marí
- 58Biereth
- 65Oulad M’hand
- 82Hutchinson
- 87Patino
- Referee:
- Michael Oliver
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0.
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Second Half ends, Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0.
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Offside, Liverpool. Takumi Minamino tries a through ball, but Roberto Firmino is caught offside.
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Attempt missed. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
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Attempt missed. Neco Williams (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
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Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Calum Chambers.
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Attempt saved. Curtis Jones (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Virgil van Dijk.
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Attempt missed. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
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Attempt blocked. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
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Attempt missed. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Curtis Jones.
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Substitution, Arsenal. Nuno Tavares replaces Bukayo Saka because of an injury.
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Attempt missed. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Curtis Jones.
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Substitution, Liverpool. Neco Williams replaces Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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Substitution, Liverpool. Joseph Gomez replaces Joel Matip.
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Substitution, Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Fabinho.
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Offside, Liverpool. Diogo Jota tries a through ball, but Trent Alexander-Arnold is caught offside.
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Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Rob Holding.
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Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Diogo Jota (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal).
