Premier League
Arsenal
Nov 2, 2013 5.30pm
2
0
HT : 1 0
FT
Liverpool
  • Santi Cazorla 18' goal
  • Bacary Sagna 25' yellowcard
  • Aaron Ramsey 58' goal
  • Carl Jenkinson 89' yellowcard
  • yellowcard Aly Cissokho 27'

Live Commentary: Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool - as it happened

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Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool - as it happened
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Arsenal moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

Santi Cazorla opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 18th minute when he fired past Simon Mignolet after hitting the post with his initial effort.

The victory was then sealed on the hour as Aaron Ramsey found the net in spectacular fashion from long range.

Read Sports Mole's minute-by-minute report below to find out how the action unfolded in North London.

7.23pmAnyway, that's all from me for now. Thank you very much for your company and we hope to see you again soon here on Sports Mole. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
7.22pmThe full-time whistle goes and Arsenal move five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Liverpool. Santi Cazorla got the Gunners on their way in the 18th minute before Aaron Ramsey wrapped up the victory on the hour with a superb long-range strike.
90+3 minFULL TIME: ARSENAL 2-0 LIVERPOOL
90 minThree minutes of added time to be played.
86 minMISS! Oh dear, Luis Suarez. The Liverpool striker is gifted the ball by the Arsenal defence but can only slide his shot wide of goal. Sturridge was waiting in the middle and looks furious with his teammate for not playing him in.
84 minSUBSTITUTION: Arsenal final change of the evening sees goalscorer Santi Cazorla replaced by Carl Jenkinson.
82 minSturridge manages to get a shot away from a tight angle, but Szczesny is there to push the danger away. The Polish goalkeeper then does well to come off his line quickly and deny Coutinho.
80 minTen minutes left plus stoppages at the Emirates Stadium. Is there a way back for Liverpool? They're really struggling to break down the Arsenal defence, which has looked solid all evening.
77 minSUBSTITUTION: Kieran Gibbs is forced off for Arsenal with what looks like an ankle knock. On in his places comes Thomas Vermaelen.
75 minOzil just about gets the ball out from under his feet before prodding a shot towards goal. However, Mignolet gets down to make the save. This match is opening up quite a bit now, which could benefit Arsenal more than Liverpool.
74 minOFF THE POST! Almost a way back into this match for Liverpool as Suarez hits a shot with the outside of his boot inside a crowded penalty area, but his clever effort flicks the outside of the post.
71 minSUBSTITUTION: Arsenal's first swap of the match sees Tomas Rosicky come off for Nacho Monreal.
70 minThere's a real lack of spark up top for Liverpool at the moment. They're starting to see more of the ball, but Arsenal are defending doggedly.
67 minSUBSTITUTION: Here comes a second change for Liverpool as Victor Moses replaces Jon Flanagan. Brendan Rodgers is going all out to get something from this now. Just over 20 minutes remaining.
64 minHenderson gets some space down the right before floating a cross into the Arsenal box, but Szczesny is there to collect. It's hard to see where a Liverpool goal is going to come from at the moment, such is the confidence flowing through this Arsenal side.
62 min

60 minArsenal are absolutely flying now. The Emirates Stadium is in full voice and the Gunners look like they are going to go five points clear at the top of the table. Can Liverpool get themselves back into this?
58 minWhat an incredible goal from Aaron Ramsey! The Arsenal midfielder received the ball on the edge of the box before lashing an unstoppable half volley past Mignolet and into the top corner. Amazing.
58 minGOAL! ARSENAL 2-0 LIVERPOOL (RAMSEY)
57 minCHANCE! Another opportunity falls Giroud's way as he's played in by Cazorla, but the Frenchman can only poke the ball at Mignoley from close range. In fairness that was a tricky one because he was on the stretch and had a defender breathing down his neck.
55 minMISS! So close to a second goal for Arsenal! Toure's pass to Skrtel is a poor one, allowing Giroud to intercept. However, the Frenchman's dinked finish goes wide of the post. Was he being too cute there?
52 minCoutinho has looked bright since he's come on for Liverpool. The visitors certainly lacked his vision in the first half. It's all a bit end to end at the moment, with both teams surging forward whenever they get on the ball.
48 minCHANCE! The ball breaks for Suarez down the right, and the Uruguayan is allowed to run towards goal. He tries to clip the ball to the back post, but he puts too much on it. Henderson then smashes the ball at goal, only to blaze over the crossbar.
46 minAnyway, the players are back out and it will be Arsenal to kick this second half off. Meanwhile, there has been a change for the visitors, with Philippe Coutinho replacing Aly Cissokho.
6.29pmAs it stands, Arsenal will be going five points clear at the top of the table.
6.27pmPREMIER LEAGUE FULL-TIME RESULTS: Fulham 1-3 Manchester United Hull City 1-0 Sunderland Manchester City 7-0 Norwich City Newcastle United 2-0 Chelsea Stoke City 1-1 Southampton West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Crystal Palace West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa
6.25pmThere have already been seven full-time results in the Premier League today, so here they come in case you've missed them...
6.19pmTo be fair, the home side deserve to be ahead. They've been just that little bit brighter than the visitors, though Liverpool looked dangerous on the break during that opening 45 minutes.
6.17pmReferee Martin Atkinson blows the half-time whistle and it's Arsenal who lead Liverpool 1-0 thanks to Santi Cazorla's 18th-minute goal.
45+1 minHALF TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 LIVERPOOL
45 minOne minute of added time has been awarded.
44 minWIDE! Almost a second for Cazorla as he gets a low shot away on the edge of the box that goes narrowly wide of the post.
43 minDecent play from Giroud to work some space down the left side before delivering a cross into the middle, but yet again there is not another red shirt in there.
40 minOzil is looking a bit frustrated for Arsenal at the moment. The German has had little involvement so far, though Liverpool will not want to take their eye off him.
38 min

35 minThat's great work from Sturridge, twisting his way past the Arsenal defence down the right side. However, he runs the ball out of play for a goal kick. Arsenal don't want to give him that kind of space too often as he will most likely punish them.
33 minA moment of worry in the Arsenal defence there as Sturridge is put through on goal, though the linesman's flag is raised for offside.
30 minLiverpool get an effort on goal this time through Sturridge, but the striker's shot is a weak one that Szczesny deals with comfortably. It's still Arsenal who look more likely to get a second goal at the moment.
27 minSAVE! Mignolet is called into action again as he is forced to push away Ramsey's effort from the edge of the box. Meanwhile, Aly Cissokho goes into the book for a foul on Sagna.
25 minYELLOW CARD: A bit of controversy here as Bacary Sagna gets booked for a foul on Suarez. The Liverpool striker got up quickly to play in Sturridge before Henderson tapped the ball into the net, but referee Martin Atkinson called play back to show Sagna the yellow card.
24 minLiverpool have gone into their shells a little bit after that goal, with all of the momentum now with Arsenal. However, the visitors are still looking threatening on the break with the pace of Suarez and Sturridge.
22 min

20 minThat goal didn't come against the run of play as such, but Arsenal have struggled in the final third for most of this first half. Cazorla gets another chance from about 25 yards that Mignolet does well to hold.
18 minArsenal lead an it's Santi Cazorla with a very clever goal! The Spaniard headed Sagna's cross against the posy but showed more alertness than the Liverpool defence to follow up and smash in the rebound. First blood to the Gunners.
18 minGOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 LIVERPOOL (CAZORLA)
13 minGerrard launches another free kick into the area, but this time Szczesny has to push the ball behind. The resulting corner is flicked on by a Liverpool shirt, though Koscielny sees off the danger.
11 minThe game remains an even one so far, though Arsenal are winning most of the individual battles in midfield. There's still a pretty tame atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium.
8 minCHANCE! Nearly an opening goal for Liverpool as Henderson was allowed to continue running into the Arsenal penalty box before scuffing a weak shot at Szczesny. The home defence disappeared there.
5 minSAVE! Early chance for Arsenal as Rosicky gets a shot away on the angle, only for Mignolet to get down low and push the ball away. The midfielder had to shoot there as he had no one to aim for in the middle.
3 minIt's been an even opening to this match, with both sides just getting an early feel of the ball. The visitors had a free kick in a promising position a few moments ago, but Gerrard's cross into the box failed to get past the first man.
1 minThe pre-match rituals have been completed and it will be Liverpool to kick us off. Here we go!
5.26pmThe players are in the tunnel waiting to emerge onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium. For those of you who are interested, tonight's referee is Martin Atkinson.
5.23pmPREDICTION TIME: This one is very hard to call indeed considering the form of the two sides. On that basis, it's just too appealing to sit on the fence and call this one a likely draw. With goals, hopefully.
5.20pmAround 10 minutes to go until this one kicks off and the Emirates Stadium is filling up nicely.
5.16pmOne statistic that won't fill Liverpool fans with confidence is that there side has beaten Arsenal just once in the last 12 league matches between the sides. Could that all change today though?
5.12pmThe Gunners took four points from the two fixtures last season, with a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium coming after a 2-0 win for Arsene Wenger's men at Anfield.
5.10pmHEAD TO HEAD: It's been fairly even when these two teams have played each other down the years, with Arsenal winning 69 games to Liverpool's 75. There have also been 50 draws.
5.07pm

5.04pmAnyway, back to tonight's match. It has all the makings of a cracker at the Emirates Stadium as two of the Premier League's in-form teams go head to head. Hosts Arsenal are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league, with seven wins coming during that time. Meanwhile, Liverpool have picked up 10 points from their last four fixtures.
4.59pmAs you can see, that was quite the win for Manchester City today. There were goals left, right and centre as the Etihad Stadium as the Blues absolutely crushed Norwich.
4.57pmPREMIER LEAGUE FULL-TIME RESULTS: Fulham 1-3 Manchester United Hull City 1-0 Sunderland Manchester City 7-0 Norwich City Stoke City 1-1 Southampton West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Crystal Palace West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa
4.52pmMeanwhile, the one full-time result that we already know about happened earlier today as Chelsea went down 2-0 at Newcastle United. That result has given tonight's match that extra bit of spice as Arsenal can increase their lead at the top of the table to five points if they win, while Liverpool can go above the Gunners with a victory.
4.48pmThere are six other matches currently being played in the Premier League, though they should all be finished in the next couple of minutes. We'll bring you those results as soon as they are confirmed.
4.45pmArsenal make a total of seven changes following their midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Capital One Cup. Wojciech Szczesny, Bacary Sagna, Per Mertesacker, Kieran Gibbs, Mikel Arteta, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud all come in.
4.43pmARSENAL SUBS: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal, Jenkinson, Hayden, Akpom, Bendtner
4.41pmARSENAL: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Rosicky, Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla, Ozil; Giroud
4.39pmWhile news of Johnson's absence might fill some Liverpool fans with trepidation, they will be pleased to hear that Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho returns on the bench after over a month out with a shoulder injury.
4.37pmLIVERPOOL SUBS: Jones, Coutinho, Moses, Kelly, Allen, Agger, Sterling
4.35pmJust the one change for Liverpool following last weekend's 4-1 drubbing of West Bromwich Albion as Jon Flanagan comes in for Glen Johnson, who is missing through illness.
4.33pmLIVERPOOL: Mignolet; Flanagan, Cissokho, Toure, Skrtel, Sakho; Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson; Suarez, Sturridge
4.31pmHello there and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of this evening's top-of-the-table clash in the Premier League as Arsenal host Liverpool. What a mouth-watering encounter this one is tonight. We should have team news for you shortly.
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