Arsene Wenger: 'Mental scars inflicted by Liverpool affected Arsenal at Anfield'

Arsene Wenger has admitted that last season's crushing defeat against Liverpool may have played a part in Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Anfield yesterday evening.

Martin Skrtel's bullet header in the seventh minute of added-on time at the end of the contest rescued a share of the spoils for the Reds, 10 months on from their 5-1 victory over the North London outfit at the same venue.

"Maybe bad memories from last season, that played a part," Wenger told reporters after the game. "Look, we had problems today to get our flow going. We didn't have enough possession in the game. In the first half I felt it was down to tactical and psychological reasons.

"In the second half we blocked them much better. After we went 2-1 up, we just let them come at us and didn't come out enough to score a third goal. As long as you don't score a third goal, you are under threat to concede a second goal.

"We played with three strikers, plus [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain and [Santi] Cazorla - that's basically five offensive players and I felt that we didn't create enough today. We conceded a corner which was a bit unlucky and where we were guilty, we didn't jump at all with Skrtel on the corner and from then on we conceded 2-2."

The draw leaves Arsenal four points adrift of West Ham United, who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.