18.06: That was a pretty enjoyable way to spend an afternoon wasn't it? Thanks for joining me and I'll see you for Manchester United v Newcastle tomorrow night.
WRAP: Liverpool reacted admirably to Cole's dismissal by scoring just 59 seconds into the second half but couldn't quite muster up a second, despite having chances. Arsenal took an age to get into the game after the break but once they did, they were good value. The own goal was a complete freak but would Liverpool have taken 1-1 at half-time? Probably..
90+4 min: RED CARD for Laurent Koscielny. Justice done? The man that got Cole sent off will get first dibs on the showers after his handball leads to a second yellow card.
90+2 min: Big chance for Liverpool! Gerrard strikes a fabulous free-kick that Almunia stretches to save. Great shot, great save. Football the winner.
89 min: GOAL! Liverpool 1 - Arsenal 1 (Reina og 89') Are you Rob Green/Manuel Almunia/Chris Kirkland/Tim Howard in disguise? A Chamakh header comes back off the post and Reina tries to claim it but can only divert it into the back of the net. Horrible moment for the 'keeper.
87 min: Arsenal are pushing forward in numbers and Arshavin sends a ball deep into the box. Van Persie nods it into the goalmouth but the ball just evades Walcott from the resulting scramble.
85 min: Chance for Arsenal! The visitors work a beautiful move and Tomas Rosicky is give time to bend a lovely shot goalwards! But that's another great save from Reina.. He's claiming he didn't touch it but that was going in...
From Henry Winter on Twitter: "Bouncing time, Kop shaking, Anfield rocking:Torres on. Unbelievable noise. He stayed, he showed loyalty, now he wants to repay fans' love."
82 min: Penalty for Liverpool? 'No' says Atkinson.. Torres was closing in on goal and couldn't shake off the attentions of Koscielny so decided to go down. I've seen them given but the contact looked minimal..
79 min: We've entered a crucial stage of the game now and Arsenal fans won't be happy with Walcott wasting a decent position by doing a Jonny Wilkinson impression with cross/shot.
77 min: It's gone sub crazy here. Lucas is the latest to join in the fun, with Javier Mascherano heading to the bench with what looks like a little knock.
74 min: Anything you can do, we can do better say Arsenal, and bring on another World Cup finalist in the form of Robin van Persie, Diaby making way.
73 min: Goal-scorer Ngog makes way for Torres. Will he have recovered from his damp squib of a World Cup?
72 min: Chance for Arsenal. Walcott curls a free-kick past the Liverpool wall and Reina dives low to his left to divert it out for a corner. Not sure that was on target, but the Spaniard made sure.
71 min: Huge cheers for Fernando Torres as he prepares to enter the fray.
69 min: Arshavin puts one into the box and the ball drops down to Nasri who connects with a fizzing volley but Skrtel gets himself in the way of it.
67 min: Agger takes one in the face but recovers to help the hosts defend a corner. It's cleared but Rosicky whips a ball into to Vermaelen and he meets the cross! But his header is off-target. That was a chance for Arsenal.
64 min: Arshavin not having such a good time of it today, but his team-mate Nasri has started to regain control over the midfield tempo. Meanwhile Maxi Rodriguez comes on for Milan Jovanovic, who gets a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd after his solid shift.
59 min: Eboue is replaced by Theo Walcott and Wilshere makes way for Tomas Rosicky as Arsenal try to shake things up.
58 min: Jack Wilshere's shot is deflected and Arsenal win a corner. From the resulting set-piece the young midfielder has another chance that he fails to get hold of. Arsenal haven't come to the party in this half..
54 min: Ngog wins a free-kick after Vermaelen got a little too friendly with his arms. Gerrard dots the ball down and once again Arsenal will have to deal with a threatening set piece. Gerrard finds Ngog! But the striker balloons his header wide.. All Liverpool.
50 min: It's chaos in the Arsenal area as they struggle to survive two Liverpool corners. Anfield can smell blood.
47 min: Clichy concedes a free-kick and the ball is whipped into the box, with Almunia once again looking unconvincing. He's rattled and Liverpool would be well served by applying the pepper pot to his goal.
45 min: GOAL! Liverpool 1 - Arsenal 0 (Ngog 45') Doomed? Far from it! The ball is threaded into the box and Ngog takes a touch before beating Almunia at his near post with a searing shot into the roof of the net. Arsenal fans desperate for a new keeper were just given a whole new batch of ammo.
17.03: From Anthony via email: "Cole came across in front with one leg out (studs well clear of the defender) to stop the clearance. He didn't jump in two-footed and studs were not aimed at the defender's shin. Koscielny fell because of the tackle, so a yellow maybe, but Cole did not go in with two feet and did not 'absolutely crunch' Koscielny - he fell awkwardly."
Did I mention studs? I think you doth protest too much...
17.01: Seen the replay of the rouge incident again and it's maybe not a definite sending off but if you jump in like that you're not doing yourself any favours.. Hands up who had Joey in their fantasy team?
16.53: From Henry Winter on Twitter: "Stupid tackle, slight scissors, but LFC debating red."
WRAP: After the goal-fest yesterday this game seems mundane in comparison but in reality both teams are actually playing some nice stuff. Arsenal, with Nasri at the fore are looking the more fluent but had Cole stayed on then Liverpool would have gone into the break with plenty to be confident about. He's off though, so they're doomed.
HALF-TIME LIVERPOOL 0 - ARSENAL 0
45 min: RED CARD for Joe Cole. Koscielny clears it and Cole jumps in with both feet and absolutely crunches the Arsenal new boy. Atkinson had no choice but to send the England man off. Probably not malicious but definitely red-card material.
Another huge chance for Liverpool! Ngog outjumps Diaby from the resulting corner and Clichy has to act fast and clear it off the line.
44 min: Chance for Liverpool. Johnson plays a one-two with Kuyt then cuts in on to his left foot and unleashes a measured drive that Almunia has to tip over for a corner.
41 min: Arsenal were let down on a number of occasions by their defence last season, but on this showing it seems to have improved. Liverpool finding it difficult to manufacture any opportunities.
36 min: There's no doubting that Jovaonvic has endeavour and enthusiasm in spades but he could do with a bit of composure and a dash of finesse. He latches onto a through-ball and has a decent sight of goal but blazes his shot high and wide. That was half a chance and a bit of a waste, truth be told.
34 min: From Kristopher via email: "liverpool to come out on top 2 nil winners" Well they need to keep the ball first, Kris...
32 min: Arsenal fans having withdrawal symptoms from the Premier League will just have been heartened by the sight of Almunia helplessly flapping at a ball into the box. Just like old times, eh? He is saved by Martin Atkinson who whistles for an offence of some sort.
30 min: Gael Clichy finds himself in a bit of space in the Liverpool third and has a long-range dig that finds its way into the stands. Gio Van Bronckhorst v Uruguay that was not...
29 min: Fabio Capello is in the stands and overlooks the action in a pensive manner. "Gerrard would look so much better out on the left flank," he mulls (maybe).
27 min: Samir Nasri stands over a free-kick in a dangerous position for Arsenal but he strikes it against the wall. Average. He's not up to much with the dead ball today.
25 min: From Opta Joe on Twitter: "1 - Arsenal have just one English player in their starting XI vs Liverpool (Wilshere), fewer than any other PL team this weekend. Overseas."
24 min: Chamakh seizes upon an error by Jamie Carragher and runs into the heart of the Liverpool rearguard but no killer pass and no chance.
19 min: Jovanovic looks likely whenever he's on the ball and isn't coming up against a huge amount of resistance from the Arsenal midfield. Emmanuel Eboue gets on the ball in the Liverpool box after a flowing move, but Gerrard is there to track back and make a crucial intervention. A minute later Eboue is on the ball, and Gerrard treads on his foot to halt the Ivorian. Free-kick.
17 min: It seems an age since Vermaelen tested out Reina and this game could certainly do with a chance.
14 min: Kuty and Glen Johnson link up on the right and the England full-back puts an inviting ball into the box but Cole doesn't time his run well and can't connect.
12 min: Ngog strays offside after he tracked a Gerrard long-ball. Where's Bobby Zamora when you need him?
10 min: Liverpool have grown into this game and are starting to look a bit more like a Hodgson team with some nice measured passing.
From Graeme via email: "Prediction: Liverpool 2 Arsenal 1 - this will be the game that starts the 10/11 Premier league." Yep, the Spurs fans will love that..
7 min: Jovanovic comes to life and charges through the Arsenal midfield before rolling it out wide but Almunia gets well behind the cross.
6 min: It's certainly open out there and I'd be very surprised if we don't have a goal this half. Arsenal looking much more likely to score first at this rate.
4 min: Chance for Arsenal. The visitors win a free-kick and it is rolled back to Thomas Vermaelen who forces a great save from Pepe Reina, diving confidently to his right to knock it out for a corner.
3 min: Passing from Arsenal is nice and crisp, while Liverpool are all hustle and bustle in the opening exchanges. Gerrard is pinged for an over-exuberant challenge and the Gunners continue to dominate possession.
1 min: Great atmosphere at Anfield (even better in High Definition) and a driving run from Steven Gerrard raises the volume even louder.
16:00: Right I've heard 'Club Foot' about 20 times now. It must be time for kick-off? Yes it is... Let's go..
15.57: Joe Cole looks nervous in the tunnel. He's swapped the chance to make a 30-minute cameo in a 6-0 drubbing of West Brom for full shift at a packed out and expectant Anfield. Is he regretting it?
15.53: Teams are in the tunnel and after a summer break of all of about two weeks, they must be chomping at the bit. Dirk Kuyt, for one, played in the World Cup final just a shade over a month ago.
15.46: From Henry Winter on Twitter: "At Anfield.....Mancini, scouting, is charm personified. Signing autographs, posing for pix, joking with Liverpool staff about how young he looks.."
15.42: And what of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger? He has committed himself to the Gunners until 2014 but has also admitted that he may need to change his policy of developing young guns if this current lot don't do the business. Where do you stand? Spend or save?
15.36: Roy Hodgson was a hit with Fulham fans because he brought the best out of a group of players, who though talented, were either, through age or apathy, failing to live up to their potential. After Hodgson worked his magic, watching the Cottagers work their way up the league and make sensible use of players like Bobby Zamora brought a feel-good factor to the stands. Can he do the same at Anfield with some even more talented men at his disposal?
15.26: Teams are in and the big news is that Manuel Almunia starts as captain. That's especially interesting since every football fan in the country knows that Mark Schwarzer is on his way to replace him... Or is he? Liverpool are pretty much as expected with Milan Jovanović and Joe Cole making their Premier League bows for the Reds.
15.20: Can't wait? Why don't you have a read of Duncan White's brilliant piece on Hodgson, to whet the appetite.
15.15: Good afternoon, and welcome to the first major 'Big Seven' clash of the season. Roy Hodgson is making his Premier League debut in the Anfield dugout, while Arsene Wenger will be trying once again to live up to the huge expectations the Emirates faithful place on him. For neutrals it's just some class players having a kickabout on a Sunday. Enjoy.
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Actual football preview stuff
Liverpool v Arsenal team news
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger; Mascherano, Gerrard; Kuyt, Cole, Jovanovic; Ngog.
Subs: Cavalieri, Aurelio, Torres, Maxi, Babel, Lucas, Kelly.
Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Clichy; Eboue, Nasri, Diaby, Wilshere, Arshavin; Chamakh.
Subs: Fabianski, Rosicky, van Persie, Vela, Walcott, Song, Gibbs.
Referee: M Atkinson. Matches (last season): 30. R: 122.Y: 5.
Last season: Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2, Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0.
Fact: Arsenal haven’t won a league away game where the opposition wasn’t down to 10-men since January.
