LIVERPOOL // These are unpredictable, unforgettable days at Anfield. Tom Hicks and George Gillett sat side by side, smiling in the directors' box. Steven Gerrard's deputy produced a display even the injured captain would struggle to rival. Rafa Benitez remains a control freak, but his side are specialising in outlandish anarchy.
Tuesday night's 4-4 draw with Arsenal was frantic and frenetic, fantastic and fabulous, a delight for statisticians and neutrals, a frustration for those allied to Liverpool and a 90-minute horror show for defensive strategists. Improbably, it was Liverpool's second successive 4-4 draw and, just as implausibly, Andrey Arshavin became the first visiting player to score four goals in a league game at Anfield for 63 years. Disbelief etched on his face, the man from Zenit St Petersburg was playing Russian roulette with the hosts' title chances.
To borrow one of Arsene Wenger's phrases, Liverpool have taken the handbrake off. Scoring 27 goals in eight games shows they have found top gear. Conceding 11 in four threatens to put them in reverse. The eventual conclusion, painful as it was for Liverpool, was that Manchester United were the major beneficiaries of Anfield's magical mayhem. "It was great game for the supporters to watch but not for us because we made too many mistakes," said Yossi Benayoun. "We should have won the game."
While the gaucheness of a young Arsenal back four was hardly unexpected, Liverpool's usually reliable rearguard were found fallible by a remarkably clinical Arshavin. "We have the best defence in the league and the best goalkeeper too, but I think we didn't defend well as a team," added the Israeli. The often dependable Javier Mascherano erred for the opening goal while the full-backs, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Aurelio, were particularly culpable for the second and third of the Russian's quartet. An anonymous presence on the fringes of the match, he nevertheless provided four electrifying contributions. "When he comes into the game, he is very dangerous," said Wenger. That is an understatement: Arshavin only required four shots for his historic haul.
Liverpool, in contrast, mustered 26. Playing at a ferocious pace, they attacked with a verve that was once a rarity. It was anticipated they would miss Gerrard. Instead his stand-in, Benayoun, was superlative, especially after he traded positions with Dirk Kuyt in the second half to play off Fernando Torres. "Torres and Benayoun were frightening going forward," said the injured captain. His understudy scored the injury-time equaliser, a fifth goal in eight games for a player who is developing a reputation for delivering important strikes. The Spaniard was supreme, lithe and lethal. He was only denied a hat-trick by Kieran Gibbs' goal-line clearance; as it is, he now boasts 13 goals from only 16 Premier League starts.
"Take it from me, he is the best," said Gerrard. "I play behind the guy. I see him day in day out." While Liverpool wonder what would have happened had they defended better, there is another "if" for them. Gerrard added: "It would be interesting to see how many points we would have if we'd had Torres fit from start to finish." rjolly@thenational.ae
