Arsenal 0 Liverpool 0

by Mark Bradley for the "Press Association"

Close friends Arsene Wenger and Gerard Houllier studiously compare notes on a regular basis but there
will be little for them to discuss from this encounter. 

Neither Arsenal or Liverpool were inspired towards anything approaching title-winning form. 

But both managers will at least be relieved not to have lost and perhaps their determination to avoid defeat
contributed to the glaring lack of a spectacle at Highbury. 

There were flashes of skill all over the pitch, from Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars for
the home side, and Michael Owen for the visitors. 

But they all too rarely led to a clear-cut opening and time after time, attacks foundered on the edge of
either penalty area or through one of far too many misplaced passes. 

Defences were certainly on top, which will come as some relief to Liverpool's much-criticised back five,
and the Merseyside club extended their unbeaten run over Arsenal to an incredible 12 successive games.

Both sides had entered the game full of hope after four successive victories had promised to reignite their
relatively poor starts to the season. 

However, the invention was ripped out of the game as soon as the absences through injury of Dennis
Bergkamp and Steve McManaman were confirmed from two depleted line-ups before kick-off. 

Arsenal were without eight first-team squad members but it was the loss of Bergkamp that was most
keenly felt as a vacuum existed between defence and attack, even though the Gunners largely dominated
the early possession. 

They threatened only from outside the penalty area, with Petit close with a long-range drive and Overmars
shaving the post after turning Vegard Heggem and cutting inside. 

Liverpool were similarly uninspired, relying almost exclusively and somewhat predictably on Owen's pace
to capitalise on long balls, while Robbie Fowler, continuously linked with a possible long-term move to
Highbury, was starved of openings. 

Owen's first effort was blocked but after controlling a through-ball from Patrik Berger quite majestically on
his instep, he was pushed out wide and fired into the side-netting. 

Just before the break, the young England striker created space for himself by escaping out onto the right
wing and produced a pinpoint cross towards Steve Harkness at the far post. 

Yet keeper Alex Manninger dived low to block the stinging first-time volley from the defender. 

Before then, Steve Bould had been forced to limp out of the action after injuring himself in a 50-50 tackle,
to be replaced on the half-hour by Matthew Upson, who headed straight at James just moments later from
a free-kick. 

However, perhaps the best chance of the half fell to Luis Boa Morte when keeper David James left his goal
exposed after rushing out of his area to head clear a Petit through-ball. 

The ball fell to Boa Morte about 35 yards out but his effort was far more hopeful than instinctive as it
bounced a yard wide as James desperately raced back. 

The Portuguese striker fared little better immediately after the restart, just failing to get a touch as he
stretched to reach a Petit free-kick as it raced across the face of the Liverpool goal. 

Arsenal were suddenly reinvigorated and continued to press forward, with Anelka's shot blocked and
Martin Keown's follow-up effort only prevented from powering into the back of the net by the diving figure of
Paul Ince near his own goal-line. 

Anelka then headed over when Ray Parlour picked him out superbly from the right, Petit volleyed wide and
Highbury woke up after the slumbers of the first-half. 

Bookings also matched chances though, with Ince, Keown and Jamie Redknapp all cautioned in the
space of 11 minutes. 

The Arsenal offensive duly petered out and the Liverpool defence held out - just - even after the loss of
Steve Staunton through injury on the hour mark, with Dominic Matteo slotting into his position in the back
three. 

James still had to be alert at his near post to save Parlour's close-range effort from a tight angle but all too
often Arsenal were relying on the ball over the top and even Liverpool caught on to that one. 

They also threatened to score themselves, with Manninger clutching onto a powerfully-struck free-kick by
Redknapp, from more than 30 yards out, just inside the post. 

However, the game lumbered back into the tedium of the opening 45 minutes late on, with Anelka
summing up proceedings when he produced a dazzling turn on the edge of the area and then promptly
sent his shot out for a throw-in. 

Liverpool did appeal for a penalty with seven minutes left when Owen went down as he chased a ball
alongside Upson but referee Graham Barber was unmoved. The final whistle eventually came as some
relief. 

Chants of "boring, boring Liverpool" rang out from the home fans but although their side certainly shaded
the contest, they bore an equal measure of blame for the end result. 

Teams 

Arsenal: Manninger, Dixon, Keown, Bould (Upson 32), Grondin, Parlour, Vieira, Petit, Overmars (Garde
84), Boa Morte, Anelka (Wreh 87). 

Subs Not Used: Mendez, Lukic. 

Booked: Bould, Keown. 

Liverpool: James, Carragher, Babb, Staunton (Matteo 62), Heggem, Berger, Ince, Redknapp, Harkness,
Fowler, Owen (Riedle 88). 

Subs Not Used: McAteer, Friedel, Thompson. 

Booked: Babb, Ince, Redknapp. 

Att: 38,107 

Ref: G Barber (Pyrford).