Reds Alert

There is just something special about Liverpool v Arsenal. First it was the Alan Smith thriller - the miraculous championship decider in 1989 when Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield to clinch the title with virtually the last kick of the season - "It's up for grabs now..." will always be remembered..... Then came the 2009 4-4 thriller - the Andrei Arshavin game...

And now this one. This my friends was a mad-cap, epic, mouth-watering 5-5 thriller that will be remembered in history. Great long-range goals, crazy mistakes, ups and downs... this match had the lot. The way Arsenal managed to lose this game was a travesty... criminal almost. 3 times... THREE times they found themselves ahead... and each time they managed to get uplled back by the home team.

After going down 0-1 early on to a Shkodran Mustafi own-goal; they somehow managed to go 3-1 up; thanks to two goals from teen sensation Gabriel Martinelli and one from Uruguayan battle-ship Lucas Torreira. I must say there were some mistakes involved; notably from youngsters Caoimhin Kelleher and Neco Williams. Unfortunately for the Gunners; they allowed Liverpool to come back too easily and quickly; with Martinelli rather carelessly fouling the lively Harvey Elliott inside the area; for captain James Milner to tuck home the resultant penalty to reduce the arrears before the break.

In the second half; it looked like Arsenal had pulled away again; as they astonishingly went 4-2 up at Anfield thanks to another mistake from captain James Milner; whose under-hit pass was seized on by the impressive Ainsley Maitland-Niles; for Mesut Ozil to cut-back perfectly for the former to smash home. There was a rather surreal moment as the German legend; so bit-part in this season; displayed the most imperious of back-flicks right at the touch-line for his colleague to score; then just nice lean against the board in typically-phlegmatic celebratory fashion.

Unfortunately, they did it again as this time; some hesitant clearing allowed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to smash home an unstoppable volley to bring it back to 3-4. Barely four minutes later, they committed the Origi-nal sin; as substitute Curtis Jones' ball to Divock Origi was well controlled and fired past a fumbling Emiliano Martinez.

And the fun was not over yet. With the score at 4-4, the Arsenal sub Matteo Guendouzi relayed a nice ball up-field to youngster Joe Willock; who received the ball in the centre-circle; and proceeded on a slaloming run all the way through with a fantastic long-range screamer to make it 5-4 to the visitors. Just reward for Willock; who displayed great endeavour & passion in this game; almost injuring himself earlier in the contest when he desperately tried to block a Liverpool cross-attempt.

Surely it was over... but not quite. With literally seconds remaining, Williams; who had been poor in his crosses all game; produced a nice ball into the box for that man Origi again; who somehow evaded the entire Arsenal defence to prod home the equaliser and make it 5-5. It was madness.

At the penalty shoot-out; as Liverpool won the right to have it at the Kop end; you had a feeling they were going to win it. And so it proved as Arsenal sub Dani Ceballos' attempt was brilliantly-saved by Kelleher; before Jones produced a sublime off-the post shot to seal the victory for Juergen Klopp's men.

This match ranks third on my all-time greatest list: only behind the 'Stan Collymore' Liverpool 4- Newcastle 3 belter; and the Man Utd-Arsenal 1999 FA Cup Semi-Final (Ryan Giggs). This my friends; is simply a match that everyone needs to see.