Arsenal pass their first big test

SOCCER:The daylight that had gleamed between Arsenal and the chasing pack at the top of the Premier League may have been snuffed out this weekend, but the league leaders could still greet the final whistle with genuine satisfaction at their afternoon's endeavours. Arsene Wenger's young charges have made their point.

A winning run that had stretched back to mid-August was checked on Merseyside, with the visitors surrendering their first league points in seven top-flight matches. But few sides will come to Anfield this season and thrill to this extent.

There was a period in the first half when Arsenal monopolised possession, pinging first-time passes to leave the Kop transfixed in a collective howl of frustration. Liverpool deserved credit for their stubborn refusal to wilt and, in the second period, for the sheer willpower with which they thrust themselves back into the contest, yet it would have been a travesty had Steven Gerrard's blistering opener proved the game's only goal.

No team in English football can entertain as exquisitely as Wenger's, but this match had been a test of their resilience as well as effervescence. Their first meeting with one of the perceived contenders had seen them trail for only the third time this season, yet they recovered and prospered. Alex Ferguson had left the directors' box before the equaliser was scored, but he would still have departed concerned that a daunting task awaits in Saturday's visit to the Emirates Stadium.

"There was mental strength and togetherness, which was pleasing," acknowledged Wenger, whose team had shipped the opening goal in 22 of last season's 38 league fixtures and invariably struggled to muster a riposte. "That allowed us to come back. I'm very pleased with the performance and I feel we came out of this first big test stronger. We played without any handbrake, without any restrictions - we were faithful to the game we wanted to play. Our movement, our technical quality, the risk in our game . . . I didn't know whether we'd win or lose today, but I couldn't fault any element of the team performance."

That mesmeric passage during the first period had offered a taster of what was to come, Emmanuel Adebayor thwarted by Jose Reina in the only clear-cut chance it yielded, though Liverpool's defence were gasping to stay afloat throughout.

The home side were more imposing after the interval, with Peter Crouch impressive where an unfit Fernando Torres had floundered, but the best opportunities fell to Arsenal. Emmanuel Eboue rasped a shot against a post and Cesc Fabregas, his body shape awkward as the ball flew at him at pace, skied the rebound. The Spaniard battered against the same upright three minutes from time only for Niklas Bendtner to slice into the Anfield Road stand.

In between Fabregas had equalised, guiding his shot - luckily, he claimed - beyond the wrong-footed Reina from Aleksandr Hleb's sumptuous pass. It is a measure of the confidence flowing through them at present that the 20-year-old departed Anfield, where his side had been spanked 4-1 back in the spring, deflated that victory had not been achieved. "We played well enough but did not manage the win, so that's disappointing," he said. "It was a good performance. We came back, showed character, played football."

Their new-found maturity should have the others quaking.

"I felt that we were a bit nervous maybe at the beginning," conceded Wenger. "Everybody was expecting something special from us today. In the first five minutes we were a bit caught on the ball, but Liverpool can do that to you at home.

"You have to be realistic: we were 1-0 down after an edgy start against a team strong at set-pieces and on the counter-attack. Sometimes you lose games like that. But, after our goal went in, we started to play. Then you could see a better picture. I felt we showed fantastic quality. I was always very confident this would be a successful season, and I hope we convinced a few more people today.

"There's a long way to go, but in my opinion we have the talent to fight up there for the championship. I would give credit to the attitude and the quality of the team. The players are growing, their confidence and belief is stronger.

"Next Saturday (against Manchester United) is another test," added Wenger. "We go into that with today's result behind us and, especially, the performance which will make us much stronger."

Arsenal have passed their first test.

Liverpool's point comes at quite a cost

Rafael Benitez painted the result as two points dropped by Liverpool, but it is the loss of two players that could have the greater effect on Anfield's season as Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso limped back into the treatment room, writes Andy Hunter.

The Spanish pair, cited by their manager as integral to any Liverpool revival before kick-off, are facing lengthy absences after recurrences of recent injuries in a game that leaves Benitez's team unbeaten but six points behind the league leaders.

Torres was withdrawn at half-time with a repeat of the adductor strain he sustained with Spain a fortnight ago. He is expected to be absent for a similar spell after Benitez admitted the €37.75 million striker had been rushed back to help repair Liverpool's faltering form.

It is Alonso, however, who will represent the more significant loss if, as feared, scans confirm an aggravated metatarsal injury that had kept him out for six weeks before yesterday's draw. The Spanish midfielder landed awkwardly after an aerial challenge on the Arsenal goalkeeper, Manuel Almunia, and had to be helped to his feet and from the pitch by the Liverpool club doctor. A repeat of the metatarsal injury would keep him out beyond the six weeks he served for the initial fracture, suffered at Portsmouth on September 15th.