Heskey heads the pursuit

SOCCER: Emile Heskey's injury-time header from Salif Diao's cross - following a hotly-disputed corner - earned Liverpool a point that looked like eluding them after Arsenal had appeared to put last night's game beyond the hosts.

The champions, majestic in some phases and lucky in others, especially when Dennis Bergkamp scored their deflected second goal, displayed all the qualities required to pull off a resonant result, but it eluded them at the end.

The elite spectators gave the evening the tone of a summit as much as a match. Ronald Koeman had travelled from Amsterdam because his Ajax side face Arsenal in the Champions League next month, Sven-Goran Eriksson was present to add another leaf to his dossier, and Alex Ferguson drove through the mocking clusters of Liverpool fans to attend.

Arsene Wenger had due regard for the dangers Arsenal were courting and, with a conservative impulse, preferred Ray Parlour to Sylvain Wiltord on the right. Liverpool acted as if the video of Manchester United's win over the Highbury team at Old Trafford had been their sole viewing.

Liverpool began by imitating that high tempo and were heartened by the advantage it appeared to give them, but Arsenal's downfall against United had come because they failed to take chances early in the match. The visitors did not repeat that fault on this occasion and they were in front after eight minutes, with the type of goal that, mouth-watering as it is, also happens to be a staple of their diet.

The pass from Dennis Bergkamp was taken by Thierry Henry in full sprint and although his shot broke from Jerzy Dudek, Robert Pires fired the rebound into the unattended net. This, however, was to be a match that twinkled with incident and flair instead of having the steady glow of authority.

Although the best of their build-up was on a higher plane, Arsenal remained vulnerable. In the third minute Heskey, who has rediscovered his assertiveness, bustled away from Pascal Cygan and eluded Ashley Cole before rolling the cross that Michael Owen miskicked. That flawed touch typified the frustrated forward in the first half.

Wenger's team, once in front, revelled in the space available for their counter-attacking artifice. Henry, as exasperated as Owen before the interval, shot against Dudek's legs in one incident and then carried the ball too far, so that he could only hit the side-netting when he elected to round the goalkeeper. He also hit the spearing corner from which Cygan's header was cleared off the line by Bruno Cheyrou.

The game was intriguingly unstable and Liverpool, who might have been overwhelmed, could still rue the fact that they were not level. Steven Gerrard and Danny Murphy were both dynamic and Arsenal had a degree of unease under pressure. It was Murphy who put Owen clear after 21 minutes but David Seaman's leg kept out his finish.

Six minutes before half-time, the England forward was through once more following Sol Campbell's slip, but his effort was medicore and Seaman dived and smothered the ball.

Arsenal had to trust in their own flair. It was impossible for them to feel that they could close out the match placidly when Martin Keown was missing, through suspension. For their part, an animated Liverpool had the appetite of men who know how much next season might pall if there is no Champions League fare.

The second half began with Arsenal unable to keep the ball out of their penalty area. In the 52nd minute, they could no longer keep it out of their net. With their strength and swiftness, Heskey and Owen imposed themselves until the latter could lay the ball back for Riise to equalise with a low, hard shot.

The home crowd then might almost have dared to envisage their first Premiership victory on this ground since November 6th. Battle-scarred as they are, the same people would also have been suppressing a feeling that misfortune is always in attendance. And pessimism looked to have reasserted itself in the 63rd minute when Arsenal once more held the advantage. Bergkamp, manouvering on the left, had no obvious avenues and his drive would have been innocuous had it not taken a deflection off Stephane Henchoz.

Guardian Service

LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Riise, Diouf (Baros 82), Murphy (Diao 80), Gerrard, Cheyrou (Smicer 69), Heskey, Owen. Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Traore. Booked: Diouf. Goals: Riise 52, Heskey 90.

ARSENAL: Seaman, Lauren, Campbell, Cygan, Cole, Parlour, Vieira, Silva, Pires, Bergkamp (Luzhny 86), Henry. Subs Not Used: Taylor, Jeffers, Wiltord, van Bronckhorst. Booked: Cygan. Goals: Pires 9, Bergkamp 63. Attendance: 43,668.

Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).