It’s little over half a year since this epic encounter but already it feels like a lifetime for those waiting for Liverpool to triumph in the League title race. Truth be known, Liverpool paid for home draws against the likes of Hull and Stoke in a year when the league was there for the taking.
‘In the week Ashes to Ashes returned to our television screens Liverpool were transported back to 1989. There was Arsenal in yellow and navy, attacking the Anfield Road end, and a desperate Anfield looking on helplessly as their title aspirations lay at the mercy of an opponent bearing down on goal. Unlike 20 years ago, there is still chance of a reprieve for Liverpool’s title challenge this season, although their reaction to Andrey Arshavin’s 90th-minute goal indicated they had just witnessed the ghost of Michael Thomas.
Yossi Benayoun’s injury time equaliser salvaged a deserved point for Rafael Benitez’s team and a place on top of the Premier League with just five matches to go, albeit having played two more games than Manchester United. That does not tell the story of this remarkable contest, however. The sight of Jose Reina, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso, Benayoun and Javier Mascherano all dropping to their knees on the final whistle does. Liverpool knew they had no margin for error in their pursuit of Sir Alex Ferguson and their first title since 1990 and now they are reliant on a momentous collapse at Old Trafford to achieve their salvation.’
Andy Hunter, The Guardian, Tuesday 21st April, 2009
