Apr 21, 2009, 21:33 GMT
London - Andrei Arshavin scored four as Arsenal drew 4-4 with Liverpool on Tuesday to turn the title race firmly in the direction of Manchester United.
United will go three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table - with a game in hand - if they beat Portsmouth on Wednesday.
Arshavin put Arsenal ahead nine minutes before half-time, but goals from Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun in the first ten minutes of the second half gave Liverpool the advantage.
Midway through the second half, though, Arshavin made the most of defensive errors twice in four minutes to give Arsenal the lead.
Torres levelled three minutes later, but as Liverpool chased a winner, Arshavin broke to add a fourth.
Benayoun stabbed his second of the night to make it 4-4, which perhaps keeps Liverpool's title hopes flickering.
It was Liverpool's second eight-goal draw in a week, and again they were exposed defensively.
'I felt we made too many mistakes on the four goals,' said LIverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
'But the team showed character until the last minute. We never gave up.
'Maybe we were nervous and showed a bit of anxiety.'
Arshavin's four goals were all taken superbly, but all four resulted from defensive errors - and Liverpool, the goals aside, dominated the game.
'Only two times in Russia I scored a hat-trick, never four,' Arshavin told Sky Sports.
'It was a good game for supporters - not good for the team. Liverpool wanted to win; we wanted to as well. It's good football, almost basketball.'
Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was widely criticised for his performance in Arsenal's 2-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, but without inspiring confidence at Anfield, he made a number of useful saves to keep Liverpool at bay.
The opener came after 36 minutes. Javier Mascherano was caught in possession in his own box, Samir Nasri slipped in Fabregas, who pulled back for Arshavin to slam in off the underside of the bar.
Dirk Kuyt was switched from the centre to the right at half-time, and he had an immediate impact.
Four minutes after half-time, capitalising on a poor clearance from Bacary Sagna, he stood up a cross for Torres, who thumped his header into the bottom corner.
Kuyt's cross that led to the second as well, a combination of a diving Benayoun and Sagna's effort to clear forcing the ball over the line.
Liverpool seemed comfortable at that stage, but sloppiness cost then again after 67 minutes.
Alvaro Arbeloa was caught in possession by Arshavin, who ran on and sent a thunderous 20-yard drove just inside the right-hand post.
Four minutes later, the Russian completed his hat-trick. Fabio Aurelio mystifyingly scuffed a clearance back into his own box, and Arshavin pinged his shot under the body of Pepe Reina.
That lead lasted just two minutes, before Torres skipped by Mikael Silvestre and hit a low shot into the corner.
Bendtner then had a goal narrowly but correctly ruled out for offside, and Torres had a header cleared off the line by Kieran Gibbs.
As Liverpool desperately sought a winner, Theo Walcott broke to lay on Arshavin's fourth.
Benayoun poked in from a corner to make it 4-4 but the real rejoicing was in Manchester.
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