Plucky Arsenal hold Liverpool in six-goal thriller

Well that brings an end to our live coverage of this first game of the festive period from the Premier League. I hope you have enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we have coverage of no fewer than 10 matches, headlined by El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Everton vs Chelsea, West Ham vs Newcastle, Burnley vs Tottenham and Leicester vs Manchester United is also on offer.

I hope you can join us then but until next time goodbye.

Well that was a bonafide classic Premier League game.

Liverpool will be kicking themselves having gone 2-0 up. Arsenal stage a rousing comeback and scored three times in six minutes but they couldn't hold on as Roberto Firmino equalised.

It was a great advert for the Premier League and while this isn't the only division which gets this kind of match, few are played at the pace and verve as this one. We should cherish it.

Full time: Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool

And breathe.

Late corner for Liverpool. 100 seconds to play....

Seventeen goals have been scored in the 90th minute or latter in this fixture. We're into stoppage time at The Emirates. And there will be four minutes.

Theo Walcott on for Alexis Sanchez for the final minute or so.

Mohamed Salah rattles the side-netting for Liverpool as they push for a later winner. Next goal wins, right?

Jurgen Klopp has been an animated figure on the touchline through this evening.

Roberto Firmino fires Liverpool level.

Oxlade-Chamberlain booed on his way on to replacing Philippe Coutinho. Someone explain that to me.

Mustafi does superbly to hook the ball away from danger when Robertson's cross looked destined to find Salah on the back post.

Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is being prepped. Get your boos and whistles ready Arsenal fans.

Ten minutes to go. Pick a winner.

Georginio Wijnaldum on for Liverpool as Sadio Mane is replaced. Jurgen Klopp looking for a bit more control it seems, but they will still have that pace and threat on the break.

Welbeck on for Alex Iwobi, who has been off the pace to be honest.

Danny Welbeck is coming on for Arsenal, who are looking to fight fire with fire here. Bellerin tries to do that with a shot which Mignolet has to turn over.

Maitland-Niles gets the wrong side of Mane and the Senegal forward is away, but the Arsenal full-back gets back and forces the ball out of play.

GOAL! Arsenal 3-3 Liverpool (Roberto Firmino)

Not a total surprise to see more goals and it comes for Liverpool, who have improved since going behind. Emre Can rolls the ball into Firmino who has space to take aim and although Cech gets a hand to the ball is bounces agonisingly into the corner.

Liverpool break from an Arsenal corner but Mane loses his footing when he cuts inside.

Brilliant, brilliant game this. And frankly predicting what will happen next is near-enough impossible.

Mesut Ozil dinks Arsenal ahead for the first time.

Just 388 seconds between those four goals in this second half. Marvelous entertainment even if the passage of play highlights the flaws in both these sides.

Granit Xhaka thrashes home the equaliser for Arsenal.

Alexis Sanchez heads Arsenal's first.

Liverpool almost level. Wonderful ball from left to right to Mane who takes the ball on the volley and Cech makes a good low save with his foot.

Mohamed Salah celebrates putting Liverpool two up.

GOAL! Arsenal 3-2 Liverpool (Mesut Ozil)

WHAT IS HAPPENING! Arsenal ahead for the first time with a break-taking goal. Ozil surges towards the box, finds Lacazette whose backheel finds the German and he slides the ball beyond Mignolet. What a turnaround.

GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool (Granit Xhaka)

Two individual errors have Arsenal level and this second half has come alive. Xhaka shoots from range - he needs no invitation - and with the ball moving all over the place Mignolet goes to punch is clear but he makes no contact and he can only turn the ball into the corner.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool (Alexis Sanchez)

Arsenal back in the game straight away with their first effort on target in the game. Hector Bellerin crosses from the right and when Joe Gomez switches off Sanchez steals in and heads home with ease. Game on.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool (Mohamed Salah)

Make that 21 for the season for Mohamed Salah and Liverpool have a second goal they have long-threatened. Roberto Firmino turns brilliantly and feeds Salah and as Mustafi sits off him, he curls into the far corner.

Not a sell out for one of the games of the season.

First glimmer for Arsenal after the break as Lacazette and then Sanchez have efforts blocked. Liverpool break and it takes a fine low save from Cech to stop Salah from making it two. The Gunners being caught out almost every time they threaten to go forward.

Under way in the second half at The Emirates.

Indeed it is Mustafi on for Monreal at half time. Good luck to him, because Liverpool have been superb in the final third.

Shkodran Mustafi coming on for Arsenal for the second half. Nacho Monreal was carrying an injury in the first half, so maybe withdrawn.

Half time: Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool

Not a flowing half of football but an entertaining one it must be said. Philippe Coutinho has Liverpool ahead with a deft header and it should be more with Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane all having chances.

Arsenal have been disjointed from the outset and not really offered much going forward. Alex Iwobi has been particularly poor.

Jurgen Klopp is fuming with his own players who allow Arsenal a period of possession which almost allows them to level, but Lacazette's header can't find Iwobi.

Liverpool should be two up. Koscielny slips and allows Milner's throw ball to go past him. Salah races onto it and after he is denied by Cech Mane tries the specular on the volley but he misses the target.

Now the Egyptian misses his kick from Mane's pass. The Reds are all over them.

Dejan Lovren steps in to deny Lacazette as Arsenal pinch the ball high up the field.

Coutinho appears to break through but toe-pokes the ball too far ahead of himself and Cech comes out to gather.

Arsenal just hanging in there at the moment. Not really offering anything going forward.

Philippe Coutinho celebrates putting Liverpool ahead.

Arsenal very easy to play through tonight.

Nearly a wonder goal from Firmino. He cuts onto his right foot and blasts one towards the top left corner which hits the post behind the goal and deceives everyone but crashing into the net. That would have been some strike.

This game has transformed into a helter-skelter encounter with attacks at either end. Liverpool look like they could score whenever they get the ball such is the electric speed they have in attack.

Arsenal try to hit back immediately as Lacazette spins on the edge of the penalty area, but his shot is blocked by Lovren.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Liverpool (Philippe Coutinho)

The Reds into the lead and it does indeed come from a header. Salah's threaded pass is deflected into the air and Coutinho is waiting and he loops a header into the net.

Roberto Firmino proving a menace in the air again as he peels around the back from a Coutinho cross but he misses the target as he header bounces wide.

First real chance in this game come for the visitors. Andrew Robertson crosses deep from the left and Firmino heads back towards the near post and Cech has to turn it behind.

Alex Iwobi passes the ball straight out of play in the middle of the pitch. Not a classic this, despite the firepower on show.

Arsenal getting exposed in the full-back positions already with Mane and Salah looking to probe on either side. A cross from the former has to be put behind by Koscielny with Firmino lurking.

Mesut Ozil and Philippe Coutinho battle for the ball.

Philippe Coutinho with his first effort in anger, but his shot goes well wide. Cech unmoved and Arsenal can go again.

Off goes Henderson and he looks pretty devastated by the whole thing. That could mean he misses the whole of Liverpool's festive period.

James Milner coming on in his place, but he is still getting ready.

Jordan Henderson down on the floor and his evening is set to come to a premature end. Looks like a right hamstring problem for the skipper.

Slow start it must be said. Arsenal and Liverpool sharing possession pretty evenly so far, with the home side putting on a high press.

Lots of empty seats at The Emirates early on. A protest at the time of the kick-off, or a few Christmas gifts going array?

Under way at The Emirates. Liverpool all in orange. They look like 10 lost stewards.

Players out ahead of kick-off and we're almost ready to go. This could be a cracker.

Video evidence of that reception for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Bit sad.

This fixture of course was tantalisingly close to being a Christmas Eve game, which would have been a travesty frankly for those travelling fans. Instead they have been handed a Friday night trip, which is a bit like not getting socks for Christmas but getting underwear instead.

If you want an insight into how stupid and petulant football fans can be. Example number 783....

What do Neil Mellor, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Dirk Kuyt and 13 others have in common?

They are among the players to have scored 90th minute goals in Arsenal vs Liverpool fixtures in the Premier League.

So for those who need to get away early tonight, think again. The dying embers are not to be missed.

Arsene Wenger on Ainsley Maitland-Niles: "When you're 20 years old and you get your chance, you're ready to grab it. You just have to go for it and that's what you want from a player"

Jurgen Klopp on Sky Sports: "We had no other reasons for rotation, so we thought about it and I think especially after the midweek game of Arsenal we could imagine how they will play. So line-up-wise, we thought it makes sense. Not only with these four, all the rest as well."

Adam Lallana on the bench tonight for Liverpool. Not a bad player to have in reserve.

A win tonight would mean Arsene Wenger or Jurgen Klopp can enjoy Christmas Day knowing their sides occupy a Champions League place.

Sixth place seventh tomorrow when Burnley host Tottenham, meaning tonight's victor might have a slight cushion.

But who can take advantage?

Landmark appearance for Petr Cech tonight.

Sanchez, Lacazette, Ozil and Iwobi vs Salah, Mane, Coutinho and Firmino sounds like a duel made in breakneck footballing heaven, but it will surely be at the other ends which will define this game.

The Gunners have returned to a back four which for so long was favoured by Arsene Wenger. Now a flat back-four has been employed to nullify the Liverpool counter-attack but it remains to be seen how that works.

As for Liverpool, their back four has been much changed this season with injuries and loss of form affecting selection. Joe Gomez is now seemingly the first choice at right-back, with Andrew Robertson taking his chance to fill in amid Alberto Moreno's injury. Joel Matip's absence means it is Ragnar Klaven alongside Dejan Lovren.

Sums up the pre-match mood quite well.

A look at some of the club shop tat which you can pick up at the Arsenal club shop if you're in need or a late Christmas gift idea. Everyone got their Rob Holding home shirt?

Another look at a picturesque Emirates on a clear evening in north London.

Arsenal make 11 changes from midweek but they are actually unchanged from the win over Newcastle. Ainsley Maitland-Niles retains his place in a four-man defence, with Jack Wilshere making successive Premier League starts. Olivier Giroud is injured, as Theo Walcott returns to the bench.

And now here is the Arsenal team.

Worth mentioning that the return of Sadio Mane means Liverpool's fab four is reunited. Quite a challenge for Arsenal tonight.

Two changes for Liverpool from the win at Bournemouth. Sadio Mane and Emre Can come in for Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is on the bench against his former side.

The Liverpool team is the first to drop....

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench for Liverpool, according to reports. Full team news to follow.

Mohamed Salah will be licking his lips at the prospect of going up against Maitland-Niles at left-back. The Egypt international went to 20 goals for the season at Bournemouth last weekend, and of course scored against Arsenal when the two sides met in August.

Fabulous view of The Emirates ahead of kick-off.

The Mirror are reporting that Ainsley Maitland-Niles will start for Arsenal tonight. Does that mean reverting back to four at the back? We await Arsene Wenger's team with interest.

For more detail on how Arsenal and Liverpool may line up tonight, take a gander at our feature pieces below which discusses the formation and tactics both sides might use tonight.

How Arsenal may line up

How Liverpool may line up

All eyes on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tonight as he returns to Arsenal for the first time since moving to Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window.

The England man endured a rough start and it took over a month for him to win his first league start, but he now has a settled place in the side and is in contention to be retained.

But what sort of reception will he get tonight? He hardly left in acrimonious circumstances, yet he was hardly a legendary figure. I hope he is warmly received.

Liverpool have arrived in north London.

These two have played on a Friday before, when a certain Thierry Henry did this to deliver the title to Arsenal.....

The teams should be with us any minute now, but how do we expect both sides to line up?

Arsenal made 11 changes in mid-week and are expected to recall a host of players including Alexandre Lacazette, Alexis Sanchez, Petr Cech and Mesut Ozil. Aaron Ramsey is out while Ainsley Maitland-Niles is tipped to keep Saed Kolasinac out of the team again.

Liverpool are without Alberto Moreno and Joel Matip due to injury, but Adam Lallana is back in contention. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is in contention to play against his former club, who he left on deadline day in the summer.

Even if your Christmas shopping is only half done, afford yourself an evening in front of the computer and tuck into a real cracker before the big day.

Arsenal and Liverpool have a habit of serving up a feast of entertainment in the Premier League and tonight should be no different. Both are horribly inconsistent and jittery at the back, while either side have the capacity to be silky smooth going forward.

There is some important context to the game too with the winner assured of enjoying Christmas in the Premier League's top four. And with both sides partial to a late goal or two there should be enough going on to keep you away from any last minute wrapping. Win, win.

All the team news and build-up ahead of the 7:45pm kick-off on the way.