ARSENE WENGER launched another penalty row as Arsenal suffered a painful case of deja vu. The Gunners' boss insisted his Premier League title dream is still alive, despite Liverpool's second 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium inside four days.
And - after Alex Hleb was denied a spot-kick in Wednesday's Champions League stalemate - Wenger is just as sure that Cesc Fabregas should have had a late penalty this time around.
Nicklas Bendtner nodded Arsenal's 52nd minute point-saver - their 100th goal of the season - after Peter Crouch lashed a fine opener for Liverpool. But Wenger's focus was once more on a refereeing decision, even though he left out top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor and four other key men.
He said: "It is frustrating again because I feel we had a blatant penalty again for a foul on Fabregas, which was not given. You can see it well on television, it is 100 per cent conclusive. Wenger: It's not over "We also had a chance in the last minute to kill the game off. "It was a bit of repetition of Wednesday night. We had problems starting the game, and then got into the game after 30 minutes.
"Then just before half-time they got the goal and then they defended for every ball in their half and you needed to get back to score a second goal, which was possible. "We had to throw everything forward and left ourselves open a little on counter-attacks. That was the game basically." Wenger still believes his side can bridge the title gap as the Gunners, Manchester United and Chelsea have fixtures left against each other. He added: "In my brain it is not over, because it is not over mathematically.
"It depends on the results of the other teams. I said we would need at least five wins and a draw."
Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez warned his side that their two tough draws with Arsenal has made their task in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg even harder. He said: "I think it will be difficult for them. I was asking Arsene before in the race for the title, you cannot lose points now, so it is really difficult. Maybe the only option now for them is the Champions League, which means they will be more dangerous for us too."
Benitez added: "We had to work hard and scored a great goal. The work rate was good from a lot of players who normally do not play. They all did well. "We could have won because we had the chances, but we could also have lost as they had chances as well. "You could see that some of the players were tired. But they will play the next game with a lot of passion and I don't think they will be tired. "We have confidence, but know they have quality, can play well away and are dangerous."
Bustling Crouch was at the heart of Liverpool's fine start, forcing Manuel Almunia into a spectacular tip-over from 25 yards and setting up John Arne Riise for a shot just too high.
Yossi Benayoun flashed a 31st minute drive across goal as the contest remained cagey. But Bendtner went close before Crouch struck at the other end, darting in after Benayoun flicked on Pepe Reina's long clearance and fizzing a 20-yard right-footer inside the near post.
Kolo Toure nodded the Gunners' best response wide, then Bendtner timed his run expertly to head home a cross from Arsenal's main orchestrator, Cesc Fabregas. The home crowd, enlivened at last, saw top scorer Emanuel Adebayor come on amid a much sparkier last half-hour. Reina did well to foil Mathieu Flamini's low drive, although Almunia had to claw the ball away from under his own bar following Riise's left-wing cross. And, despite the Gunners pressing for a winner, they escaped a couple of times from Liverpool breaks, notably when Reds substitute Andriy Voronin fired high from 10 yards.
Arsenal: Almunia, Justin Hoyte (Adebayor 57), Gallas, Toure, Traore (Clichy 72), Eboue, Fabregas, Silva, Flamini (Hleb 81), Bendtner, Walcott. Subs Not Used: Lehmann, Song Billong.
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Plessis, Pennant (Gerrard 66), Benayoun (Voronin 75), Lucas, Riise, Crouch (Torres 80). Subs Not Used: Itandje, Hyypia.
