Reds back to best, but Zlatan in dog box

LIVERPOOL rediscovered flashes of their most vibrant attacking form to repel an Arsenal fightback at a jubilant Anfield yesterday and leapfrog Arsene Wenger’s men in the battle for Champions League places.

Goals from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum put Liverpool into third place in the Premier League as they completed their double over the Gunners with the sort of elan — especially in the first half — that they had displayed regularly before the New Year.

Wenger was presented with another difficult evening as his decision to leave top scorer Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott on the bench hardly seemed justified amid Liverpool’s first-half dominance.

When he brought the Chilean on for the second half with Arsenal two down, the Gunners perked up with Sanchez setting up a Danny Welbeck goal in the 57th minute.

Yet even as Anfield grew increasingly nervous in a much more even affair, Wijnaldum ended the home fans’ worries by converting an injury-time soother on the break. ZLATAN Ibrahimovic was at the centre of controversy as Manchester United were held 1-1 by 10-man Bournemouth in an extraordinary match at Old Trafford yesterday.

Ibrahimovic, United’s top scorer with 26 goals, was fortunate not to be sent off before seeing a penalty saved as José Mourinho’s side missed the opportunity to move into the Champions League places.

Marcos Rojo gave Red Devils the lead with his first league goal for the club, before former United forward Joshua King equalised from the penalty spot five minutes before the first half ended.

But the game centred on a series of incidents in succession at the end of the half, in which both Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings were lucky to escape red cards.

Bournemouth defender Mings appeared to stamp on the head of the former Paris Saint-Germain forward. Ibrahimovic, already on a yellow card, then elbowed the centre-back in the face seconds later, but received only a telling off from referee Kevin Friend.

Both Ibrahimovic and Mings are likely to face retrospective disciplinary action from the Football Association.

In the ensuing melee, Cherries midfielder Andrew Surman shoved Ibrahimovic and was shown a second yellow card.

But Surman was shown a red card after United left-back Luke Shaw reminded Friend he had already been booked.

Artur Boruc, the visitors’ 37year-old goalkeeper, had a fine match, making a series of great saves. —