Arsenal go five points clear as Liverpool cling on

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premiership to five points with a 1-1 draw with Liverpool that keeps the Merseysiders' fading title challenge alive.

A Danny Murphy penalty had put Liverpool in sight of their first win in nine matches 20 minutes from the end after Sol Campbell was outpaced by Milan Baros and pulled down the Czech striker.

But Thierry Henry secured a deserved point for the champions nine minutes later with a second spot-kick after John Arne Riise was judged to have pulled Francis Jeffers just minutes after he had come on as a substitute.

A draw had always looked on the cards in a match Liverpool - whose dismal run has left them trailing the leaders by nine points - could simply not afford to lose.

But both sides will rue their failure to convert a string of good chances and Liverpool could have been on the end of a substantial defeat but for the heroics of goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, whose performance is bound to have caught the eye of watching England manager Sven Goran Eriksson.

The defeat means Arsenal will entertain second-placed Chelsea on New Year's Day with a five point cushion over them and Manchester United.

Liverpool were first to hit the target when Riise forced David Seaman to get down sharply to gather his low drive in the tenth minute.

But that was to prove their only meaningful attempt on goal in the opening period as Arsenal immediately laid siege to the visitors goal.

Robert Pires had a penalty claim rejected after a collision with Jamie Carragher and Riise did well to block a Patrick Vieira shot.

Sol Campbell had the ball in the back of the net in the 16th minute but referee Jeff Winter ruled he had held down Salif Diao as he rose to meet Thierry Henry's corner.

The best chance of the half fell to Sylvain Wiltord.

A pass from his compatriot Henry put the Frenchman in behind the Liverpool back four but Kirkland was quickly off his line to make a good save.

Liverpool appeared content to soak up the Arsenal pressure in the hope of being able to snatch a goal on the break.

But their chances of doing that suffered a blow when Michael Owen was forced off injured just after the half-hour mark, with a feared recurrence of the hamstring problem that has blighted his career.

Henry could have put Arsenal ahead five minutes from the break when Lauren's cross found him unmarked 12 yards out only for the Frenchman to badly fluff his free header.

The restart brought an increase of the tempo from both teams and Liverpool might have snatched an unlikely lead after Martin Keown headed a clearance straight to Baros.

The Czech squared the ball to an unmarked El Hadji Diouf whose failure to control the ball saw the chance go begging.

Kirkland then produced a superb double save to keep out a Henry shot that took a wicked deflection off Stephane Henchoz and then touch a Pires effort on the rebound over the bar.

But Liverpool were also displaying a far greater sense of adventure.

Only an Ashley Cole clearance off the line prevented Diouf from making amends for his earlier miss and Baros struck the post from an acutely tight angle after somehow squeezing his way past Seaman.

Liverpool's best period culminated in Murphy's penalty but after Henry had equalised it was Arsenal who went closest to snatching a late winner when Gilberto Silva sidefooted wide from close range in stoppage time.