Liverpool and Arsenal shared the spoils in a six-goal thriller at Anfield this evening as Joe Allen's 90th-minute strike sealed a 3-3 draw.

Roberto Firmino twice gave Liverpool the lead in the opening exchanges, only for the visitors to quickly peg the Reds back on both occasions as four goals flew in in the opening 25 minutes.

Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud got the two equalisers, and the latter then gave Arsenal the lead for the first time on the night when he spun past his man and buried a finish into the bottom corner 10 minutes into the second half.

However, Allen popped up in the final minute to volley home Christian Benteke's knock down and send Anfield wild following another classic contest between the two sides.

Here, Sports Mole looks at whether a draw was the fairest result on a memorable night on Merseyside.

Match statistics

LIVERPOOL
Shots: 22
On target: 6
Possession: 59%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 9

ARSENAL
Shots: 14
On target: 5
Possession: 41%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 7

Was the result fair?

Where to start? This was a truly magnificent contest, with the tempo of the match barely dropping from the first whistle to the last and both sides playing the game as it should be played. It was gripping from start to finish and it always felt as though a goal could be just around the corner. In the first half especially, Liverpool and Arsenal both looked capable of scoring every single time they came forward - partially thanks to some questionable defending but mainly due to some scintillating attacking football.

It was Liverpool who dominated the opening 25 minutes, but Arsenal found themselves level at 2-2 by that stage of the match having made the most of their only two attacks. Indeed, they should have been ahead moments later when Giroud was guilty of one of the misses of the season. There was also a shot cleared off the line and one that hit the crossbar in a frenetic first half that had almost everything. The second half began in a similar vein and, while there wasn't quite as much goalmouth action after the break, you still couldn't take your eyes off it.

The way the match had gone, there was always going to be one final twist, so it wasn't a great surprise when Liverpool's pressure finally told and they got the equaliser. They deserved it too as it would have been very harsh on either of these sides had they come away from this game with nothing. They both played so well and so positively that neither deserved to lose - or perhaps rather both deserved to win. A draw, then, is the fairest result from a match that could be used as a shining example of what makes the Premier League so special.

Liverpool's performance

It has been a long time coming, but finally Liverpool produced a thriller at Anfield. Their performances away to Chelsea, Manchester City and Southampton showed exactly what this side are capable of, and while tonight's match did not end in a convincing victory like those, it was the best that Liverpool have played in front of their own fans for some time. The Reds once again lifted their game against one of the big boys in the Premier League, and the only frustration will be that they don't play with the same intensity most weeks.

They may have only drawn today, but if they were to play like this week in, week out then they would win far more often than not. Whether that is possible after they exerted so much energy is another question. Jurgen Klopp again opted for Firmino in the most advanced role and, just like against Man City, it worked a treat going forward. Backed up by some superb pressing by the rest of the midfield, Liverpool gave Arsenal no time on the ball whatsoever in the opening exchanges and were utterly dominant for the majority of the first half-hour.

The only negative from that spell was the fact that they gave away two goals at the other end, both of which were avoidable. Simon Mignolet should have done better at his near post for the first, while the ball should have never been allowed to reach Giroud from a corner for the second. It, of course, made for an entertaining spectacle, but Liverpool threw away much of the hard work they had done in the first 25 minutes. They refused to give up, however, and eventually got their equaliser to ensure that they came away with something at least from their best home performance of the season.

Arsenal's performance

It wasn't long ago that Arsenal came here and conceded four goals in the opening 20 minutes on their way to a 5-1 defeat. Three of that back four started again tonight, and they must have been fearing a repeat with the start Liverpool made. They tore into the Gunners, who seemed shell-shocked in the opening stages as they were given no time on the ball. There were four goals in the opening 25 minutes this time, although despite being on the back foot for the vast majority of that time, Arsenal managed to get an even share of them.

Ramsey levelled things up with his side's first attack of the match before seeing one cleared off the line for a corner, from which Giroud restored parity once again. Giroud then missed an absolute sitter moments later, so having been dominated for half an hour, Arsenal probably should have been ahead. Giroud did make up for that miss with a brilliant goal in the second half, however, as Arsenal continued to play their part in an open contest. In addition to Giroud, the likes of Joel Campbell and Ramsey really shone for the visitors.

To concede the equaliser so late on would have been gutting for Arsene Wenger, but he did invite the late pressure onto his side with a number of defensive substitutions. The Gunners were, understandably, looking to protect their lead, but this was the type of match where attack was the best form of defence, and as soon as Wenger reined his players in, Liverpool could focus solely on laying siege to the visitors' goal. The draw sees them hauled back level with Leicester City in the title race, but like Liverpool, they can take plenty of positives from this performance.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Olivier Giroud: There were so many good individual performances today from players on both sides. Emre Can, Firmino, Campbell and Ramsey can all be proud of their displays, but it was Giroud who shone the brightest. He held the ball up brilliantly and brought others into play, which helped Arsenal to switch defence into attack in a heartbeat.

Then, of course, there are his two goals. The first of them was a deft touch that he did well to get anything on, although all he could really do was help it on its way. The second, though, was stunning as he turned Kolo Toure in the box before burying his finish into the bottom corner. It wasn't quite the perfect performance, though, as he failed to finish Theo Walcott's low cross at the back post with the goal gaping.

Biggest gaffe

Pretty much all of the goals can be questioned defensively, but Giroud has to scoop the double here for his miss. It was a sitter for the Frenchman, who has been in such good form this season, and it ultimately cost him a hat-trick and, more importantly, his side two points.

Referee performance

There were a couple of penalty shouts for Liverpool early on that Michael Jones correctly waved away. Aside from that, though, he was able to sit back and enjoy for the most part, and he did a good job of letting the game flow.

What next?

Liverpool: It gets even bigger for Liverpool on Sunday as they welcome bitter rivals Manchester United to Old Trafford.

Arsenal: Arsenal are also in action on Sunday, taking on Stoke City at the Britannia.