Rosicky went clear on the left for an instant but his touch was too heavy and, just before the hour, the galloping Bendtner tried to steer home a shot only for Reina to block with his legs.
All of a sudden it seemed a game of football seemed to have broken out.
Bendtner went down under Daniel Agger’s challenge but referee Howard Webb booked the Dane for simulation. A couple of minutes later the striker laid the ball back for Rosicky to crack a drive inches over the bar.
This game was now an entirely different animal. The tension of the first half remained but invention had been added. Neither side were functioning at their best but Arsenal had the edge.
Walcott substituted Arshavin with 23 minutes left. Wenger had now replaced two of his front men and the only one remaining who was struggling for fitness.
It seemed that Bendtner would have to soldier on this evening.
And he did.
In the 72nd minute, the 22-year-old found himself surrounded and under pressure in the area but retained the presence of mind to feed a clever ball to Rosicky on the right. The Czech midfielder had time to pick his target. His chose Diaby at the far post. The Frenchman eluded his marker to power home a header. It was his seventh goal of the season and undoubtedly the most important.
In the wake of the goal, Liverpool finally threw off their shackles. They piled forward but there were only two heart-in-mouth moments before injury time – when Gerrard went down in the box and when substitute Ryan Babel slipped his marker before firing goalwards from 25 yards.
It was a dipping, swerving, curling effort but Almunia touched it on to the bar. A pivotal save.
The second half had been dramatic enough but there was one more twist.
In the dying embers of injury time Gerrard somehow won at free-kick five yards outside the area. Fabregas was booked for protesting the decision and then the Englishman’s effort hit the Spaniard’s outstretched hand as he jumped in the wall.